Another appointee from Gov. Kevin Stitt arrives to the University of Oklahoma Board of Regents from a business background.
The governor announced Friday he selected Rick Braught, of Duncan, to fill a vacant seat on OU’s top governing board, which also oversees Cameron University and Rogers State University.
Braught is the president of Investors Trust Co. He has led the Duncan-based business since 1996.
He and his wife, Barbara, also own The Territory Golf & Country Club, a golf course and residential community in Duncan.
An OU business graduate, of both bachelor’s and master’s degree programs, Braught would fill an unexpired term ending March 21, 2023.
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Braught said he is “honored” to be appointed.
“I believe improvement in all facets of our state begins directly with how well we prepare our graduates to excel and lead in their chosen fields,” he said in a statement.
This is Stitt’s second appointment to the OU regents in the past month.
The governor chose Inasmuch Foundation CEO Bob Ross on March 30 to serve a seven-year term. He succeeded retiring board chairperson Michael Cawley, who opted to step down once his term expired in March.
Pending approval by the state Senate, Braught would be the latest of Stitt’s appointees to come from a business or finance-related career, similarly to Cawley and regents Eric Stephenson, Anita Holloway and Rick Nagel.
“His strong business acumen will make him a terrific addition to the Board of Regents as we continue to ensure OU is successfully equipping graduates with skills that meet the needs of our state’s workforce and economy,” Stitt said in announcing Braught’s appointment.
Braught’s seat was left vacant by another businessman, Phil Albert, who was appointed to the board in 2016 by then-Gov. Mary Fallin.
Albert resigned from the regents in January amid allegations of financial crimes.
He was the president of Claremore steel pole manufacturer Pelco Structural until the company fired in him 2019. The company later accused him in court documents of fraud, embezzlement and breach of fiduciary duty.
Albert alleged in a Rogers County District Court lawsuit the company wrongfully fired him. The lawsuit, filed in 2019, is still pending.
OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. said Albert showed an “ardent passion” for the university.
Stitt also was complimentary of Albert following the regent’s resignation.
“Phil Albert served the University of Oklahoma well during his time as a regent,” Stitt said in a January statement.
Reporter Nuria Martinez-Keel covers K-12 and higher education throughout the state of Oklahoma. Have a story idea for Nuria? She can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @NuriaMKeel. Support Nuria’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.