Valorie Walters, 39
Valorie Walters, 39Ada
Executive Officer, Division of Cultural Center, The Chickasaw Nation
Walters grew up in Coalgate and began working for the the Chickasaw Nation in the Office of Environmental Health while in college. “This was my first experience with the Chickasaw Nation as an employer and one I will always be thankful for,” she says. In her current position, she oversees the day-to-day operations of the Chickasaw Cultural Center, where she says she loves that she can be creative in highlighting various aspects of the Chickasaw culture through technology, exhibits or events. “Throughout my career, I’ve had the good fortune to work with great people who care about what they do and who go above and beyond to fulfill the mission of the Chickasaw Nation,” she says. Walters enjoys supporting community projects like the Ada Trail of Lights and other projects that “make people happy and give them an experience they otherwise might not have.”
Bryan Clifton, 27
Bryan Clifton, 27Edmond
Founder and CEO, Myriad Insight; Partner, Myriad Ventures
Clifton’s experience with entrepreneurship started at an early age. “I grew up working mall kiosks and trade shows with my dad,” he says. “This taught me how to market products and the basics of running a business.” He started a series of micro businesses in elementary school, and then larger businesses as he grew older. Now he gets to help other entrepreneurs by serving as an adviser and strategist. Clifton volunteers with several groups, including Edmond Young Professionals, Stand in the Gap Ministries, the Oklahoma City Zoo and the Christian Business Men’s Association. “Volunteering has allowed me to meet some amazing people who I wouldn’t have known otherwise,” he says. There is no secret to success, he adds, but “hard work and being nice to people will get you a long way in life.”
Thomas H. Landrum, 30
Thomas H. Landrum, 30Tulsa
Partner, The Firm on Baltimore PLLC
Landrum’s law practice focuses on Oklahoma families and the businesses they own, and says he has been blessed with a stellar group of lawyers and clients. He enjoys doing adoption work and says, “It is a great feeling having a role in creating a new and loving family. It is good work to have.” Landrum describes himself as an enthusiastic supporter of Tulsa Ballet, and also works with Tulsa Lawyers for Children. “The cases in which I volunteer for them allow me to work for clients who, in the worst of times in their lives, find joy and happiness in the most unlikely places,” he says. And although Landrum enjoys his field, he has come up with an alternative just in case. “My fallback plan is to find a percheron farm somewhere in the Ozarks and convince them to hire me as a hand,” he says.
