Kathy Taylor

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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. She resigned as Oklahoma’s Secretary of Commerce and Tourism - a post where she managed three agencies, 2,700 employees and a more than $200 million budget - in order to run for mayor. She is succeeded at the Department of Commerce by interim Executive Director Amy Polonchek . During her campaign she pledged to bring a more business-like model to city government and to reach out across the city to make life better for all citizens.

[edit] Political Background

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 came 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 franchisees. 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 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, and as a trustee for the University of Oklahoma Foundation.

Taylor has been active with The Parent Child Center, Gilcrease Museum, Resonance Support Center for Women, Domestic Violence Intervention Services, Tulsa Zoo Friends, Philbrook Museum of Art, and the 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.

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 and the was a finalist for the Journal Record Woman of the Year.

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.

[edit] Personal life

Taylor is married to Bill Lobeck, CEO of Vanguard, the owner of National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car, which employs over 600 people in Tulsa. They have a daughter, Elizabeth Frame. She is a member of Trinity Episcopal Church, in downtown Tulsa.