FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Pamela Rucker Springs
Springs Forward Communications
(202) 878-9005 I prsprings@gmail.com
Local and National Leaders Join Governing Bodies to Ensure Professional Stewardship and Community Voice for Commitment to Greenwood and North Tulsa
TULSA, Okla., June 4, 2026 — One year after its founding, the Greenwood Trust has named the leaders who will govern its work, announcing early members of its Governing Board and National Advisory Board to steward the Greenwood Trust’s investment in economic mobility, growth, and development in the historic Greenwood District in North Tulsa. The formation of these two bodies marks the Trust’s transition from a founding commitment to a fully operational institution built to last.
Unveiling its governance structure marked a milestone for the Greenwood Trust — one made all the more meaningful by its setting: the organization’s inaugural Black Wall Street Symposium. Held as Tulsa marked 105 years since the Tulsa Race Massacre, the Symposium brought more than 100 national and local leaders to the Historic Greenwood District to reckon with the state of Black economic mobility and press toward a more equitable future. Entrepreneurs, investors, and leaders from across the public and private sectors rallied behind Mayor Monroe Nichols’ vision of repair, reconciliation, and renewal, advancing strategies built to lift up the descendants of the massacre and secure lasting economic vitality for all of Greenwood and North Tulsa.
The Governing Board carries responsibility for the Greenwood Trust’s independent oversight, governance, and long-term strategic direction — with members chosen for their professional distinction, their experience stewarding investments, advancing racial equity in place, and a clear-eyed understanding of what it will take to advance economic mobility and growth and restore the promise of Greenwood.
The National Advisory Board serves as a consultative strategic body of national and local experts, and community leaders who serve as trusted advisors to Greenwood Trust leadership — providing expertise and insight to strengthen the Greenwood Trust’s economic mobility agenda, reviewing, and advising on programmatic strategies and investments. The National Advisory Board includes seats for key community voices including the District 1 City Council Representative, and a representative from the Beyond Apology Commission.
Mayor Nichols announced the Greenwood Trust on June 1, 2025, as the defining initiative of his Road to Repair agenda.
“Today, we are establishing the governance architecture necessary to steward the important work of the Greenwood Trust. The Governing Board brings the professional rigor and governance an institution of this consequence demands. The National Advisory Board brings something equally essential — the expertise, strategic insight, and community voice. Together, they reflect our belief in fiduciary discipline, centering community, and driven by expert knowledge and practice.”
— Alaina Beverly, Executive Director, The Greenwood Trust
“For more than a century, the story of Greenwood has been one of extraordinary resilience, determination, and hope. The Greenwood Trust represents our commitment to match that legacy with meaningful investment and lasting opportunity. The leaders joining these boards understand both the responsibility and the potential of this moment. Together, we are building an institution that will help ensure Greenwood’s future is as remarkable as its past.”
— Mayor Monroe Nichols, City of Tulsa
Initial Governing Board members include:
Mayor Monroe Nichols
Mayor, City of Tulsa
William Buster
Executive Director, Ronda E. Stryker & William D. Johnston Foundation
Janiece Evans-Page
CEO, Tides
Robert Raben
President and Founder, The Raben Group
Joe Scantlebury
President and CEO, Living Cities
Maisha Simmons
Associate Vice President, Equity and Culture, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
National Advisory Board members include:
Appointed Members
Phil Armstrong
At Large Member, Beyond Apology Commission & President and CEO, Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice
Tyrance Billingsley, II*
Founder and CEO, Black Tech Street
Dr. Tiffany Crutcher*
Founder and Executive Director, Terence Crutcher Foundation
Asali DeVan Ecclesiastes
CEO, Ashé Cultural Arts Center
Shawn Escoffery
Executive Director, Roy and Patricia Disney Family Foundation
Paul Johnson
SVP, Bank of Oklahoma
Kimberlyn Leary Ph.D, MPA
Emma Bloomberg Lecturer in Public Policy and Management, Harvard Kennedy School, Faculty Director, Good Services Lab, Bloomberg Center for Cities
Adair Mosley
Executive Director, GroundBreak Coalition
Dr. Ray Owens
Senior Pastor, Metropolitan Baptist Church
Kode Ransom
Artist & Historian
Scot Spencer
Associate Director for Local Policy, Annie E. Casey Foundation
Designated Community and Institutional Seats
District 1 Tulsa City Council Representative
Represented by Councilwoman Vanessa Hall Harper
Beyond Apology Commission Representative
Represented by Damali Wilson*, At Large Member
* Descendent of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre
About The Greenwood Trust
The Greenwood Trust is a permanent, independent, private charitable Trust. Announced by Mayor Monroe Nichols, Tulsa’s 41st Mayor and first Black Mayor on June 1, 2025 as part of the Road to Repair initiative, the mission of the Trust is to foster economic mobility, growth and development in Greenwood and North Tulsa, to mitigate the harms of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and decades of policy harm, and ensure that the survivors, descendants, and residents of the Greenwood District and North Tulsa thrive. The Trust recruits private, philanthropic, and public sector dollars to invest in housing, education, entrepreneurship, and cultural preservation. For more information, visit thegreenwoodtrust.org.
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