OSU alums to share success stories at CEO Day
Thursday, March 23, 2023
Media Contact: Terry Tush | Director, Marketing and Communications | 405-744-2703 | terry.tush@okstate.edu
Three successful business executives will be sharing their stories with Oklahoma State University students during the Spears School of Business’ CEO Day from 3-4:30 p.m., April 4, at the Student Union Theater.
The forum will feature OSU alumna Vickie Carr, leader of Deloitte’s National Tax Accounting Group; Mike Dillard, a world-renowned martial arts champion who started Century, Inc., a manufacturer of uniforms and other martial arts gear; and Kevin Jordan, founder and chief executive officer of private equity firm Black Gold Group.
CEO Day is presented by the Business Student Council, the MBA Association and Spears Business to bring successful businesspeople to the Stillwater campus. Students can discover challenges and issues that business leaders face, understand how CEOs chart their career paths, discover characteristics they seek in managers, interact with successful executives and learn about their decision-making processes and leadership styles.
Carr, a 1985 OSU accounting graduate who also earned a master’s degree in accounting from the University of Tulsa (1988), began her career as an intern with Deloitte in the Tulsa office and is now a partner in the Dallas office. She has worked for Deloitte for over 30 years serving public and private clients in several industries, including many of Deloitte’s largest multinational clients. Carr is a frequent speaker at internal and external conferences on tax accounting topics, including client roundtables, external training, client-specific training and D-briefs for executives.
Dillard earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from OSU in 1973 and was the stuntman for Chuck Norris for 20 years. The famous actor has been Dillard’s main instructor since 1980. Dillard started Century in the mid-1970s after a trip to Korea for training. He discovered the Korean martial arts uniforms were superior in quality and fit than American uniforms. He started his company in his parent’s home, and Century now manufactures their own uniforms and a wide array of martial arts gear used by traditional and mixed martial arts.
Jordan received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from OSU in 1977 and went on to earn an MBA (Southern Methodist University) and law degree (University of Tulsa). While using his legal background in various business endeavors, he has spent most of his life in entrepreneurial roles in small and mid-size businesses. In addition to working for a commercial lender, an equity investment firm and several companies in various roles, Jordan has spent 25 years in executive management and ownership of numerous businesses that he has started, acquired, merged or turned around.