About the Oklahoma Education Impact Initiative
LEADERSHIP
JOHN A. BROCK
John Brock’s philanthropic work is based on the belief that the most important thing we do in this life is to educate future generations. Born and raised in Oklahoma, John graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1953 with a B.S. in Geological Engineering. He served in the U.S. Army Artillery in Korea from 1953 to 1955 when he began his career in the oil business. In 2001, he endowed the Brock Prize for Education Innovation, which rewards educational ideas proven to enhance society. He has also endowed numerous chairs and professorships at the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University and the University of Tulsa. He is passionate about bringing positive change to Oklahoma and the world.
EDWARD HARRIS, PhD
Dr. Ed Harris is Professor Emeritus of Educational Leadership at Oklahoma State University. During his thirty-three years at OSU, he served as Associate Dean of Administrative Affairs, Director of Research, and Director of Extension, Technology, and International Programs. His research focused on school cultural and sustainable, context-based education initiatives. He currently oversees the Oklahoma Education Improvement Initiative and is the Administrator for the Brock Prize in Education Innovation, which finds and awards the best educational ideas and shares them with the world. He received his MA in Biblical Studies from Dallas Theological Seminary and his Ph.D. from Texas A&M University.
RESEARCH ADVISORS
KATHERINE CURRY, PhD
Kathy Curry is a Professor and Williams Chair in Higher Education at Oklahoma State University in the College of Education and Human Sciences where she serves as the Program Coordinator for the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, School Administration, program. Her research focuses on leadership development, family engagement in education, and learning in social learning spaces. She is also interested in educational systems in international contexts and has studied educational systems in Europe, Asia, and Central America. Her work has been published in the Journal of School Administration Research and Development, the Journal of Global Education and Research, Current Issues in Education, School Community Journal, International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Economic Issues, Administrative Issues Journal, the Journal of School Leadership, and Educational Administration Quarterly.
Dr. Curry has been recognized for her teaching and scholarship efforts as the recipient of the OSU 2023 Oklahoma State University Regents Distinguished Teaching Award and nomination for the 2024 Exemplary Contributions to Practice-Engaged Research Award at the American Educational Research Association. Her international work was recognized in 2018 as the recipient of the International Education Faculty Excellence Award in the School of Educational Foundations, Leadership and Aviation at Oklahoma State University and the Journal of Research in Leadership Education Reviewer of the Year Award in 2019. She served as Secretary of Education for the State of Oklahoma in 2023.
Dr. Curry is currently leading a collaborative effort to introduce artificial intelligence in Oklahoma Schools. This effort has led to a consortium of 7 school districts who are working collaboratively to support teacher and student needs through the AI platform, Khanmigo.
DANIEL HAMLIN, PhD
Daniel Hamlin is an associate professor of education policy and research director of the Thrive Center at the University of Oklahoma. In his research, Hamlin focuses on the effects of education policies related to student health and safety, family engagement, school climate, and school choice. Hamlin’s work appears in major peer-reviewed journals, including the American Educational Research Journal, Sociology of Education, the Journal of Criminal Justice, Educational Policy, and Urban Education. His research has also received coverage in the Wall Street Journal, NPR, Forbes, Marginal Revolution, The 74, and Chalkbeat.
He is the recipient of research grants from the National Science Foundation, the Ontario Ministry of Education, and the Mathematics of Information Technology and Complex Systems organization. He is currently Principal Investigator on a $6 million randomized controlled trial of high dosage tutoring in high school math.
Hamlin regularly moderates policy discussions with state governors, national education leaders, and superintendents of the nation's largest distircts, including New York City, Los Angeles, Miami-Dade, and Dallas public schools. Hamlin currently serves on the editorial boards of Leadership and Policy in Schools, Journal of School Choice, and International Journal of Education Leadership and Policy.
JENTRE J. OLSEN, PhD
Jentre Olsen is an assistant professor and Brock Chair of Innovative Educational Leadership at Oklahoma State University. His research focuses primarily on innovative approaches to school and district level leadership as well as advancements in networked organizational learning. His work explores the value created through social learning spaces and the effects of intentional conversation on supporting teacher and leader psychological needs. His work has been published in top journals in the field of educational leadership, including the Journal of Educational Administration, the Journal of Global Education and Research, Current Issues in Education, Journal of Transformative Education, ICPEL Education Leadership Review, and Educational Administration Quarterly.
Jentre is also active in the Research on the Superintendency SIG and currently co-managing a data project exploring the perceptions of rural superintendents across multiple states. He works closely with Project ECHO®, and he has served on multiple educational hub teams serving school districts in every county in Oklahoma as well as internationally in India. He is currently helping to lead the AI in Education ECHO hub team, as they work to implement Khanmigo, Khan Academy's AI-powered teaching assistant, into Oklahoma schools. In 2024, he was a finalist for 2024 OSU-Tulsa President’s Outstanding Teaching Award. He also co-hosts a podcast, Innovation Education, check out the latest episodes here.