IVLP Spotlight: Women’s Entrepreneurship and Economic Prosperity
When a group of 23 women entrepreneurs from 23 countries visited Tulsa April 24-29 through the U.S. State Department International Visitor Leadership Program, most of them knew very little about Tulsa and Oklahoma in general. The group, focused on economic prosperity stemming from small business entrepreneurship, was very pleasantly surprised, and appreciated the high quality of the meetings, hospitality of Tulsa’s host families, and diversity of fun activities Tulsa Global Alliance provided during their stay.
Their schedule on Friday morning began with former Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor, who fascinated the entrepreneurs with her energy and enthusiasm while telling the stories of creation of an entrepreneurial system in Tulsa, and many of the visitors found her very inspiring. The University of Tulsa hosted this meeting, and provided a campus tour to the group afterwards.
Karlyn Doyle, Chief of Staff at NORDAM, offered a thorough presentation of the areas of expertise covered by the company, and shared the experiences of women leaders at NORDAM. Headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, NORDAM is one of the world’s largest independently owned aerospace companies, employing 2,500 stakeholders across multiple facilities in North America and Europe.This meeting was hosted by the Tulsa Air and Space Museum, and the group enjoyed touring the museum’s exhibits after the meeting.
The weekend included a trip to Tahlequah to visit the Cherokee National Museum and learn about Native American history, life and traditions, and attend Tahlequah’s Red Fern Festival. Also, the entrepreneurs were invited into the homes of TGA volunteers in smaller groups to share dinner, conversation, and hospitality.
The group also enjoyed line dancing during the weekend.
The group began Monday with a meeting at Gradient with Margo Gray, Executive Director of the United Indian Nations of Oklahoma, former Osage Mineral Council Member, and successful entrepreneur. Her personal story and her experience as a Native American female entrepreneur captivated all present, and the visitors were especially interested in her experience working on the set of “Killers of the Flower Moon” with Leonardo DeCaprio. Rose Washington-Jones then spoke about the over 300 small businesses guided by the Tulsa Economic Development Corporation - the organization she leads. The staff of Gradient gave the international entrepreneurs a tour of their new facility.
The last professional meeting in Tulsa was with Maria Lopez-Wilson, Trade Marketing Analyst at the Wes Watkins Center for International Trade Development at Oklahoma State University, who spoke about business consulting services offered by the Oklahoma Small Business Development Center. Maria met the group at the Tulsa Historical Society and Museum, and afterwards the museum’s Executive Director, David Goldenberg, took them on a tour of the museum.
As Besjana Hysa, an entrepreneur from Albania, said, “From deep dives into entrepreneurship, economic development, and global trade, to intimate home dinners and surprise cultural exchanges, this city gave us both learning and heart…Tulsa, you were more than a stop, you were a story.”
