Bob Blackburn, a native Oklahoman, served as executive director of the Oklahoma Historical Society from 1999 till 2021. He joined the OHS in 1980 as editor of The Chronicles of Oklahoma and became deputy director for agency operations in 1990. Blackburn is a 1973 graduate of Southwestern Oklahoma State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history. He earned his M.A. & Ph.D. in history from Oklahoma State University. Blackburn grew up in Edmond and graduated from Putnam City High School in 1969. Blackburn published several articles and his first book while still in graduate school and has since written or co-authored more than 20 books and numerous articles, journal entries, and screen plays. He is a steady source of historical information to the media and has appeared numerous times on The History Channel. He was instrumental in planning and building the Oklahoma History Center, a 215,000-square-foot museum and research center. Blackburn has served on numerous national and regional boards and committees, including the Western History Association, the Oklahoma Association of Professional Historians, the AIA, and Leadership Oklahoma City.

Brian Dougherty grew up in Oklahoma City and received his Bachelor’s Degree in Horticulture and Landscape Design in 1978 from Oklahoma State University. He returned in 1981 to earn a Master’s Degree in Trade and Industrial Education with an emphasis in Grounds Management and shortly after took his board exam to become a licensed Landscape Architect. Brian served 15 years with OSU in Oklahoma City as an Associate Professor of Horticulture and later as the Department Head and Division Head at the John E. Kirkpatrick Horticulture Center. In May of 1998 Brian joined the Oklahoma City Community Foundation as the Program Director of the Parks and Public Spaces Initiative and the Margaret Annis Boys Trust. Under Brian’s guidance the Foundation assisted neighborhoods, schools and communities with the planning and implementation of numerous beautification and environmental projects every year. The OCCF Clean & Beautiful Schools project also assisted more than 100 elementary schools in Oklahoma County with campus improvement and enhancement plans which included hosting the Landscape Maintenance Network Seminars twice a year for over 20 years. In 2022, Brian retired from OCCF after 24 years of service. Over the years Brian accumulated a large collection of historic books, pictures and other publications documenting the value of planning, planting and maintenance of parks and other public grounds. He often makes presentations highlighting and documenting the importance of trees, parks and community beautification projects. Brian co-hosted radio Garden Programs on both WKY and on KTOK every Saturday for 8 years answering gardening questions and discussing plant material, landscape architecture and community beautification topics. Brian hung up his headphones to spend more time restoring 80 acres of gardens, pastures and native habitats at his family’s farm in Hinton with his wife and family. In 1998, Brian was named as the first Landscape Architect, ‘Artist in Residence’ by the Oklahoma State Arts Council. He co-authored a publication by the Community Foundation titled “Parks and Related Public Facilities in Oklahoma County: a Baseline Report” which received a state award through the Oklahoma Chapter of American Society of Landscape Architects. In 2007, Brian was inducted as a Fellow in the American Society of Landscape Architects at the Annual National Meeting for his service to the profession. Brian served 25 years on the Oklahoma Board of Architects and Landscape Architects. He also served two terms as the Oklahoma Chapter Trustee for the American Society of Landscape Architects and completed his tenure as the National Vice President of Membership. He served as a Trustee for the Oklahoma City Riverfront Redevelopment Authority, Board of Directors for Automobile Alley and on the Citizens Oversight Subcommittee for the MAPS 3 Riverfront projects for over the past 20 years and up until his retirement.