OU announced the 2023 commencement speaker and that it will award honorary degrees to three alumni on May 12 in the Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
Randall Stephenson, former chairman and chief executive officer for AT&T Inc. and 2012 honorary degree recipient, will serve as the 2023 commencement speaker.
Tom Love, Maj. Gen. Theresa Carter and Ronnie Irani will receive honorary degrees in recognition of their achievements and service to others, according to an OU press release.
“Each of this year’s honorary degree recipients has attained success in their own right, but what truly distinguishes them is their unwavering commitment to championing the next generation of leaders. We are incredibly proud to recognize their achievements and generous goodwill with our university’s highest honor,” OU President Joseph Harroz Jr., said in the release.
Randall Stephenson, Dallas, Texas
During Stephenson's 13-year leadership tenure, AT&T became one of the world’s largest companies in the technology, media and telecom space, according to the press release.
OU alum Randall Stephenson will serve as the 2023 commencement speaker.
Under Stephenson's leadership, AT&T led the world in the deployment of high-speed wireless networks and launched the world’s first iPhone. Stephenson led AT&T’s launch of HBO Max under the HBO umbrella, reaching over 60 million global customers at the end of his tenure.
Stephenson also helped launch AT&T’s $550 million signature philanthropic initiative, AT&T Aspire, which drives innovation in education to promote student success in school and the workplace, according to the press release.
Stephenson graduated from OU in 1986 with a master's degree in accounting and now serves as a leader for the Price College of Business. Stephenson helped launch the Price College's MBA Corporate Scholars program, which places business students in summer internship programs at AT&T and other companies.
In honor of Stephenson's retirement in 2020, AT&T launched the Stephenson Scholars program, which focuses on increasing representation and diversity in telecommunications and technology. The program provides underrepresented students at OU annual scholarships, mentoring, professional development and internships at AT&T, with a full-time job offer at the conclusion of the program, according to the press release.
In 2021, Stephenson and his wife, Lenise, contributed to launching OU’s Transformative Tutoring Initiative, a program that provides select Oklahoma high school students with math tutoring aimed at closing learning gaps.
Originally from Moore, Stephenson began his career with Southwestern Bell Telephone in 1982 in Oklahoma, and served in several executive roles, including chief financial officer and chief operations officer. He is a member of the Walmart Board of Directors and the PGA Tour Board of Directors, according to the press release.
In recognition of his successful career and history of giving back to OU and Oklahoma, OU awarded Stephenson an honorary degree in 2012.
Tom Love, Oklahoma City
Love died in March in Oklahoma City, and his award is being granted posthumously. He was the founder of Love’s Travel Stops, a family-owned chain of truck stops and convenience stores located across the nation.
OU alum Tom Love, founder of Love’s Travel Stops, will receive an honorary degree from OU during the 2023 commencement ceremony.
Love started the company in 1964 with his wife, Judy, beginning with one small location in western Oklahoma. Today, Love’s has more than 610 Love’s locations and 22 EZ GO locations in 42 states and employs more than 39,000 team members.
He and his wife are long-standing partners of OU. In 2018, the university announced a leadership gift from the Tom and Judy Love Foundation in support of the entrepreneurship initiatives at the Price College of Business. In recognition of his visionary leadership and generosity, OU named the Division of Entrepreneurship, Innovation Hub, Center for Entrepreneurship and Entrepreneurs in Residence Program in his honor.
The Love contribution also supports a scholarship endowment and funds at least 20 annual student scholarships or “proof-of-concept” grants, which provide critical resources by providing non-equity capital resources to student start-ups, according to the press release.
In October 2021, OU announced a lead naming gift from Love’s Travel Stops, which put in motion the construction of OU’s new softball stadium, Love’s Field, slated to open for the 2024 season.
The Love family provides philanthropic support to multiple areas across the university, including the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center, College of Medicine, College of Allied Health, Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education and Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts.
Love was a former chairman of the Oklahoma Transportation Commission, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation Highway Commission and the Oklahoma Business Roundtable, and Oklahoma’s TRUST Coalition.
Love's honors include induction into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, being named Oklahoma’s Most Admired CEO in his field and receiving the TRUST Coalition’s Guardian of Transportation Award. In 2019, Love was inducted into the Chickasaw Hall of Fame, the highest honor for citizens of the Chickasaw Nation.
Love attended Saint John’s University in Minnesota and OU. He also served in the U.S. Marine Corps and received an honorary doctorate from Oklahoma City University, according to the press release.
Theresa Carter, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Carter was the first female civil engineering officer promoted to brigadier general and to serve as the Air Force Civil Engineer, the field's highest-ranking officer, according to the release.
OU alum Theresa Carter will receive an honorary degree from OU during the 2023 commencement ceremony.
Carter is a distinguished military graduate of Purdue’s Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps program and served for 31 years of active duty in the U.S. Air Force before retiring as major general in 2016, according to Purdue Global.
During her years of service, Carter commanded a squadron, group, two wings and a center ranging in size from 400 to 8,000 personnel. Carter also served as the installation commander for Joint Base San Antonio, the largest joint base in the Department of Defense.
Carter led the Air Force's largest and most complex reorganization since 1992, consolidating installation support activities at ten intermediate commands and creating the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center, where she served as its first commander, according to the press release.
Carter holds a Bachelor of Science in industrial engineering from Purdue, a Master of Science in industrial engineering from OU, a Master of Science in national resource strategy from National Defense University and a Doctorate in business administration from Drexel University. Carter is also registered as a professional engineer in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Her honors include recognition from Purdue University as a Distinguished Engineering Alumna and Outstanding Industrial Engineer, and induction into Purdue’s ROTC Hall of Fame.
Carter currently works as an independent consultant, mentors current and future Air Force members and serves as a trustee at Purdue University.
Ronnie Irani, Oklahoma City
Irani is the founder and CEO of RKI Energy Resources, LLC, a privately held energy company headquartered in Oklahoma City, and has over 43 years of experience in the energy industry, serving in senior executive-level positions in numerous public and private companies.
OU alum Ronnie Irani will receive an honorary degree from OU during the 2023 commencement ceremony.
Previously, Irani was president and CEO of RKI Exploration & Production, which he founded in 2005 and built into a multi-billion-dollar enterprise prior to its sale in 2015, according to the press release.
Irani has actively engaged in nonprofit organizations and has given significant time and resources for the betterment of the community, including OU, according to the press release.
At OU, Irani is a former chairman and emeritus member of the OU Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy’s Board of Visitors and is a former chairman of the OU Mewbourne School of Petroleum and Geological Engineering Advisory Board. Irani works closely with students at OU Ronnie K. Irani Center for Energy Solutions in Mewbourne College and the OU Ronnie K. Irani Center for the Creation of Economic Wealth in the OU Price College of Business.
Irani has served on numerous boards, including the Oklahoma City Boathouse Foundation, Oklahoma Energy Explorers, the Oklahoma City Community Foundation and the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation. He has also served on the Committee for Sustaining Oklahoma’s Energy Resources, the Oklahoma Energy Resources Board and the Oklahoma Petroleum Alliance, formerly known as the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association.
Irani received numerous higher education, professional and business awards, including the OU Regents’ Alumni Award and the Trailblazer Award from Mewbourne College for his lifetime achievements and contributions in the energy industry.
Irani's other honors include the Society of Petroleum Engineers’ Industry Service Award, Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association’s Member of the Year award and an honorary doctorate from Oklahoma City University.
Irani earned a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from Bombay University, India, in 1977, bachelor's and master's degrees in petroleum engineering from OU and an MBA from Oklahoma City University. Irani also completed the Executive Management Program offered by the Independent Petroleum Association of America in conjunction with Harvard University, according to the press release.
"As our graduates prepare for their next chapter, they will be inspired by how all of these individuals have directed their talents and energies to change the lives of others,” Harroz said.
The university will confer the honorary degrees during its 2023 commencement ceremony, scheduled for 7 p.m. on May 12 at the Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. For more information on OU’s May graduation ceremonies, visit ou.edu/commencement or email commencement@ou.edu.
This story was edited by Alexia Aston and Jazz Wolfe. Nikkie Aisha and Grace Rhodes copy edited this story.
