Spears School to host 8th annual CEO Day Forum

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Three chief executive officers will visit Oklahoma State University students and participate in a   public forum about "Opportunities in a Global Economy" from 3:30 to 5 p.m. April 6 in the Oklahoma State University Student Union Theater in Stillwater.

The forum is part of the eighth annual Spears School of Business CEO Day and will feature OSU alumni Rick Darnaby, managing partner of Darnaby &   Associates LLC; Rhonda Hooper, president and CEO of Jordan Associates; and Griff Jones, CEO of Eagle Energy Partners.

“We really appreciate the Mr. Darnaby, Ms. Hooper, and Mr. Jones taking the time and energy to spend the day with our students,” said Sara Freedman, Spears School dean. “They provide our students a wonderful opportunity to learn from their experiences and to interact with them in both formal and informal settings.  These CEOs provide role models and inspiration for what our students can do when they complete their programs at OSU.”

Rick Darnaby is the managing partner of Darnaby & Associates, LLC.  The firm provides business services through three operating companies in the areas of innovation development and culture, strategic business and brand strategy and efficient management of intellectual property. Darnaby brings a wealth of global executive level experience from large corporations, as well as venture capital and private equity backed companies. He has a track record of developing world-class innovative strategies and executing to optimum profitability.

Rhonda Hooper is president and CEO of Jordan Associates, a full-service advertising and communications agency, headquartered in Oklahoma City. Hooper has spearheaded retail, hotel, gaming, entertainment, foodservice, apparel, economic development and healthcare accounts. Hooper served as national president of the Oklahoma State University Alumni Association in 2001-2002 and has been recognized as an OSU Distinguished Alumnus and outstanding alumnus of the OSU College of Arts & Sciences.

Griff Jones is the CEO of EDF Trading in North America.  Jones has spent all of his career in the energy business dedicated to the development of U.S. natural gas and power marketing.  Jones is the co-founder of Eagle Energy Partners, which was established in 2003, and has subsequently become EDF Trading. Jones began his career at Natural Gas Clearinghouse, the predecessor to Dynegy, Inc., where he led a number of initiatives within the company’s wholesale power and natural gas business.

For more information about the Spears School 2010 CEO Day, call 405-744-5064 or visit spears.okstate.edu.