Stitt appoints OU alum, Texas oilman to fill open seat on university's board of regents

Gov. Kevin Stitt has appointed Tyler, Texas, businessman Kenneth Waits to the University of Oklahoma Board of Regents.

Waits, an OU alumnus, was named to replace former Gov. Frank Keating on the board. Keating had served on the board since 2017, when he was appointed by then-Gov. Mary Fallin. Regents typically serve seven-year terms and their appointments are subject to approval by the Oklahoma Senate.

In addition to OU, the regents’ board also governs Rogers State University in Claremore and Cameron University in Lawton.

"Ken is a national voice in the energy sector who knows the OU community well," Stitt said in a statement. "Ken loves the University of Oklahoma, and I can't wait to see how he serves the school as member of the Board of Regents."

Waits joined Mewbourne Oil Company as an operations engineer in Woodward after his graduation from OU and has spent his entire working career with that company. He spent time as its Oklahoma City district manager, its vice president of exploration and its chief operations officer before his current role as president and chief executive officer.

Founded in 1965, Mewbourne Oil is an independent oil and gas producer, with primary operations in the Anadarko Basin of Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas and the Permian Basin of New Mexico and Texas. OU’s Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy is named after the company’s founder, Curtis W. Mewbourne, and the company is one of OU’s largest providers of scholarships, internships and full-time jobs.

“Serving my alma mater is an honor, and I'm deeply appreciative to Gov. Stitt for the opportunity to uplift the school I love," Waits said. "The students, faculty and staff of OU continue to inspire me every day, and I look forward to giving back to the community in this new role."

Waits already serves on the boards of the American Exploration and Production Council, the Permian Basin Strategic Partnership and the Permian Basin Petroleum Association. With OU, he’s served as the chairman of the industry advisory boards for university’s Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy, and he’s currently a council member of OU President Joseph Harroz’s “Lead On” fundraising campaign.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Gov. Stitt appoints Texas oilman, OU alum to university regents board