2025 giles symposium
On March 7, 2025, the University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma will host award-winning entrepreneur and bestselling author Adam Braun alongside businesswoman and community builder Kathy Taylor as the keynote speakers for the 2025 Giles Symposium on Citizenship and Public Service.
schedule of events
March 7
Master Classes
USAO Ballroom in the Student Center
2:00 pm
Building an inclusive business model
Adam Braun
3:30 pm
Your voice, your future—shaping the world
Kathy Taylor
Main Event
USAO Ballroom in the Student Center
Adam Braun
Adam Braun is a 3x award-winning entrepreneur, New York Times & Wall Street Journal bestselling author, and a world-renowned keynote speaker on leadership and innovation. His talks have been watched more than 3 million times, and the businesses he has founded and led have raised over $100MM by leveraging his unique, teachable framework - Build For Where The World Is Headed.
As CEO of Clarasight, a technology company focused on company sustainability whose clients represent more than $1T in market capitalization and Chairman of Pencils of Promise, the organization he started with $25 that has built more than 600 schools around the world, his talks are rooted in the authentic first-hand lessons learned through successes and struggles in building pioneering companies with acclaimed leaders at the frontlines of industry innovation.
His journey has taken him to 75 countries to identify how the world's best leaders navigate uncertainty to shape the future, and by distilling these universal learnings he has been featured as a speaker at The White House, Stanford and Harvard Business Schools, and countless Fortune 500 companies, industry associations and universities.
His book, The Promise of a Pencil: How an Ordinary Person Can Create Extraordinary Change, is an international bestseller that reached the #1 spot on What Corporate America Is Reading. He has also been named to Business Insider’s 40 Under 40, Wired’s 50 People Who Will Change the World, and is the recipient of the Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Award as well as the United States' most prestigious award for public service, the Jefferson Award.
Kathy Taylor
Kathy Taylor is a strategic businesswoman, captivating thought leader, community builder and steadfast leader for women and entrepreneurship.
From her early days in law and as an executive of Dollar/Thrifty Car Rental to her most recent post as the Dean of the Collins College of Business at the University of Tulsa, she has focused on mentoring others to grow to their potential. Kathy has set the standard for including women in the highest ranks of decision making, serving as Mayor of Tulsa, Oklahoma’s Secretary of Commerce, Tourism and Workforce and on national boards, including Sonic Corporation, National Car Rental and Dollar Car Rental.
However, Kathy’s passion for her community and vision for Tulsa’s future extend far beyond economic development. As the founder and CEO of Impact Tulsa, she worked to improve access and education outcomes for Tulsa children. She also served as chair and director of Reading Partners, which focuses on improving reading proficiency for students in underserved areas. As part of her legacy of service, she and her husband founded the Lobeck Taylor Family Foundation, which funds projects for entrepreneurship and education.
Her service to her community is renowned. She has been honored by numerous civic and education organizations, including the Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame, the Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice and the U.S. Navy as the Ship Sponsor for the USS Tulsa LCS-16. Most recently, she was awarded the Raymond and Nancy Feldman Lifetime Achievement Award by Tulsa Global Alliance.
the Ray, Mary & Nita Giles Symposium for Citizenship and Public Service
Ray Giles dedicated his life to public service and to the state of Oklahoma. During a four-year stint in the U.S. Air Force during World War II, Giles was awarded three Battle Stars, the Purple Heart and the Air Medal for his service in Europe. In 1945, he returned to Caddo County to become a wheat farmer. Giles became active in local politics, serving on the State Board of Agriculture and ultimately as an Oklahoma state senator, a position he held from 1976 to 1992.
Like her husband, Mary Martin Giles was dedicated to civic causes, particularly education. She attended the Oklahoma College for Women in the early 1940s. She taught in the Carnegie schools for five years and was a member of the Grady County Mineral Owners Association as well as her church. She was passionate about farming and related issues.
Nita Giles, following her parents’ example, was dedicated to serving others. She opened her own law practice in Oklahoma City in July 1982, specializing in long-term care and other health care law until her retirement in October 2011. She was known as a leader in staff development and education, always ready to mentor others in developing the skills and confidence necessary to succeed in their chosen fields.
Ray Giles passed away in 1995, followed by Mary in 1998, and Nita in 2017. Their legacy of service and commitment to family, education and public service in Oklahoma lives on through the Ray, Mary & Nita Giles Symposium at USAO.