Business executives will share stories, career insights at 2025 CEO Day
Wednesday, February 26, 2025
Media Contact: Stephen Howard | Director of Marketing and Communications | 405-744-4363 | stephen.howard@okstate.edu
Oklahoma State University students will have the chance to interact with successful business leaders from three different industries during the Spears School of Business’ CEO Day on April 1.
The event is scheduled from 3-4:15 p.m. in the Student Union Theater. OSU students from all colleges are encouraged to attend free of charge.
This year’s executives are Stacy Kymes, president and chief executive officer of BOK Financial Corporation; Jeff McIntyre, partner and co-founder, Pyramid Global Hospitality; and Sophia Shoate, president of Global Enterprise Sales at UPS.
Kymes, who graduated from Harding University with a bachelor’s degree in accounting, joined BOK Financial in 1996 and is active in the Tulsa community. He has held several positions in various areas of BOK Financial, previously serving as chief auditor, corporate controller, treasurer and chief credit officer. Prior to being named CEO in January 2022, Kymes was the chief operating officer and supervised all of the company’s revenue-generating divisions. BOK Financial is a $50 billion regional financial services company.
McIntyre, a certified hotel administrator, has been an innovator in the hospitality industry for over 50 years. He holds a bachelor’s degree in hotel and restaurant administration from OSU and graduated from the University of Minnesota’s Senior Executive Management program. In 1994, McIntyre founded Gemstone Hotels and Resorts with its office in Breckenridge, Colorado. He then led mergers with Benchmark Hotels and Resorts in 2017 and Pyramid in 2020, rebranding as Pyramid Global Hospitality. McIntyre and his partners became known for creating unique and tailored points of difference at each resort.
Shoate, who holds a bachelor’s degree in management from OSU, began her UPS career in 1990 in Oklahoma. Shoate has held various leadership positions, including vice president of Inside Sales and president of U.S. Sales at UPS, while using her business experience to develop future leaders within the company. In her current role, she coordinates a team focused on growth and end-to-end optimization of complex supply chains for UPS’s largest customers. Shoate is a 2022 graduate of Leadership Atlanta and a 2012 graduate of Leadership America.
Established in 2003, CEO Day is hosted by OSU’s Spears School of Business, the Business Student Council and the MBA Association to bring successful businesspeople to the Stillwater campus. The event provides students the opportunity to engage with executives, discover the challenges and issues business leaders face, understand how CEOs chart their career paths, gain insight into their decision processes and leadership styles, and learn about characteristics they seek in managers.
Visit the Spears Business website for more information about CEO Day, including past speakers.