Keynote Speakers

Mike O’Neal, J.D., President Emeritus, Oklahoma Christian University

A native Oklahoman, Mike received a BA in Accounting from Harding University and a JD at Stanford University. He earned a Bronze Star for meritorious service as a Navy Supply Officer in DaNang, Vietnam. His higher education experience includes Professor of Business at Harding; General Counsel, VP–Finance, and Vice Chancellor at Pepperdine University; President and President Emeritus at Oklahoma Christian University; and Chancellor at University of Rwanda. Scoring highest in Oklahoma on the 1969 CPA exam, he worked for Coopers & Lybrand, Touche, Ross & Co., and Ernst & Ernst.

Diane Barrett - City & County of Denver

A lawyer for nearly twenty-five years, Diane Barrett practiced primarily in the areas of public finance and land use/development. Her practice emphasized financing public infrastructure for local governments and for private development projects. She was appointed Special Assistant for Transportation and Development by Mayor Hickenlooper in 2005, after retiring from the active practice of law and she was appointed Chief Projects Officer by Mayor Hancock in 2011. Ms. Barrett’s primary responsibility for Mayor Hickenlooper was to oversee the redevelopment of the Denver Union Station site into a multi-modal hub for Fastracks. In the Vidal administration and now in the Hancock administration her responsibilities have expanded. Her current portfolio comprises all development and redevelopment projects in Denver, including the region-wide FasTracks project and all related transit-oriented development.

Tom Binnings - Summit Economics

After working in the field of applied economics for 33 years, Mr. Binnings formed Summit Economics with four leading economists. As a researcher, he authored numerous studies on a wide range of topics in a number of industries. His work began with community, urban and regional economics and has expanded to include real estate and organizational economic analysis for strategic and tactical planning as well as process improvement. Mr. Binnings has facilitated discussions with and presented before boards, commissions, councils, citizen groups, and the state legislature.