Regional University System of Oklahoma

A determined and successful entrepreneur of one of the fastest-growing companies in the world, Chad Richison has built a technology juggernaut in a state where the landscape of big business is dotted primarily with oil and gas. Today, innovation drives Oklahoma’s economy and the major driver comes from a graduate of the University of Central Oklahoma. In 1998, at the age of 27, Richison founded Paycom, an online human capital management software company. Thanks to his visiona

Peggy Kates grew up on a dairy farm in Calumet, a town with a population just shy of 600. Although her parents loved cattle farming, they were determined that their daughter would have additional professional choices with a college education. “Education was very important to my parents,” Kates said. “My dad served on the school board for 10 years. And even though they didn’t have a college education, they were determined for me to have a better life and understood how import