Business leaders Irby, Lawhorn, McKinley to speak at 2026 CEO Day
Tuesday, March 3, 2026
Media Contact: Stephen Howard | Director of Marketing & Communications | 405-744-4363 | stephen.howard@okstate.edu
Three accomplished business leaders are visiting Oklahoma State University’s Stillwater campus for the Spears School of Business’ 2026 CEO Day.
Steve Irby, Jimmy Lawhorn and Liz McKinley will speak to students at 3 p.m., April 7, in the OSU Student Union Theater. The trio’s executive leadership experiences span the technology, food and petroleum industries.
Irby is president and founder of Stillwater Designs — maker of Kicker audio products for cars, boats, motorcycles, UTVs and portable lifestyle products. Lawhorn is president and CEO of Blue Bell Creameries, and McKinley is president of Pinnacle Petroleum.
Irby founded Stillwater Designs with his roommate in 1973 after a year of graduate study at OSU. His love of music was expressed during high school and college as a keyboard player in various rock ’n’ roll bands.
In 1980, Irby developed the original Kicker, a full-range, enclosed speaker system designed to fit behind the seat in a standard cab pickup truck. This was a first-of-its-kind product innovation, which is why similar products of many brands came to be known generically as Kicker-boxes. This single innovative product launched a car audio brand with hundreds of models sold through a network of retail dealers in all 50 U.S. states and more than 60 countries on six continents.
Irby maintains a hands-on approach to every aspect of the remarkably successful business, but his passions remain in product design and development. No product receives final production authorization before Irby and his team have approved the product through rigorous listening tests.
Irby is a lead benefactor of Block 34, the public green space featuring the Kicker Sound Stage for community events in downtown Stillwater.
Tulsa native and OSU alumnus Lawhorn was named president and CEO of Blue Bell Creameries in 2024. In addition to that role, Lawhorn serves as a director on the Blue Bell Creameries U.S.A., Inc., Board of Directors.
Upon graduating from Spears Business with a bachelor’s degree in management, Lawhorn began working for Blue Bell as a territory manager in 1998 in Tulsa. His career took off from there, elevating to sales manager in 2001, Nashville branch manager in 2006, regional manager in 2010, corporate sales manager in 2015, general sales manager in 2017 and vice president of sales and marketing in 2018.
Lawhorn is an active member of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, and is also a member of Washington County Cares, a nonprofit group that raises funds for various charities around Washington County. In 2018, Lawhorn was named to the Brenham Economic Development Foundation Board of Directors.
Lawhorn and his wife, Emily, a math teacher at Brenham High School, have three children: Brady, Alex and Katelynn.
As president of Pinnacle Petroleum, McKinley has driven the California-based company to thrive with her unwavering commitment to operational excellence, innovation, safety, customer service and philanthropy.
Her career began at Koch Industries in Wichita, Kansas, where she made history as the first woman hired as a petroleum commodities trader. Building on her pioneering role, McKinley founded her own enterprise in 1995.
McKinley’s accomplishments have earned her a host of honors, including the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2010, the National Association of Women Business Owners Entrepreneur Award and a spot on the Women Presidents Organization Fastest Growing 50 in 2012.
She was inducted into the Spears Business Hall of Fame in 2003, and she is a board member for the Riata Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, as well as the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies.
The Stillwater native earned a business degree from OSU in 1981 with a double major in marketing and management.
Established in 2003, CEO Day is hosted by Spears Business, the Business Student Council, MBA Association and Graduate Leadership Association of Spears. The event provides students opportunities to interact with successful executives and develop a deeper understanding of topics that include career advancement, business challenges, decision processes, leadership styles and sought-after characteristics in managers.
OSU students of all colleges are encouraged to attend free of charge.
Visit the website to learn more about CEO Day.