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Thomas Gray Selected as Vice President for Economic Development

Friday, June 24, 2005

Thomas F. Gray of Edmond has been named Vice President for Economic Development in the Oklahoma State University Center for Innovation and Economic Development.

This position is responsible for the recruitment, expansion, and retention of industry in this region, and will be actively involved in attracting high-tech industries to the state and the Oklahoma Technology Research Park.

“OSU is very pleased that a person of Tom Gray’s caliber, with his years of experience in economic development in this state, will be joining our center,” said System CEO and President David J. Schmidly.

Since 1990, Gray has served as the manager of lead development and director of the Tulsa Division for the Oklahoma Department of Commerce. He has been responsible for identifying and developing leads with small, medium and large national corporations, to locate all or part of their operations to Oklahoma.

In 1986 and 1987 he was selected as a member of the Governor’s Reverse Investment Trade Missions to Japan, and in 1987 accepted the position of executive director of the Creek County Economic Development Corporation.

Gray also developed a business plan on an annualized basis that included global trade assistance, business finance, business development, inland navigation systems promotion, and promotion of the state as a filming location.

His economic development expertise includes serving as vice president for marketing, business development and economic development for the Federal National Bank and Trust Company in Shawnee from 1978-86. From 1970-78 he worked for the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department as assistant director for the Tourism Promotion Division, as an executive assistant for the Special Projects Division, and as an information representative.

Gray was a founding director for the National Association of State Film Offices in 1977, and has chaired the Oklahoma Governor’s Industrial Team twice and the Oklahoma Governor’s Film Industry Task Force from 1980-84. He has served as chair of the Northeast Oklahoma Economic Development Association and was president of the Shawnee Industrial Authority in 1982.

He received his B.A. in journalism and public relations from the University of Oklahoma, and has earned certificates of completion from the American Bankers Association and Oklahoma Bankers Association, and the OU Economic Development Institute.

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