The Washington Times has chosen former Oklahoman Editor Ed Kelley as its new Editor, effective July 1st, 2011.  Kelley will provide editorial leadership for the news, as well as opinion content for Washington Times Media.  He will also play a key role in building the company’s presence as a multi-media news organization.  

By implementing a coordinated content strategy, including investigative reporting and exclusive opinions in print, digital, mobile, and broadcast, Kelley will  guide The Washington Times to take advantage of its significant market opportunity in today’s national media landscape.

Kelley comes to The Washington Times from The Oklahoman in Oklahoma City, where he was the Editor.   Since joining The Oklahoman in 1975, Kelley has held virtually every key editor position, including four years in the nation’s capital as Washington Correspondent/Bureau Chief.

In 1996, Kelley was awarded the Editor of the Year Award by the National Press Foundation for leadership of The Oklahoman’s coverage of the bombing at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.

In recent years, he played a major role in creating a new media strategy for The Oklahoman and helped lead the development of a new design for the newspaper.  In addition, Kelley presents a daily video commentary, entitled “Oklahoma Matters” on The Oklahoman’s website.

Welcoming Kelley to The Washington Times, Dr. Douglas D.M. Joo , Chairman of The Washington Times LLC, said, “The company had conducted a nationwide search to identify an Editor who would fit the unique news mission of The Washington Times. Ed Kelley is an excellent choice to advance The Washington Times, as it builds a multi-media news company with audiences throughout the United States and world.”

Thomas P. McDevitt, President of The Washington Times LLC said, “The Washington Times is very fortunate to have an Editor with Ed Kelley’s stature and experience.  He is clearly one of the finest news editors in America.”

A native of Perry, Oklahoma, Kelley, 58, is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma, and a member of Phi Beta Kappa.  In 1998, he served as a Pulitzer Prize juror.  He was inducted into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame in 2003.

Kelley is a member of the Advisory Board for the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Oklahoma.  He is also a member of the Advisory Committee of the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation.

Kelley states, "I am excited about working with The WashingtonTimes’  journalists and editors to continue the Times’ long history of trusted news and conservative opinion, expand the Washington metropolitan and national audience for washingtontimes.com, and lead the growth of the Times in other digital, mobile, radio, television and print media."

Kelley’s wife Carole is head of school at one of the highest rated charter schools in the country.  They will be moving to Washington in the near future.   The Kelley’s have two adult sons living in the Washington, DC area, and a daughter who lives in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

The Washington Times LLC is a newspaper and multi-media company headquartered in Washington, D.C.  It publishes The Washington Times, Washington Times National Weekly and washingtontimes.com.   It has gained a reputation for thorough news coverage and hard-hitting investigative reporting and exacting commentary. It is also a partner in the fast growing morning radio program, America’s Morning News, heard on over 120 stations across the United States.

According to U.S. Census data, by 2016 one-third of Americans will be more than 50 years old.  In addition, the first Baby Boomers turned 65 on January 1, 2011, signaling what many see as a paradigm shift in the mature market from changing how they view retirement to how they view aging itself.  That growing market will also require special workers with special skills, particularly in the fields of senior living and senior health which Inverness Village has been leading the way with a progressive internship program.

For more than six years, Inverness Village, a local retirement community located at 3800 West 71st Street in Tulsa, has supported the internship program designed to train and equip the next generation of senior living leaders.  Led by the community’s Wellness Director Jana Headrick, the 12-week program draws on students from nearby Oklahoma State University, and serves as a semester-long requirement to obtain a Bachelors of Science in Health Promotion or Exercise Science.  Along with that robust OSU internship program, Inverness also operates a partnership with Oral Roberts University for nursing students, and Oklahoma University Medical Center for research projects.

With so many options available, why would a student studying health-related professions choose senior living?

“I get asked that a lot, and I ask that question a lot,” says Headrick, who serves on the visionary board of the International Council of Active Aging (ICAA) and speaks with students in and out of classroom settings. “Many are interested in the traditional therapies, nursing, pre-med or sports medicine. When you start probing as to why they want to do these things, they’ll say something like, ‘I can’t think of anything worse than being an athlete who can no longer play the game they enjoy.’ My answer to that is, ‘What if you couldn’t take care of yourself ever again?’ In this field, you’re helping people enjoy their life – not just a game. The expectation is that ‘we get old and we get sick,’ and as technology and medicine advance, we’re both living and unfortunately, dying longer. Senior living workers can start the conversation about taking steps to live longer and healthier.”

Up to two interns will work at Inverness’ wellness center per semester under Headrick’s watchful eye, while others may act as job shadows for a set period. Participants have run the gamut from those pursuing corporate wellness to a student who wanted to become a flight medic.

“I try to bring in interns that have some experience,” she explains. “They go through an orientation process, and then they’re expected to act and function like someone I would hire.”

Interns participate in all aspects of the Inverness wellness program, known as HealthAbilityTM.  Designed by Sodexo Senior Living, HealthAbility focuses on six dimensions of wellness that can lead to a more active, vibrant and happier life for residents.  By focusing on physical wellness, the program strives to enable seniors to enjoy the other five dimensions: spiritual, intellectual, emotional, social and vocational.

Through regular fitness assessments and classes, Inverness Village residents can track their progress and work one-on-one with the staff and interns on strength, flexibility and endurance. Professors require students to maintain daily activity journals, describing every high and low point. Each works within guidelines of HIPAA, the federal rule that protects health privacy.

“So many are surprised that the environment isn’t cold and clinical,” she says. “People here are active, vibrant, full of life, and have great stories to tell. They want to get to know the students, and are so appreciative that they are here.”

Headrick believes that both the HealthAbility program and the environment at Inverness Village collectively create an ideal atmosphere for developing relationships between students, residents and staff.

“People are not one-dimensional, nor should the approach to wellness be one-dimensional,” she says. “Inverness offers variety as a 24/7 community with residents at the independent, assisted living and skilled nursing levels. We have exercise therapy, and that experience is beneficial for an exercise, physical or occupational therapy background. We also operate outpatient physical therapy services, which offer some classic therapy or nursing experience. The more we can open them up to opportunities or pathways, the better.”

Students and mentors learn from each other. “They bring in a fresh perspective, unique life experiences, and new research. We don’t expect them to know everything, but want them to tell us how we can make things better. In turn, we’re able to offer them an experience they may not have imagined, as well as teach some ‘real world’ issues. For instance, what is customer service? What’s it like to work a full day? How do I handle a sensitive situation? They’re thinking about things in new ways, and that also challenges us to maintain a certain level of openness and thought.”

By her own admission, Headrick’s personal path to senior living was not exactly direct. After earning a degree in Health Promotion from OSU, she found work as an exercise physiologist for St. John Medical Center. It was there, she says, that she found her passion for helping others.

“I enjoyed being able to have a positive influence on people, and really drilling into the behavioral aspects of how they make decisions and why. It was really about the approach – how you packaged it and made it person-centered. There’s no cookie cutter wellness solution.”

When recommended for a wellness director position at Inverness Village, she was admittedly hesitant, noting preconceived notions about “homes.” The first visit changed her mind. “This was an environment where you could see tangible results and the impact you could you make,” she says. “Hearing residents’ stories and what they had overcome was life-changing. It’s been total immersion for me.”

Headrick is quick to note that the internship program serves as an example of thought leadership for the students, Inverness Village and the larger community. “It shows we’re serious about partnering with great universities to teach them about successful aging, and it demonstrates commitment to the potential of this very unique, growing population.”

A picture of a 90-year-old woman doing a long jump serves as a visual. “She’s not an athlete,” says Headrick. “She’s an active, positive person who continues to be engaged and live her life in a holistic way. Funny thing is — today, she’s not an anomaly.”

Inverness Village is a Life Care retirement community located in Tulsa, Okla., that is part of Asbury Communities, Inc., which provides management and support services for a system of continuing care retirement communities for older adults. Asbury Communities is ranked by LeadingAge (formerly American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging [AAHSA]) and Ziegler Capital Markets Group’s AZ 100 as the 12th largest not-for-profit multi-site senior living organization in the country.

The aerospace industry is one of the fastest growing economic engines in the state of Oklahoma, accounting for over 140,000 jobs and a $12.4 billion economic output. In order to sustain and continue to grow the industry, the workforce needs an education based on solid Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).  For the fourth year, the OAA has invited Oklahoma STEM teachers,
designated as Aerospace Fellows, to attend the annual Aerospace Summit
as guests of OAA and exhibiting aerospace companies this year in Tulsa June 6-8.

“This workforce development must begin in our school systems and with our STEM educators,” Mary Smith, Oklahoma Aerospace Alliance spokesperson said. “Our educators must understand the relevance of their efforts on helping grow and sustain the aerospace industry in Oklahoma.”
 
The Oklahoma Aerospace Alliance (OAA) has established a partnership between the Oklahoma Aerospace Industry and a number of Oklahoma educators.   For the fourth year, the OAA has invited Oklahoma STEM teachers, designated as Aerospace Fellows.   This year a record 120 educators will attend the Summit, with June 8 designated as the Oklahoma Aerospace Education and Industry Partnership (AEIP) Day at Tulsa Tech Riverside Campus.
 
“Oklahoma is the only state with such an event tied directly to one of its major industries,” Ben Robinson, Advisor to the Oklahoma Aerospace Alliance and Aerospace consultant to Oklahoma Career Tech, said. “Over 240 educators from across Oklahoma have attended the Summit within the last three years and that number continues to grow at a rapid pace.”
 
The AEIP Day will be filled with speakers such as State Superintendent of Education Janet Barresi, different breakout sessions, a lunch game show about the Oklahoma aerospace industry and a final session where Lieutenant Governor Todd Lamb will present $10,000 in grants to participating educators.
 
Along with the AEIP Day, the OAA Summit features more than 100 leading aviation and aerospace companies as exhibitors and is expected to draw as many as 1,000 attendees.
 
The Summit opens on June 6 with the annual golf tournament at the Patriot Golf Club. Later that night there will be the “AeroBash”, a networking event, at McNellie’s Pub in Tulsa. The Summit welcome will take place at 8 a.m. on June 7 and officially kick-off the aerospace events, which includes keynote speakers, numerous sessions, and a variety of awards to be presented.
 
For more information, visit www.okaero.com. The Oklahoma Aerospace Alliance (OAA), a nonprofit formed in 2006 to support the growth of the aerospace industry, has grown to over 300 membership companies across the state, many of whom have operations nationally and internationally.

This week marks the nationwide release of “The Mystery of The Adam and Eve Chronicles,” the latest mystery from Tulsa author Gloria D’Alessandro.  In the story, when young teacher Maryann Wesley is discovered brutally killed in her own home, the only clue to the reason for her death is a missing map of ancient lore—a map rumored to lead straight to the Garden of Eden. Part of an obscure and mystifying ancient text known as the Adam and Eve Chronicles, the person who holds this map would have access to the two most powerful plants in the world: the Tree of Knowledge and the Tree of Life.

When this detail comes out, Mike McVey, the lead detective on the case, realizes that the map must be discovered before it can be exploited by any number of opportunists willing to control the map and its contents at any price. 

More intrigue develops when flowers with amazing healing and rejuvenating powers surface in the garden at the school where Conci D’Amato McVey teaches, plants purported to be from the Garden of Eden. Readers follow Mike, Conci, and her aunt, Sister Mary Concetta Rose on this harrowing journey of history and spirituality in “The Mystery of the Adam and Eve Chronicles.”

Published by Tate Publishing and Enterprises, the book is available through bookstores nationwide, from the publisher at www.tatepublishing.com, or by visiting barnesandnoble.com or amazon.com. This is also an eLIVE title, meaning each book contains a code redeemable for a free audio book version from TatePublishing.com.

D’Alessandro has been teaching more than 16 years, both in Christian and public schools. She and her husband reside in Tulsa. They have five grown children, eleven grandchildren and two great grandchildren. She has written five other mystery novels: “A+ for Murder,” “Murder in a Holy Place,” “Murder at Signs and Wonders,” “The Mystery of the Pheramengo Cross,” and “The Mystery of the Eighth Deadly Sin.” In addition to writing, D’Alessandro teaches mystery writing.

Click here to order "The Mystery of The Adam and Eve Chronicles."

For more on Gloria D’Alessandro click here.

Governor Mary Fallin today announced the appointment of Greg Grodhaus to the Grand River Dam Authority (GRDA) Board of Directors.  Grodhaus of Grove is retired from Tacit Networks, an Internet technology company. He spent 37 years in the information technology industry, including serving as chief executive officer of several public and private companies. He also was responsible for more than 20 corporate acquisitions and divestitures during his career.  

“Greg Grodhaus has proven himself as a business leader who can manage large corporate entities and ventures,” Fallin said. “His success and experience in the private sector will make him an asset to the GRDA Board as they work toward bringing new leadership and direction to the agency.”

Prior to his work at Tacit, Grodhaus was president and chief executive officer of INRAGE Technologies and IPL Systems.  He also served as senior vice president and chief marketing officer of Amdahl, later Fujitsu Ltd., and vice president and general manager of MemorexTelex Midrange Systems and Large Storage Systems.  

Grodhaus earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Southern Methodist University and has served on the board of several public, private and charitable organizations.  He is currently a member of the Grove Chamber of Commerce.

Grodhaus and his wife Leisa reside in Grove.  He replaces Terry Frost, who resigned, and will serve out Frost’s term which ends August 29, 2013.  Senate confirmation is not required for this appointment.