Jim Priest
Jim Priest is the Executive Director of FATE and brings to the position thirty years of experience in the legal, business and non profit sectors.
Jim is a licensed attorney who practiced law with two leading law firms in Oklahoma City, trying nearly one hundred lawsuits and advising public and private clients as well as corporate organizations and individuals on a wide variety of legal matters. He wrote a column on business ethics for many years in the Journal Record newspaper and was a weekly columnist for the Oklahoman newspaper for ten years writing on family related issues. He has also been a regular guest commentator on News 9 in Oklahoma City.
Jim has a long history of service through the non profit sector, having served as President of the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma as well as a board member for Habitat for Humanity, the Boy Scouts, Variety Health Center, The Bethany Public School Foundation, Calm Waters as well as Oklahoma City First Church of the Nazarene.
Jim is an active member of Bethany First Church of the Nazarene where he leads men’s groups and teaches Sunday School. He is a co-founder of Marriage Network Oklahoma (www.marriagenetworkok.net) and was a founding member of the Oklahoma Business Ethics Consortium (www.okethics.org). He has regularly appeared on television and before groups speaking and writing a wide variety of topics. Jim is also a member of Leadership Oklahoma and Leadership Oklahoma City.
In 2012 Jim was awarded the “Preventionist of the Year” by the American Athletic Institute (AAI) for his work in creating the program “Oklahoma Life of An Athlete” (www.okloa.org). John Underwood, President of the AAI said ““Jim’s total dedication to the OKLOA program has made so much happen in this past year in Oklahoma. The materials they have generated and the professionalism of the program has already started to impact his state,” ” It is hard to believe how far they have come in such a short time in Oklahoma.”
Jim has been married to his wife Diane for 33 years and they have two adult children Amanda and Spencer. Jim was born in Syracuse, New York and graduated from Houghton College and Syracuse University Law School before moving to Oklahoma in 1980.
Reggie Whitten
Reggie Whitten is a successful Oklahoma attorney and founder of FATE (Fighting Addiction Through Education). FATE is an Oklahoma non-profit organization with a mission to educate the public on substance abuse and addiction issues in Oklahoma and to motivate individuals and groups to work to significantly reduce the incidence of substance abuse in the state. A special focus of FATE is preventing substance abuse among young people.
FATE was created to honor the memory of Reggie’s son Brandon, an “all-American” kid and football player who became addicted to prescription drugs and alcohol. When Brandon died at age 25 in a motorcycle accident caused by substance abuse, Whitten was devastated. “I was a walking dead man,” he explained. “I was just trying to find a reason to live.” Giving back to the community and trying to make a difference in the lives of others became his passion.
Central to the mission of FATE is reducing drug and alcohol abuse among young people like Brandon who often consider themselves “bullet proof” and don’t believe they can ever become an addict. “I think the worst problem this country has is drug and alcohol addiction,” Whitten said. “If we had an act of terrorism that killed as many people, we would be quick to launch a war against our enemy. When we formed FATE, we asked ourselves ‘How can we prevent drug and alcohol abuse?’”
Whitten travels around the state on behalf of FATE speaking to groups about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse – telling and re-telling the story of his son’s too-short life and untimely death. “I intend to devote the rest of my life to helping end substance abuse and addiction,” he said. “I want to motivate and inspire other people to do something. I hope those who see what we’re doing will catch the vision and the passion. Not everyone can make a huge impact, but everyone can be a role model and encourage others to get help.”
Board Members
Dr. Murali Krishna
R. Murali Krishna, MD, DLFAPA is president and chief operating officer of INTEGRIS Mental Health, that provides adult and child/adolescent mental health services in inpatient, residential, outpatient & clinical settings. He is also co-founder and president of the James L. Hall, Jr. Center for Mind, Body and Spirit, an educational organization devoted to improving health through raising awareness of the healing power of the connection between mind, body, and spirit.
Along with Dr. Krishna’s roles at INTEGRIS Mental Health and James L. Hall, Jr. Center for Mind, Body and Spirit, he still manages to find enough hours in a day to serve on many professional and civic organizations’ boards and committees. He currently serves as vice president (president-elect) of the Oklahoma State Board of Heath and founding president/president emeritus of the Health Alliance for the Uninsured (HAU), a partnership to improve the health care of the uninsured and underinsured in Oklahoma County. He was the catalyst for getting key legislation that gives protection for all health professionals when they volunteer to help the poor and uninsured. This has resulted in greatly increased interest in volunteering among doctors and medical students. He is a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences; Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association (DLFAPA); and Diplomate, American Board of Psychiatry. He is an active member of the American Medical Association, American Psychiatric Association, Central Oklahoma Turning Point, Oklahoma County Medical Society (past president), Oklahoma Psychiatric Physicians Association (past president), Oklahoma State Medical Association, Oklahoma Improvement Plan Obesity Work Group, Oklahoma Health Improvement Plan/Children’s Health Flagship Workgroup, Oklahoma City-County Health Department Wellness Now Executive Committee, Oklahoma State Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Work Group and other state and local wellness initiative committees.
His tireless efforts to help those in need has earned him numerous national and international awards and recognitions including the Exemplary Psychiatrist Award from the National Alliance on Mental Illness; the Outstanding Asian American Award for his efforts to help the victims of the Oklahoma City bombing; the American Heart Association’s Heart & Soul Appreciation Award; Distinguished Friend of National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Oklahoma Award in recognition of his outstanding leadership on behalf of persons with severe mental illness; in 2010, selected honorary chair of the 2010 NAMIWalk Changing Minds…One Step at a Time and co-chair in 2011.
On January 27, 2012, Dr. Krishna received the prestigious United Way John Rex Community Builder Award for his commitment and determination to find long-term solutions to community needs. At the Oklahoma State Medical Association Annual Meeting on February 28, 2012, Dr. Krishna received the very prestigious 2012 Ed Calhoon, MD, Leadership in Organized Medicine in recognition of his distinguished leadership and service to organized medicine at the county, state, and national level.
Kelly Dyer Fry
Kelly Dyer Fry serves as Editor of The Oklahoman and vice president of News for OPUBCO Communications Group. She oversees content across multiple platforms including The Oklahoman and NewsOK. Prior to her current role, she served as Director of Multimedia and General Manager of NewsOK.com. Fry led the team that launched NewsOK.com in 2001.
A third generation journalist, Fry has been with OPUBCO since 1994. She began her career there as features editor before joining the digital operation in 1996. She has also worked in public relations at the University of Central Oklahoma and her family’s newspaper in El Reno.
She serves on the following boards: Oklahoma Outreach Foundation, F.A.T.E. Fighting Addiction Through Education, Advisory Council of the School of Media and Strategic Communications at Oklahoma State University and the advisory council for Addiction Studies at Oklahoma City University. In past years, she has served on the boards of The American Red Cross and Travelers Aid.
Together she and her husband Chris have four grown children: Eric and Sam Hochenauer and Whitney and Lindsey Fry. The family resides in Edmond.
Congressman Dan Boren
A native of Seminole, Oklahoma, Congressman Dan Boren has built an impressive record for himself as a strong advocate for responsible government. Elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives at age 29, Dan became one of the youngest state legislators to serve in 2002. In 2004, Dan was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Oklahoma’s 2nd Congressional District. He currently serves on the House Resources Committee, and as the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs as a part of that committee. The House Natural Resources Committee is an influential panel which provides Congressional oversight on American energy production, mineral lands and mining, fisheries and wildlife, irrigation and reclamation, public lands, oceans, and Native Americans.
Prior to public office, Dan served as the President and CEO of the Seminole State College Educational Foundation. He has also served as a senior aide at the Oklahoma Corporation Commission and worked on the staff of former U.S. Congressman Wes Watkins. Dan is also involved in numerous organizations and is an avid outdoorsman and hunter.
Dan earned his B.S. in Economics and went on to obtain an M.B.A. at University of Oklahoma. He and his sister Carrie were born to former Oklahoma Governor and U.S. Senator David Boren and the late Janna L. Robbins. His grandfather, Lyle H. Boren, represented southeastern Oklahomans in the U.S. Congress from 1937-47. Carrying on his family’s tradition of excellent public service, Dan serves by the values instilled him at a young age – values of faith, hard work, and personal responsibility. Dan and his wife Andrea reside in Muskogee, Oklahoma with their two children Janna and Hunter.
Noah Roberts
Noah Roberts is currently serving as the volunteer Executive Director of the non profit Pros4Africa while on sabbatical from being CEO of Docvia, a Tulsa based company that provides secure Web and mobile access between patients and health providers.
Prior to co-founding Docvia in 2005, Noah served as Chief Creative Officer for New Medio. Noah is a 2007 TED Global Fellow and is actively involved in expanding health access through innovators like the Perinatal HIV Research Unit in South Africa and Grameen Solutions in Bangladesh. Noah and his wife Monica have three children and live in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Jeff Hargrave
Jeff Hargrave is the Executive Director of the non profit organization, Native Explorers (www.nativeexplorers.org). Jeff received his undergraduate degree in History with an emphasis in Native American studies from the University of Oklahoma in 2000, and graduated with his Juris Doctorate from Oklahoma City University in 2004.
In addition to working with Native Explorers, Jeff volunteers his time to many worthwhile charitable organizations, including (F.A.T.E.) Fighting Addiction Through Education, PROS FOR AFRICA, Pros 4 Vets, Remote Area Medical of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Life of an Athlete (OKLOA), Safe Kids Coalition of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Brain Tumor Foundation and Oklahoma Lawyers for Children.
John Underwood
John Underwood is the founder and President of the American Athletic Institute. A former NCAA All-American, International-level distance runner and World Masters Champion, John has coached or advised more than two dozen Olympians including World and Olympic Champions. He holds three International Olympic Solidarity diplomas for coaching and has been a crusader for drug-free sport at all levels. John’s innovative program “PURE PERFORMANCE”, has gained international prominence. He is the Master Trainer for the New York Public High School Athletic Association drug prevention program which is one of the largest mandated programs in prevention history. John was recently named as a consultant to the prestigious Pacific Institute of Research and Evaluation and the Underage Drinking Enforcement Training Center. John has presented at the Department of Justices’ OJJDP National Leadership Conference for the past six years and to the U.S. Department of Education.
John has conducted the only physiological case study, of the residual effect of alcohol on elite athletic performance. He has appeared as a guest commentator for ABC Wide World of Sports for Olympic Drug Scandals. John has worked with nearly all sport federations including the NCAA, ECAC, NHL, NFL,NBA, the U.S. Olympic Committee, Sport Canada, the International Olympic Committee and the USAF. John Underwood is a Human Performance Consultant for the U.S. Navy SEALS.
Advisory member Ryan Leonard
Ryan Leonard is an Oklahoma attorney who practices primarily in the areas of business law and litigation, insurance law, administrative law and Indian law. Ryan previously served as a state prosecutor in the District Attorney’s office in Canadian County, Oklahoma and served for four years as a Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator Don Nickles in Washington, D.C.
Ryan is active in the legal and local community, having served as co-founder and past president of the Downtown Club of Oklahoma City, as well as serving on the Board of Trustees of the Oklahoma City National Memorial, the Board of Directors of the Central Oklahoma Red Cross, the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors for the Oklahoma Academy of State Goals, the Legal Ethics Committee of the Oklahoma Bar Association, Downtown Oklahoma City Rotary Club 29 and Leadership Oklahoma Class XIX. In 2004, Ryan was recognized as one of the “40 under 40” business leaders in Oklahoma City and he regularly volunteers his time pro bono for Oklahoma Lawyers for Children. Ryan is also an Eagle Scout.
Ryan earned his law degree from the University of Oklahoma, and graduated magna cum laude from Boston College. He is married to Carrie Keating Leonard and they have four children.
