THE OKLAHOMA BAR JOURNAL 48 | JANUARY 2025 BALANCING LIFE, WORK AND LEADERSHIP Throughout his legal career, Ken has made it a priority to serve his fellow attorneys. He was active in the Osage County Bar Association during his time working in Skiatook, and in 2014, Ken took the lead at the Tulsa County Bar Association. “The opportunity to give back at a leadership level to a large bar association was great,” he said. “Having interactions with other attorneys in nonadversarial ways and seeing the kind of volunteerism that lawyers have was really a defining moment. Some of the finest people I know are lawyers. I kind of took it on as a personal endeavor to let the general population know how much lawyers do that is good.” He soon became involved in the OBA, serving as a member of the Environmental Law Section, where he served for several years. After some time, he was approached by former OBA President William R. Grimm to finish his term on the Professional Responsibility Tribunal. Ken did not hesitate and stepped up to the challenge. “I stepped in on his last term and was very impressed with the whole process and how seriously the panelists take their jobs of listening to matters pending before them and making recommendations to the Supreme Court,” he said. “That was probably the impetus for me to focus on the state level of leadership.” He then saw an opportunity to run for an OBA board position as vice president and has served on the board since. Ken sees his current involvement on the board as very defining – an opportunity to advocate for professionalism, civility, volunteerism and improving the view of lawyers in the eyes of the public. When not working in the career he loves or serving his fellow attorneys, Ken can be found on the beach, traveling abroad or being active with The Park Church of Christ in Tulsa. “Our church is very active in community service work,” he said. “If I were not working full time, I would spend more time using my carpentry skills in home repairs for the elderly or emergency situations. The church just sent a crew to North Carolina to help people impacted by the tropical storm to put tarps on roofs so that families can get back in their homes as quickly as possible. I would probably be using the skills I’ve learned through the years in a direct way.” For Ken, who serves as an elder in his church, work-life balance comes down to prioritizing three key things: “For me, it’s faith and family and then work. That has been a successful prioritization for me for all my life. As long as I remain committed to my role as shepherd of my church family and my personal family, then give all that I can give to work, that’s the recipe for a wholesome lifestyle. That’s balance for me.” ABOUT THE AUTHOR Emily Buchanan Hart is the OBA assistant director of communications. Above: Ken, Teresa, their three grown children and their eight grandkids celebrate Christmas together. Top right: Ken and Teresa’s daughters and son. From left Kristen, Kenyon and Kara. Bottom right: Ken and Teresa visit the bar center in Oklahoma City.
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