40 Under 40 2016

Michelle Prine, 38

Langley
President, Grand Splash Marketing LLC, 360GrandLake.com and NativeKnot.com
Prine specializes in digital marketing in the Grand Lake area of Oklahoma and throughout Indian Country. Her website 360GrandLake.com helps showcase Grand Lake area businesses, promotions and events, and OneKnot.com was launched as the original Native American directory for tribes, businesses and events throughout Indian Country. She says she loves “helping business be successful now and in the future,” and can’t imagine doing anything else. She is also a Rotarian and says she frequently volunteers consulting time with new entrepreneurs. “Giving back is an important part of building a foundation for our future, and it allows me to pay it forward in hopes the next person will do the same,” she says.

Andrew Silvestri, 30

Oklahoma City
Head of Public Policy and External Affairs, U.S. Central Region, Google Inc.
Silvestri  leads state and local government, public and community relations for Google across the central states, where he says he builds bridges for people, issues and products. “I love being part of a company whose mission is to impact billions of people’s lives for the better, today and for generations to come,” he says. “Every single day, we’re working to help solve some of the world’s greatest and most complex challenges.” His previous jobs include serving as deputy policy director for Gov. Mary Fallin and political action coordinator for Chesapeake Energy, but he has also had more unusual jobs like training parakeets, decorating Christmas trees and braiding hair for tourists on the beaches of Portugal. He supports raising awareness of the global water crisis and helping to increase access to clean water across the globe. He enjoys CrossFit and, if he weren’t working for Google, says he would “probably be walking dogs in Hawaii. That’s still the dream!”

Jas Athwal, 32

Tulsa
Chief Operating Officer, Praetoria Security
Athwal was born in the United Kingdom and moved to Tulsa in 2010 when he was serving as senior vice president for a U.K. company and expanded the company into the U.S., selecting Tulsa to serve as the corporate head office over Dallas or Houston. The company was acquired by an Oklahoma consortium in 2013. “Security is such a critical and key component of our clients’ operations, and it is great to offer a superior service in an often stagnant arena and genuinely make a telling difference and contribution to our clients’ success stories,” he says. Athwal says he is proud to help create “meaningful, long-lasting and secure employment for U.S. veterans.” Outside of the office, he is the project manager for Focus Sammipur Village, a humanitarian project in his parents’ native India focused on poverty alleviation. He enjoys riding his mountain bike, boxing and walking with his German Shepherd. Athwal is also a dedicated soccer fan – besides playing, he also served on the advisory board for the Tulsa Roughnecks Soccer Team and says you can find him tweeting most Saturday mornings about his hometown soccer team, Leicester City.