Spears School recognizes outstanding alumni at annual Hall of Fame Banquet
Thursday, November 10, 2011
The annual Spears School Hall of Fame Banquet recognizes OSU graduates who have distinguished
themselves in their professional careers, displayed effective leadership, made exemplary
contributions to their communities and freely given meritorious service to others.
Induction into the Hall of Fame is the highest honor the Spears School can bestow.
In 2001, the Outstanding Young Alumni award was established to recognize alumni who
have provided significant service and achievement early in their professional careers.
The Orange Star Award recognizes outstanding Spears School alumni who have made significant
contributions to their alma mater.
David Batchelder, Link Newcomb, and Amy and Malone Mitchell III were honored for
their successful careers and contributions to OSU with induction into the Spears School
Hall of Fame. The Spears School also recognized Wesley Holmes and Galen Martens as
Outstanding Young Alumni. In addition, Steve Nave, Ken Starks, Melinda Stinnett and
Steve Tatum were honored as this year’s Orange Star Award recipients.
David Batchelder is a founder, principal and member of the Investment Committee of Relational Investors
LLC, an investment firm that manages more than $6.3 billion for some of the largest
pension funds in the world.
Batchelder has had more than 27 years of financial management, mergers and acquisitions
experience. In addition to his current role, Batchelder has served as chairman of
Mac Frugal’s Bargains Close-Outs Inc. and as director of many other companies, including
ConAgra Foods Inc., The Home Depot Inc., ICN Pharmaceuticals Inc., Intuit Inc., Nuevo
Energy Company, Santa Fe Pacific Gold Corporation and Washington Group International.
From 1988 to 2005, Batchelder was also a principal of Relational Advisors LLC, a
financial advisory and investment banking firm he founded. He built the firm into
a nationally recognized source of expertise for mergers, acquisitions, private financing
and shareholder matters.
Batchelder earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from OSU in 1971.
Amy Mitchell and Malone Mitchell III are the founders of Riata Energy, one of the largest privately held energy companies
in the United States and the largest private land drilling contractor in the nation.
The Mitchells founded Riata Energy in 1985 in their guest bedroom with a mere $500
in capital.
In 2008, the Mitchells donated more than $57 million to the Spears School to help
fund the college’s entrepreneurship program, a program that has since received international
recognition. The Riata Center for Entrepreneurship is named for their contribution.
The Mitchells met during their first semester at OSU, and they were married in 1981
between their sophomore and junior years. Both of them graduated with bachelor’s degrees
in 1983, with Malone obtaining a degree in agriculture and with Amy earning a degree
in family relations.
Link Newcomb is currently the senior adviser to the CEO of Oakley Inc. Since joining Oakley in
1994, Newcomb has held various positions in the company, including executive vice
president, chief financial officer and chief operating officer.
Prior to joining Oakley, Newcomb was a corporate attorney for five years in the Los
Angeles office of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom, one of the largest law firms
in the United States.
Newcomb grew up in Elk City, Okla., and he graduated from OSU in December 1983 with
a bachelor’s degree in accounting. Newcomb also earned his master’s degree in accounting
from OSU in 1984, and he obtained his law degree from the University of Texas in 1988.
While at OSU, Newcomb received the Raymond D. Thomas Award for outstanding graduate
of the business college in 1984, and he was one of OSU’s Top 10 Seniors that same
year.
Wesley Holmes is currently a senior commercial development representative for Williams Co., one
of the largest natural gas gatherers and processors in North America. He joined Williams
Co. in 2002, and he soon began to work as a commodities analyst at Midstream, a subsidiary
of Williams Co. He was promoted to his current position in 2006.
Holmes graduated from OSU’s Spears School of Business with a bachelor’s degree in
finance in 2002. During his senior year at OSU, Holmes was honored as a Top 10 College
of Business Senior and a Top 10 OSU Senior. He has remained active at OSU, serving
as the advisory board chairman for the Sigma Nu fraternity and as a member of the
OSU Alumni Association Leadership Council.
Galen Martens is a senior vice president and the chief financial officer for First Oklahoma Bank
in Tulsa, Okla. Since the bank was founded in late 2009, it has grown to over $150
million in assets, making it one of the fastest growing banks in Oklahoma history.
Before joining First Oklahoma Bank, Martens worked for BOK, where he rose to the
position of senior division controller of wealth management.
Martens earned his bachelor’s degree in international business from the Spears School
in 2001.
Steve Nave helped launch and lead Walmart.com. Since the founding of the website 11 years ago,
Nave has served as the controller, chief financial officer, chief operating officer
and ultimately the president of the company, and he helped grow the site into a multi-billion-dollar
business.
Nave graduated from the Spears School in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting.
While at OSU, Steve was active in the Student Government Organization, and he served
as president of the financial honor society Beta Alpha Psi.
This summer, Nave left Walmart.com to enjoy a “mini-retirement” with his family.
Ken Starks has been the regional vice president for BancFirst since 2007. Starks has spent much
of his career serving in similar positions across the states of Oklahoma and Texas,
holding such titles as the senior vice president for First National Bank & Trust in
Stillwater, the assistant vice president for RepublicBank in Dallas, and the vice
president for commercial lending at Stillwater National Bank & Trust.
Starks earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agricultural economics
at OSU. He has remained actively involved at OSU throughout his life and has served
the university in various leadership positions. Currently, Starks is instructing agricultural
finance at OSU; earlier this year he was honored as the OSU Agricultural Economics
Department Outstanding Teacher.
Melinda Stinnett is the managing director for Stinnett & Associates, an accounting firm she founded
in 2001. Under her leadership, Stinnett & Associates has grown to 45 employees with
offices in Oklahoma City and Tulsa and with personnel in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.
Stinnett received her bachelor’s degree in accounting from the Spears School in 1989.
At graduation, Stinnett was honored as the university’s Outstanding Senior Woman.
She has remained active at OSU, and she currently serves as a board member for the
OSU School of Accounting.
Steve Tatum is president of Koch Minerals LLC, a subsidiary of Koch Industries Inc. Koch Minerals
is among the world’s largest dry-bulk commodity handlers, marketing and trading more
than 40 million tons of products annually.
Tatum began his career with Koch in 1983, and he has held various positions with
company since then. In 1997, he was promoted to the position of president of Koch
Hydrocarbon Management LLC.
Tatum graduated from OSU with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.