Vertical Divider

Kimberly Johnson
CEO, Tulsa City-County Library

Johnson joined the Tulsa City-County Library (TCCL) in 1998 as the first African American Resource Center coordinator at the Rudisill Regional Library. There, she established the library's first countywide public tour of Oklahoma's historic all-black towns and developed partnerships with publishing companies that have resulted in visits by renowned authors. Johnson is also credited with creating the first countywide public reading project, Tulsa Metro Reads, known today as One Book, One Tulsa.  
​
In her 28 years at TCCL, she has held seven positions, including Chief Innovation Officer and Chief Operating Officer. She led a five-year effort to modernize TCCL's branches and service offerings to meet the demands of today’s library users. She also led the library through a customer-centered service model that offered more convenience and removed barriers to service. In 2017, Johnson was named Chief Executive Officer, becoming the first African American CEO in the library's history. Under her leadership, in 2022, the library system received a 5-star rating, placing TCCL in the top five public libraries in the country.  
​
Johnson is the strategic force that ensures that the library remains relevant and continues to evolve to meet the public's changing needs. Johnson initiated an ambitious effort to rebuild the Brookside, Rudisill, South Broken Arrow, and Owasso libraries for the next generation of library users. Johnson is spearheading the $54 million capital campaign.  
The new Bronson Brookside Library opened in October 2025. The new Rudisill Library will open in the fall. The Eddy Gibbs Library, in Owasso, will be the first multi-use library in Oklahoma. In partnership with West Development, the new 23,000 sq. ft library will occupy the ground floor with 59 apartments on the top three floors. Johnson will soon break ground on the new South Broken Arrow Library later this year. Once completed, these expansions will enhance library services in three cities within Tulsa County and serve as a model for public libraries in the region.  
​
Johnson is also an active member of the greater Tulsa community. She serves or has served on several national and statewide boards and committees, including the Philbrook Museum, Tulsa Area United Way, Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice, the Tulsa Teachers Credit Union, Tulsa World Community Advisor Board, Public Radio Tulsa, Dolly Parton Imagination Library of Oklahoma, RSUTV, the American Library Association, and the Oklahoma Library Association.  ​

Vertical Divider

Leslie Paris
Senior Vice President & Senior Director of Community and Employee Engagement - BOK Financial & BOKF Foundation President

Paris, a 40-year veteran at BOK Financial, has dedicated her career to leading community and employee engagement strategies across an eight-state region, including major markets such as Dallas, Houston, Denver, and Kansas City. As Director and President of the BOKF Foundation, she has overseen more than $125 million in charitable donations to hundreds of nonprofit organizations over the past 25 years. Throughout her tenure, Leslie has spearheaded numerous impactful initiatives, including United Way campaigns that have raised over $30 million through employee and corporate contributions, and a children’s book drive that collected more than 300,000 books for children in need. She also developed the Learn for Life Financial Education Program, which engages employees in thousands of volunteer hours teaching essential financial skills to empower individuals and families. Additionally, Leslie helped create the Guide the Giving Program, enabling employees to nominate and vote for nonprofits to receive corporate donations, and the Strategic Community Engagement Placement Program, which matches employees with nonprofit organizations for committee and board service—currently resulting in over 400 BOK Financial employees serving on nonprofit boards. She also led the redesign of the Employee Service Award Program, strengthening company culture by recognizing dedication and years of service. 

A dedicated community leader, Leslie has served as board president for Leadership Oklahoma, the Tulsa YWCA, and Resonance, and has held board positions with the Tulsa Area United Way, Leadership Tulsa, the Girl Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, the Oklahoma Caring Foundation, and the Tulsa River Park Authority. She currently serves on the boards of the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence, the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits ONE Commissioner, the Oklahoma State University Foundation Board of Governors, the Women for OSU Council, and the Spears School of Business Eastin Center Advisory Board.  
​
Guided by her personal motto, inspired by theologian John Wesley—“Do all the good you can; in all the ways you can; in all the places you can; to all the people you can; as long as ever you can”--Leslie exemplifies lifelong commitment to service, leadership, and community betterment.  ​