Mayor's Bio
Kathryn L.
Taylor was elected the 38th Mayor of Tulsa, Oklahoma on April 4,
2006, in the city's largest voter turnout for a Mayoral election.
Combining her business and legal background with her time in state
government as Secretary of Commerce and Tourism, Mayor Taylor has
infused this City with a new kind of energy. With the partnership
of City councilors, Mayor Taylor has tackled the problems of public
safety, government efficiency, education and economic development
with an eye on making decisions based on measurable data, and using
collaboration between normally disconnected groups to work toward
goals for moving our region forward.
Bold moves such as consolidating city properties without raising
taxes, developing a new Working in Neighborhoods division,
installing performance measurements to measure the effective use of
tax dollars, collaborating with the U.S. attorney to address the
issues of gang violence, working to ensure city and state support
of one of our most vibrant industries - the aerospace industry and
in fact traveling half-way around the world at her own expense to
sell the attributes of Tulsa and its aerospace industry to 600
international business executives in Delhi, India - this Mayor is
making things happen.
Taylor was appointed by Governor Brad Henry in February 2003 to
serve as Secretary of Commerce and Tourism. Her responsibilities as
Secretary included overseeing the state economic development and
tourism agencies, in addition to serving as the Executive Director
of the Department of Commerce. Taylor was the first Commerce
Secretary to be tasked with three state agencies - Commerce,
Tourism and Workforce Development/Oklahoma Employment Security
Commission. She also served as Governor Henry's Small Business
Advocate for the State of Oklahoma.
Taylor comes to the office with a diverse and extensive business
background, ranging from more than a decade in the transportation
industry as a senior officer in a car rental company, as an owner
and a member of the board for an international business, and in the
franchise industry representing franchisors expanding in the United
States, Europe and Asia. She also served as counsel to numerous
small franchises. Consequently, she has the unique mix of
experiences necessary to understand not only what motivates
business decisions of multinational companies, but also understands
the challenges of owning and managing your own business.
Taylor has been active in numerous education and non-profit
entities in Oklahoma. She has served on the board of directors of
Sonic Industries, Dollar Car Rental, National Car Rental and the
Grand River Dam Authority as well as a trustee for the OU
Foundation.
Taylor has been active with Gilcrease Museum, Resonance Support
Center for Women, Domestic Violence Intervention Services, Tulsa
Zoo Friends, Philbrook Museum of Art, and Community Service Council
of Greater Tulsa. She has served as chair of two major fund-raising
events - the Opera Ball and the Philbrook Wine Experience. She has
also been appointed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors to the
position of vice chair of the Jobs, Education and Workforce
Standing Committee and received the Oklahoma Fit Kids Coalition
award for outstanding service as one of the state's leading public
officials involved in promoting activities that reduce childhood
obesity. Most recently, the Mayor's program "Operation Power Up"
will be codified by FEMA and used as a nationwide model.
Her dedication has been recognized with numerous awards. She
received the 2003 Pinnacle Award for Community Service from the
Mayor's Commission on the Status of Women, the 2003 Mona Lambird
Spotlight Award from the Oklahoma Bar Association, and the 2004
Headliners Award from the Tulsa Press Club, she was a finalist for
the Journal Record Woman of the Year, and she has also been awarded
the 2007 Distinguished Public Official Award from the Oklahoma Fit
Kids Coalition for improving the health of Oklahoma children and
youth.
By virtue of her office she serves on numerous boards and
commissions, including the Tulsa Airport Authority, Tulsa Parks and
Recreation Board, Tulsa Authority for the Recovery of Energy, and
the Tulsa Metropolitan Utility Authority.
Mayor Taylor can be emailed at: mayor@cityoftulsa.org
