Oklahoma City Community College (OCCC) hosts former Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating in the return of its Public Affairs Forum March 29, 2017, at 1 p.m. in the Sarkeys Foundation Atrium located in the college’s Visual and Performing Arts Center.
Previous Public Affairs Forums have included former Oklahoma Governors David Hall and George Nigh. Keating will be the third governor to speak at the event. The forum is free and open to the public.
Discussing current legislative issues and increasing voter engagement is a dynamic facet of OCCC, and with the Public Affairs Forum series, students and community members both gain insight into past and present Oklahoma politics each semester.
Born in St. Louis, Keating grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He received his undergraduate degree from Georgetown University and a law degree from the University of Oklahoma. His 30-year career in law enforcement and public service included service as an FBI agent; U.S. Attorney and state prosecutor; and Oklahoma House and Senate member, including service as a Republican senate leader.
He served Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush in the Treasury, Justice and Housing departments. His Justice and Treasury service gave him responsibility for all federal criminal prosecutions in the nation and oversight over agencies such as the Secret Service, U.S. Customs, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, U.S. Marshals, the Bureau of Prisons, and the Immigration and Naturalization Service and all 94 U.S. Attorneys. As assistant secretary of Treasury and general counsel and acting deputy secretary of HUD, Keating worked on banking issues that are demanding attention today—including housing finance, lending practices, securitization and Bank Secrecy Act issues.
In 1993, Keating returned to Oklahoma to run for governor. He won a three-way race by a landslide and was easily re-elected in 1998, becoming only the second governor in Oklahoma history to serve two consecutive terms.
As the governor of Oklahoma, Keating won national acclaim in 1995 for his compassionate and professional handling of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal building in Oklahoma City. In the aftermath of the tragedy, he raised more than 6 million dollars to fund scholarships for the nearly 200 children left with only one or no parents. His accomplishments as governor include winning a successful public vote on right-to-work, tort reform, tax cuts, and major road building and education reform.
Keating is the chairman of the Board of the Washington-based Bipartisan Policy Center and recently served on the Policy Center’s Debt Reduction Task Force, a group of former cabinet members, elected officials and key stakeholders of both parties that recommended a series of tough measures to address the nation’s fiscal challenges. He also served on the BPC’s Housing Commission. He was previously chairman of the Advisory Board of Mount Vernon and president of the Federal City Council. He also served on the boards of the National Archives, the Jamestown Foundation and as chair of the National Catholic Review Board.
He and his wife Cathy live in Oklahoma City. They have three children and 10 grandchildren.
For more information about the Public Affairs Forum, visit /paforum.
OCCC enrolls more than 20,000 students and has more than 90,000 participants in its various community programs annually. OCCC offers a full range of associate degree programs that prepare students to transfer to baccalaureate institutions while other degree and certificate programs prepare students for immediate employment. At OCCC, students receive a quality education with small class sizes, dedicated professors and leadership opportunities. Students can choose from more than 80 major fields of study and participate in any of the 40+ clubs and organizations. For more information about OCCC, visit www.occc.edu.
