Wes Alexander was born and raised in Tulsa and attended Edison High School and the University of Tulsa. As a lifelong Tulsan, Wes is proudly involved with local business as the Director of Sales & Marketing for Marshall Brewing Company. Wes and his wife Kari make their home in north Tulsa along with two kids and one lazy Labrador Retriever. In his free time, Wes enjoys cycling and wood working like his namesake grandfather, uncle and father.

Tina Peña is a professor at Tulsa Community College where she has been working for the past 30 years. She teaches Community and Medical Interpreting for the Interpreting/Translation Certificate Programs that she created 20 years ago. She is also the former Chair for the National Board of Medical Interpreters, a former Oklahoma State Representative to the IMIA, and presently serves several local, state and national boards to improve lives of underserved populations. Ms. Peña’s past work with immigrant students has earned her the “Oklahoma Human Rights Award,” “Orgullo Peruano” and among many, “The Pinnacle Award in Education.”

Maria Barnes is a Tulsa Native. She and her husband have three children, all of them grown, all of them Tulsa natives who currently still call Tulsa home. Maria has worked in the Kendall-Whittier Neighborhood for 35+ years. She currently serves as the Community Outreach Director at Crosstown Learning Center, Inc. Maria served two terms as Tulsa City Councilor for District 4. She also currently serves on the Life Senior Services Board. After many years of service to Tulsa, Maria says she wants to serve on the Citizen’s Advisory Board to look into policies, procedures, and to help give citizens of Tulsa a voice.

Tim Newton is originally from Los Angeles, California. He graduated from the Georgie Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering as well as a Master of Divinity from Oral Roberts University. Tim and his wife Nichole have two children and enjoy serving the north Tulsa community together as a family. Tim is the Executive Director of the Tulsa Dream Center and is also the Founder & President of Drexel Academy, a privately funded tuition-free elementary school in north Tulsa. Tim represents the Gilcrease Division in his work with the Community Advisory Board. Tim says he felt compelled to serve on the board in order to be the voice of the silent majority in the community.

Gretchen Guillette has spent her career working in the for profit and non-profit sector building strategic alliances, directing programs, and facilitating efforts for social change. She is a connector – connecting people and resources to meet a vast array of social and economic needs of the Tulsa community. She has more than 20 years’ experience in non-profit work and holds an MBA from University of Tulsa and a BA in Psychology from University of California, Berkeley. Gretchen is the Director of Community and Partner Relations at The Common Good Tulsa in NW Tulsa.