Members' Bios

Mark Beffort
Current Parent
Committee: Plant
Mark Beffort began his commercial real estate career and in-depth involvement in Oklahoma City in 1985 after graduating from Washburn University. After several years as a successful commercial real estate broker, he began adding office investments to his personal portfolio and holds a vested interest in downtown Oklahoma City through his ownership interest in Leadership Square, Oklahoma Tower, Corporate Tower, City Place, and the City Center East Garage. Mr. Beffort's leadership has driven Newmark Grubb Levy Strange Beffort to successfully manage over 7.6 million square feet worth in excess of over $815 million with a real estate investment firm covering four markets including the Oklahoma City and Tulsa markets and the Rogers, Arkansas and McKinney, Texas markets. Mr. Beffort is personally invested in approximately 40% of the company’s current portfolio, and he expects to grow the real estate investments over the next five to seven years to well over $2 billion in value. Mr. Beffort aggressively pursues development of young entrepreneurs through various avenues including his recent financial contribution and direct involvement in the development of an entrepreneurial business program at Washburn University located in Topeka, Kansas.

Katherine Walker Buxton '92
Current Parent
Committee: Development
Katherine Buxton is the owner of Gretta Sloane, a women's boutique. She previously served as Director of Business Development at S Design Inc. in Oklahoma City. Mrs. Buxton occupied a number of high-ranking positions prior to joining S Design, including Vice President of Strategy at Robert Redd LLC in Charlottesville, Virginia, and Director of Keds License at McCubbin Hosiery. She holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Georgetown University, and she graduated from Stanford Graduate School of Business. Mrs. Buxton is the current President of the Infant Crisis Services Board of Directors, which she has served on for four years. She is also a member of ICS' Board Governance Committee, Resource Committee, and Sustainable Funding Team, as well as serving as a Co-Chair for Casady School’s Annual Fund.

John Covington '79
Alumnus, Parent of Alumna
Committees: Admission/Marketing Chair, Development
John Covington is a member of Casady’s Class of 1979 and a graduate of Vanderbilt University. He received his M.B.A. from Southern Methodist University. Mr. Covington is president of Covington Oil Co. He has been an Annual Fund Division Chair, and he and his wife, Lucy, served as Annual Fund Co-Chairs for the 2014-15 campaign. Mr. Covington’s past community involvement includes co-chair of Oklahoma City’s Festival of the Arts, Senior Warden at All Souls’ Episcopal Church, vice president of the Kiwanis Club of Oklahoma City, and board member of the Arts Council of Oklahoma City and Oklahoma Zoological Society.

Ramsey W. Drake II '76
Alumnus, Parent of Alumna
Committee: Development
Ramsey Drake is President and Chief Officer of Carl E. Gungoll Exploration LLC and Chairman of Forrest Drilling Co. LLC. Mr. Drake graduated from Casady School in 1976 and went on to earn a B.S. in Geology from the University of Oklahoma and an M.B.A. in Finance from Southern Methodist University. He serves on the Advisory Board of the School of Geology and Geophysics at OU and is a member of the Board of Directors for Oklahoma Independent Producers Association, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, and Boys and Girls Club of Oklahoma County.

Victoria W. English
Parent of Alumnus
Board Chair
Committees: Admission/Marketing, Audit, Development, Executive, Finance, Governance, Plant
Vicki English is an active community volunteer with a background in banking and corporate finance. Her career included 15 years in New York and Houston working with clients nationwide, implementing corporate finance products and syndicating bank groups. Mrs. English's division of 100 professionals managed portfolios in excess of $2 billion. Mrs. English's civic involvement includes Duke University, Casady School, Nichols Hills Parks, the Junior League of Oklahoma City, Animal Rescue Friends, and the Ronald McDonald Children’s Charity. She received a B.B.A. in Finance from the University of Texas and was named one of five outstanding students in the School of Business.

Eric S. Fisher Sr. '84
Alumnus, Parent of Alumni, Current Parent
Committee: Plant
After graduating from Casady, Mr. Fisher attended the University of Kansas, where he earned a B.S. in Journalism in 1988. The following year, he earned an M.S. in Advertising from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. Mr. Fisher worked for an advertising and marketing firm in Chicago before moving to the University of Oklahoma College of Law to earn a Juris Doctor with Honors in 1996. Since graduating, Mr. Fisher has worked at Crowe & Dunley as a business lawyer representing a variety of early stage, closely held and entrepreneurial ventures and assisting with their corporate, transactional, operational, administrative, and tax law matters. He has lectured and written on joint ventures, business organizational matters, both for-profit and not-for-profit tax matters, regulatory compliance and enforcement, and other general business matters.

Colin FitzSimons
Current Parent
Committee: Development
Colin FitzSimons is President and Chief Executive Officer of Corytus LLC, which he formed in 2013. From 2007 to 2013, Mr. FitzSimons worked at the University of Oklahoma, first as the Associate Vice President for the Office of Technology Development, then as the Chief Administrative Officer of the Stephenson Cancer Center. Mr. FitzSimons holds a B.S. in Neuroscience from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, and is active in the Oklahoma City community as Chair of the Science Museum Oklahoma Board of Trustees and as a member of the Allied Arts Board of Directors. Mr. FitzSimons also serves as an alumni class agent for The Taft School in Watertown, Connecticut.

David R. Harlow '80
Alumnus, Parent of Alumnus
Committee: Admission/Marketing
David Harlow is a Regional Executive of BancFirst as President of BancFirst Oklahoma City where he oversees the management and administration of BancFirst Corporation's largest bank since 2003. After graduating from Casady in 1980, Mr. Harlow received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Southern Methodist University. He earned his M.B.A. from the University of Oklahoma and began his career in the financial sector in 1986 as a Loan Administration Officer with Liberty Bank and Trust. Mr. Harlow spent 11 years with Liberty and was Senior Vice President-Manager of the Metropolitan Lending Division when he left the bank. In 1999, after two years as Executive Vice President of Dorchester Capital Corp., Mr. Harlow joined the BancFirst organization as Executive Vice President for BancFirst Oklahoma City. He is a member of BancFirst's Board of Directors, executive committee, senior loan committee, and senior trust committee and serves on the board of directors of BancFirst subsidiaries Council Oak Partners and BancFirst Insurance Services. In the Oklahoma City community, Mr. Harlow is a member of the boards of YMCA of Greater Oklahoma City, United Way of Central Oklahoma, St. Anthony Hospital, Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, and the Oklahoma Health Center Foundation.

John D. Hart
Current Parent
Committee: Development Chair
John D. Hart is Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer of Continental Resources. Prior to joining Continental Resources, Mr. Hart was a Senior Audit Manager with Ernst & Young LLP from April 1998 to November 2005 and Arthur Andersen LLP from 1991 to April 1998, working with numerous public companies in a wide variety of securities and exchange matters and capital markets activities. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association. Mr. Hart serves on the executive board of the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, and the boards of directors of the Petroleum Club of Oklahoma City and the Myriad Gardens Foundation. Mr. Hart is a Certified Public Accountant and received a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance and a Master's of Science in Accounting from Oklahoma State University.

Caroline Meade Hendee '84
Alumna, Parent of Alumnae, Current Parent
Committees: Finance, Plant
Caroline M. Hendee was born in Oklahoma City and graduated from Casady School in 1984. In 1988 she received a B.A. from Vanderbilt University and went on to graduate with honors from Georgia State University with an M.B.A. focused in International Business. Mrs. Hendee worked in various cities around the country before returning to Oklahoma to work for Meade Energy Corporation. Currently, she is the Acquisitions and Divestments Manager of Meade Energy and also manages Meade Investment Company. Mrs. Hendee has been a Junior League member since 1993, currently serves on the Beaux Arts Committee, and is an active member of the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. She served as a Casady Alumni Board Member from 2006 to 2009, a grade representative for the Casady Parents' Organization for multiple years, Chair of the CPO's Hospitality Committee for two years, and Co-Chair of the Casady Annual Fund from 2008 to 2009.

Henry J. Hood '78
Alumnus, Parent of Alumni
Committees: Audit Chair, Finance
A native of Oklahoma City, Henry Hood is a Casady alumnus, graduating in 1978. He went on to study at Duke University where he obtained a B.A. in History and Economics before graduating from the University of Oklahoma College of Law in 1985. He has worked as an attorney for Watson & McKenzie and was of counsel for White, Coffey, Galt & Fite. Mr. Hood joined Chesapeake Energy in 1995 as the Vice President for Land and Legal before going on to serve as Senior Vice President - Land and Legal and General Counsel until 2013. Mr. Hood is presently an independent consultant in the oil and gas industry. He is a past president of the Casady Alumni Association, and chairman of Duke University’s Oklahoma City Advisory Admissions Committee.

Anthony D. Jackson, M.D.
Parent of Alumni
Committee: Admission/Marketing
Anthony Jackson is a physician and president of Ob/Gyn Associates LLC in Oklahoma City. He is the immediate past chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Integris Southwest Medical Center where he served for six years. Dr. Jackson began his term on the Integris Southwest Medical Center Board of Directors in July. He also serves as a voluntary attending for the St. Anthony Obstetrics and Gynecology residency program. Dr. Jackson is a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. A native of Norman and a graduate of Norman High School, Dr. Jackson went on to earn his Bachelor of Science in Zoology from Howard University in Washington, D.C. in 1988 and earned his medical degree from the University of Oklahoma, College of Medicine in 1993. Dr. Jackson completed a residency in Obstetrics and Gynecologic Surgery at Albany Medical Center in Albany, New York.

The Rt. Rev. Dr. Edward J. Konieczny
Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma
Board Ex-Officio
Committees: Admission/Marketing, Audit, Development, Executive, Finance, Governance, Plant
The Rt. Rev. Dr. Edward J. Konieczny was elected the fifth Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma on May 5, 2007 and consecrated on Sept. 15, 2007. Bishop Ed, as he is known, was born at Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane, Washington, and was raised in the shadows of Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Following his high school graduation, Bishop Ed attended college part-time while beginning a career in law enforcement. From 1975 until 1992, he served as a police officer with the Garden Grove and Anaheim Police Departments where his assignments varied from Uniformed Patrol to Child Abuse/Sexual Assault to Vice. Bishop Ed received numerous commendations and was cited twice for Meritorious Service. In addition to his regular Law Enforcement duties, Bishop Ed also served on various community boards, as the Police Union Vice President responsible for Labor Relations, as an instructor for the California Districts Attorneys Association (cited twice as Outstanding Instructor of the Year), and on a U.S. Congressional District Advisory Board on Law Enforcement. During this same time, Bishop Ed completed an Associate in Arts Degree in Administration of Justice and a Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice. Bishop Ed was ordained a Deacon and Priest in 1994 following completion of his Master of Divinity Degree from Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, California. Since that time Bishop Ed has served churches in Texas and Colorado. In 2001, Bishop Ed completed a Doctor of Ministry in Church Growth and Development from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary. In addition to his work in the church, Bishop Ed has served on numerous boards and committees including: Hillcrest Hospital Samaritan Board, Providence Hospital Hospice Board, Boy Scouts of America, Chamber of Commerce, Baylor University School of Social Services, President of the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Colorado, and the Lyon’s Club. Bishop Ed has also served as a consultant to corporations and municipalities. Bishop Ed has received two Doctor of Divinity Degrees, honoris causa, for his for his work as a bishop from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary and Church Divinity School of the Pacific. Bishop Ed is also a licensed General Aviation Pilot and avid golfer. He is married to Debbie, has two sons, a daughter-in-law, and three grandchildren.

Jenee Naifeh Lister '82
Alumna, Current Parent
Treasurer of the Board | Chair Elect
Committees: Admission/Marketing, Audit, Development, Finance, Governance, Plant
Jenee Lister is a Wealth Management Advisor providing high net worth clients a wide array of investment services including wealth management, retirement planning, estate planning, and investment development. Mrs. Lister joined Merrill Lynch in 1988. She holds an undergraduate degree in Finance and Economics from Oklahoma State University. In 2004, Mrs. Lister earned the Certified Investment Manager Analyst (CIMA®) designation through the Investment Management Consultants Association in conjunction with the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Mrs. Lister currently serves on the Board of Trustees of St. Anthony Hospital Foundation, St. Anthony Hospital, Oklahoma State University Foundation Board of Governors, and Oklahoma Children’s Theatre. Over the past 25 years, Mrs. Lister has served on numerous boards including, the Central Oklahoma Red Cross, Prevent Blindness Oklahoma, Youth Leadership Exchange, and Casady Alumni Association. She is proud to have served as Board Chair for the Casady Alumni Association, Prevent Blindness Oklahoma, and the St. Anthony Hospital Foundation. Currently, Mrs. Lister serves as Co-Chair of the Saints Vision Campaign which is a $14 million capital campaign to benefit St. Anthony Hospital.

Denise K. Parsons
Parent of Alumnus, Current Parent
Committee: Admission/Marketing
Denise K. Parsons was born in Oklahoma City, the youngest grandchild in the Henry Kamp Grocery family. She graduated from Putman City North High School in 1983 and earned her B.B.A. in Management from the University of Oklahoma. After graduation she worked for Datatimes, a Gaylord company, in the online technology field, from 1989-1996. When Datatimes was sold to UMI in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1996, Mrs. Parsons went to work for GE Capital Consulting where she worked as a New Technology Project Manager in Austin. Realizing that her Oklahoma roots were strong, she returned to Oklahoma City went to work for Express Personnel Services Corporate Headquarters where she worked from 1997-2010. Mrs. Parsons has been an active member of the Casady Parents' Organization since 2004 and served in many capacities ranging from Division Chair, Board Treasurer, 65th Anniversary Co-Chair, and was CPO President in 2017-2018. She has been member of the Junior League of OKC since 1995. She served on OCU’s Oklahoma Children’s Theater Board for six years. Over the past five years, she has volunteered with a number of other Oklahoma City organizations including Allied Arts Marketing Committee, Starlight Ball, and Girl Scouts of America. She serves as the Registration Coordinator for the Redbud Classic.

Guy L. Patton
Parent of Alumni
Past Board Chair
Committees: Governance Chair, Finance
Guy Patton is President and Chief Executive Officer of the University of Oklahoma Foundation. The Foundation is an independent not-for-profit organization that serves as the principal depository for the private fundraising efforts of OU. Assets of the Foundation now exceed $1.4 billion. Prior to assuming his current role in October of 2007, Mr. Patton was with Fidelity Investments for more than 23 years where he held numerous senior management positions including general management positions in Fidelity’s institutional and retail businesses. From 2004 until 2007, he held the position of President of all of Fidelity’s Retirement and Outsourcing business with nearly 5,000 employees and revenues of more than $2.5 billion. In addition to his general management roles, Mr. Patton was asked to lead the global Human Resources function for Fidelity in 2002, where he became a member of Fidelity’s twelve person Executive Committee. During that time, he was responsible for the company’s corporate human resources functions including recruitment, compensation, benefits, employee relations, as well as management and organizational development for the firm worldwide. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Economics in 1983 and a Master’s degree in 1985, both from OU. Mr. Patton has been a member of the board of trustees for numerous not-for-profit organizations. He currently serves Chairman of the Board of Directors for Jobs For The Future (JFF), a national research organization dedicated to innovation in education policy and practice, and he is an active member of OU’s Price College of Business Advisory Board. He was recently asked to join the Board of Advisors to the newly formed Putnam Investment’s Research Institute.

S. Bond Payne '87
Alumnus, Parent of Alumnae
Committee: Development
Bond Payne is a member of Casady’s Class of 1987 and is a graduate of Vanderbilt University. Mr. Payne is a co-founder of Heritage Trust Co., a diversified wealth management firm, and serves as chairman and CEO of Heritage Wealth Management. Mr. Payne has served on the board of the Association of Trust Organizations and was a three-time conference chair. He has served as president of Casady’s Alumni Association and as a director of the Vanderbilt Alumni Association. Mr. Payne is chairman of the board of trustees of the Oklahoma City Community Foundation. He is a founding board member of John W. Rex Charter Elementary School and chairs the building committee.

Alice Sias Pippin '80
Alumna, Parent of Alumni, Current Parent
Committee: Development
Alice Pippin is a member of Casady’s Class of 1980 and a graduate of Pomona College. She received her J.D. from the University of Southern California’s Gould School of Law. Mrs. Pippin is on the boards of Mustang Fuel Corp. and Joullian Vineyards LLC and is chair of the Oklahoma City Zoological Trust. Her past board engagements include the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, Oklahoma Centennial Horse Show, and Camp Fire, Heart of Oklahoma Council. She is past president of the Oklahoma Zoological Society.

Marianne Rooney
Parent of Alumni
Committees: Finance Chair, Audit, Governance
Marianne Rooney currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, and the Board of Advocates for Children’s Hospital Foundation. Her past board involvement includes the Oklahoma School of Science and Math Foundation, The Children’s Center, CARE Center, Rainbow Fleet, and the Oklahoma City Zoo. Mrs. Rooney graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1981 with a B.A. in Classical and Religious Studies, and she is currently enrolled as a part-time student at Texas Christian University. While a Casady parent, Mrs. Rooney was active with Casady Parents' Organization, attended countless sporting events, and tutored Middle Division Latin.

Nathan L. Sheldon
Head of School
Committees: Admission/Marketing, Audit, Development, Executive, Finance, Governance, Plant
In October 2014, Nathan Sheldon was named the eleventh Head of School for Casady after serving as Interim Head of School for four months. Since Mr. Sheldon joined the School in 2003, he has served as Associate Head of School and Chief Financial Officer, as well as Director of Operations. During his tenure he has managed efforts to create a long-term master campus plan and participated in the successful completion of the School's $43 million Forward Focus campaign, in which he led the creation of a strategy for the financial and operational component of the campaign resulting in the elimination of debt in excess of $8 million. In this campaign, Mr. Sheldon also oversaw the construction of the first silver LEED certified K-12 building in the state of Oklahoma, the W.R. Johnston Mathematics Building; the renovation to and addition of the east and west transepts to St. Edward's Chapel; construction of the Dr. John W. Records Science and Art Facility; and master landscaping plan for the Upper Division as well as overall master campus plan. Mr. Sheldon has also led the School to develop operational and financial metrics to ensure financial stability; designed and led a financial aid management plan that is mission driven and intentional for long-term sustainability; and directed and managed the School's annual budget. He has also served as board president to a healthcare trust in which 19 ISAS schools participate. During his time at Casady, Mr. Sheldon has also had the opportunity to coach, teach, mentor, and advise students. He participated in the ten-year evaluation and self-study for the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest (ISAS) and was responsible for the adherence to standards section. Before joining Casady, Mr. Sheldon held various finance and accounting positions at the Fleming Companies, Candid Color, Sonic Industries, and Deloitte & Touche LLP. He has a Bachelors of Accounting from John Brown University and a Master's of Accountancy from the University of Oklahoma.

C. Miles Tolbert '82
Alumnus, Parent of Alumnus, Current Parent
Secretary of the Board
Committees: Governance, Plant
Miles Tolbert is Associate General Counsel for Chesapeake Energy, where he leads the company’s Environment, Health, and Safety Group. Although Mr. Tolbert is now in the corporate sector, he has spent most of his career in public service beginning his career as a trial attorney in the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. Mr. Tolbert returned to Oklahoma to become Chief of the Environmental Protection Unit in the office of the Oklahoma Attorney General. When Brad Henry was elected governor of Oklahoma in 2003, he chose Mr. Tolbert to be his Secretary of the Environment. Mr. Tolbert is civically active, serving on the boards of a number of organizations with a particular focus on education and is immediate past chair of the Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools. With a group of his neighbors, he founded Wilson Arts Inc., which in 2010 made the largest gift ever to the Oklahoma City Public Schools, allowing the construction of four dedicated arts classrooms at Wilson Elementary. Mr. Tolbert is a graduate of Stanford University and the Harvard Law School. He has served as Co-Chair of Casady’s Board of Visitors for the past two years.