Distinguished Alumni Honored as Best of TCC

The 2013 Best of TCC honorees have one thing in common-- they found success in the classroom and in their careers.

The 2013 event celebrated the achievements of 19 individuals who have positively impacted their communities.

This year’s honorees ranged from a Tulsa County District Judge, an educator, a writer, a realtor, to an interior designer and an attorney with the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma. The annual event, now in its 15th year, honors distinguished TCC alumni and is hosted by the TCC Alumni and Friends Association.

Cathy McClanahan is a 1988 graduate of TCC. “I remember enrolling in my first class at Tulsa Junior College (now Tulsa Community College). I calculated how long it would take, at my slow pace of one or two classes a semester, to obtain a degree. There were so many encouraging students and instructors, I stayed with it,” McClanahan said.

She now works for the U.S. Department of Justice as the Chief of the Civil Division with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Linda Rodgers works for Monte Box Realtors as a realtor and staff assistant in Sand Springs. “TCC was undoubtedly the best educational investment I’ve made. My instructors encouraged passion, inspired my imagination and helped me build the confidence that has contributed to a positive and successful work experience for me,” Rodgers said.

“Tulsa Community College provided a solid higher education foundation that paved the way to successfully completing undergraduate and graduate degrees. I am grateful for TCC,” said Jason Burnette, 2013 Best of TCC honoree. He is from Tulsa and is director of marketing and membership at the Girl Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma.

The 2013 Best of TCC honorees were recognized during a dinner on Thursday, May 30 at the Doubletree Warren Place Hotel. The keynote speaker for the evening was Oklahoma Secretary and Director of Finance Preston L. Doerflinger. He is a previous Best of TCC honoree and TCC graduate. Doerflinger helped orchestrate the recent decision to use $45 million for emergency funding and tornado cleanup from the Rainy Day Fund with the approval of state lawmakers. He was also instrumental, as Governor Mary Fallin’s lead budget negotiator, in getting a budget deal in early May between lawmakers and Governor Fallin.

The Best of TCC has recognized 393 individuals, including the 2013 honorees, since 1999. The 2013 honorees were: Lester Brown, Tulsa Habitat for Humanity; Pat Bruner, Trump Properties, Inc. (holding company); Jason Burnette, Girl Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma; Carlos Chappelle, State of Oklahoma; Melanie Christian, Saxum; Sarah DeSirey, Selser Schaefer Architects; Josh Driskell, Jenks Chamber of Commerce; Angenene Gibbs, Sapulpa Daily Herald; Mikaela Harding, Tulsa Tech; Mark Hargis, Tulsa Sports Commission; Leah Harrell, Selser Schaefer Architects; Jennifer Hicks, OSU-Tulsa; Cathy McClanahan, U.S. Department of Justice; John Olson, John B. Olson & Associates; Cheri O'Neal, Tulsa Police Department; Linda Rodgers, Montie Box Co. Realtor; Melinda Seymour, St. John Health System; Amber Shannon, OSU-Tulsa; Pamela Webb, Tulsa Community College.