OSU/A&M Board of Regents Recognize Regent Jay Helm for Service as Chair

Friday, July 27, 2012

Regent Andy Lester Succeeds Regent Helm as Chair of the OSU/A&M Board of Regents

The OSU/A&M Board of Regents honored Regent Jay Helm of Tulsa, Oklahoma for his service as chair of the board during its regularly scheduled meeting held today at Oklahoma State University's Institute for Agricultural Biosciences in Ardmore, Oklahoma.

Recently elected Chair Andy Lester of Edmond, Oklahoma thanked Regent Helm for his service and presented him with a plaque commemorating tenure as chair. Regent Helm served as chair of the nine-member board from June 2011 to July 2012.

"In the almost five years I have been privileged to serve on this board, I have come to greatly respect the skills and hard work of each of my fellow regents," Lester said. "Jay is a genuine public servant, and he has made enormous contributions to this board the past 12 years. His infectious enthusiasm and unflagging commitment to this board and the institutions we oversee and govern serves as a positive example to each one of us. As chair this past year, he provided strong and steady leadership."

In response, Regent Helm said he was appreciative of the opportunity to serve as chair of the board. "I count it a great privilege to serve on this board and appreciate the opportunity given to me last year to serve as chair. I want to thank my fellow regents who share with me a common goal to provide supportive, insightful and valuable leadership and counsel to the institutions we govern."

He continued, "Andy will make an outstanding board chair. For the past five years, we have come to appreciate and depend on his legal expertise and sound judgment on many policy matters that come before the board. He knows the value of higher education to Oklahoma's future and the great need in our state to educate more Oklahomans at the highest level. On behalf of each regent, we look forward to working with Andy as our new chair for the coming year."

The OSU/A&M Board of Regents elected new officers at its June meeting. In addition to the election of Regent Andy Lester as chair, the board also elected Regent Tucker Link to serve as vice chair of the board for 2012.

Regent Lester has served on the board since his appointment by Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry in 2007. Lester attended Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet in Munich, Germany, received a Bachelor of Arts in History degree, magna cum laude, from Duke University in 1977 and received a Juris Doctorate and a Master of Science in Foreign Service degree from Georgetown University in 1981.

Link is founder and chair of Knightsbridge Resources based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which holds investment interest in a number of sectors, including beef and cattle. Appointed by Governor Brad Henry in 2010 to serve as a member of the A&M Board of Regents, Link received a Bachelor of Science in accounting degree from Oklahoma State University in 1972.

"I am honored to serve as chair of this board for a full year," Lester said. "I am looking forward to working with my fellow regents, presidents, faculty members, administrators, staff and students at the fine institutions we govern and manage to provide both leadership and stewardship supportive of their educational endeavors."

Additionally, Chief Executive Officer Jason Ramsey was formally elected board secretary for service in the next year at the June meeting. Ramsey was appointed board CEO in March 2012. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from Oklahoma State University in 1998 and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Oklahoma in 2003.

The Oklahoma Legislature created the Board of Regents for the Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical Colleges on July 11, 1944. The board oversees and governs five institutions, including Connors State College, Langston University, Northeastern Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College, Oklahoma Panhandle State University, and Oklahoma State University. The Oklahoma governor appoints eight of the nine board members with the consent and approval of the Oklahoma State Senate. Board members serve eight-year terms. The Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture automatically serves on the board. The board's mission is to guide and uphold policies and procedures of the institutions it governs.