Garrett T. King To Join Friends of OETA Board
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – The Oklahoma Educational Television Authority (OETA) is pleased to announce that western Oklahoma educator Garrett T. King of Weatherford has been named to the Board of Directors of Friends of OETA, Inc.
“So many generous, prudent leaders have helped to shape OETA into America’s most-watched PBS station and one of the most trusted institutions in Oklahoma state government,” said Friends Board President Dr. Robert Spinks of Oklahoma City. “We are truly delighted that a widely-lauded Past Chair of the OETA Board of Directors, Mr. Garrett King, has joined the Friends of OETA, Inc. Board and returned to active service in support of OETA’s mission to provide essential educational content and services that inform, inspire and connect Oklahomans.”
The Friends of OETA is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that exists to raise funds and support the activities and programs of OETA by receiving, investing, managing and expending non-state-appropriated funds and properties. The Oklahoma Legislature authorized OETA to partner with such a charity beginning in 1982.
OETA is an instrumentality of the State of Oklahoma and is funded by state, federal, and private resources. OETA maintains an extensive statewide network of 4 transmitting stations and 14 translator stations that provide information to over 650,000 viewers each week. Additionally, OETA is responsible for maintaining the state’s infrastructure for the PBS Warning, Alert and Response Network (WARN) system, which provides a path between the Federal Emergency Management Agency and cellular service providers to relay important emergency information statewide via cellular networks.
“I am deeply honored to join such an outstanding group of philanthropists and civic leaders in supporting OETA,” said King. “OETA has enriched the lives of millions, my family included, and I am thankful to OETA’s many donors and supporters who make that work possible.”
King was nominated by Governor Mary Fallin and confirmed by the Oklahoma Senate in 2015 to represent the 3rd Congressional District of Oklahoma on the OETA Board of Directors. King went on to serve three consecutive terms as Chairman of the Board.
King is the Vice President for Institutional Advancement & Chief of Staff to the President at Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU) with locations in Weatherford, Sayre, and Yukon. He holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in Social Sciences from SWOSU and is a Ph.D. candidate in History at Swansea University.
King is currently a Trustee of America’s Public Television Stations (APTS), a nonprofit membership organization that promotes the legislative and regulatory interests of 158 licensees operating 356 public television stations across America that serve more than 95% of the American people. APTS works at the national level through direct advocacy and through grassroots campaigns designed to garner bipartisan political support.
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About OETA
OETA provides essential educational content and services that inform, inspire and connect Oklahomans to ideas and information that enrich our quality of life. We do this by consistently engaging Oklahomans with educational and public television programming, providing educational training and curriculum, outreach initiatives and online features that collectively encourage lifelong learning. For more information about education curriculum and programs, local productions, digital television, community resources and show schedules explore OETA.tv.