Keynote Speakers

Opening Plenary Keynote

Cymone Davis is the CEO of Black Towns Municipal Management, Executive Producer of MORE MONEY, and former Town Manager of Tullahassee, OK. She is also the School Founder of Kingdom Come International. Originally from Kansas City, MO, Cymone moved to Tulsa, OK through the Tulsa Remote program in June 2020. Soon after, she was voted in as Tullahassee’s first Town Manager. Tullahassee is the oldest, surviving all-black town in Oklahoma; within a short timeframe, Cymone led the town to gain national attention and make U.S. History. 

 

As the 2021-2022 REAL Resilience Fellow of Next Leadership Development Corporation, Cymone Davis helped create the nation’s first-ever GIS interactive mapping tool of U.S. Black Townships and Settlements. Cymone has recently been featured in national news like The Washington Post, Fast Company, NPR, and local news such as The Black Wall Street Times and The Oklahoma Eagle.

Cymone Davis has a Master’s Degree in Telecommunication Media Studies/Africana Studies from Texas A&M University. Her second Master’s Degree is in Education with a Teach English as a Second Language Concentration, and a Graduate Certificate in International Advocacy and Leadership from Avila University in Kansas City, MO.

 

She is currently a Doctoral Student in the Global Executive Doctor of Education program at the University of Southern California. Since 2018, Cymone has also been on a mission to build a black boarding school, Kingdom Come International, in the historic all-black town of Tullahassee, OK.

Luncheon Keynote

Dr. Chapman holds the title of Professor of Real Estate and Finance at the University of Central Oklahoma. He serves as the Assistant Finance Department Chairman. He is the author of a weekly column called Lot Lines in The Journal Record. Dr. Chapman is founder of Realty1, LLC, an innovative real estate firm with divisions performing real estate brokerage, property management, resort construction and management, real estate investment and commercial and residential construction. The firm has employed as many as 30 employees and has sales in excess of $25 million annually. The Chapman’s also owned a mortgage company from 2006 to 2009 that produced loans in excess of $20 Million annually with 4 employees. He is currently a Real Estate Commissioner of the Oklahoma Real Estate Commission, Past President of The Central Oklahoma Commercial Association of Realtors, has sat on the BoD of the OKC Housing Services Redevelopment Corporation, Goodwill Industries, OKC Chamber of Commerce and is on the Edmond City Council representing Ward 1.

Dr. Chapman’s research agenda revolves around resilience in urban areas and cities. Much of this work has considered counter-terrorism and protective measures in built environments, high-density areas, and crowed places. This work has led to presentations around the country and peer-reviewed publications.   

Dr. Chapman's educational background consists of a PhD from Oklahoma State University, Master’s Certificate in Real Estate and Construction Management from the University of Denver, a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology from Oklahoma State University.  He is licensed by the FAA as a Commercial Pilot, Certified Flight Instructor as well as a Airframe and Powerplant mechanic.

Closing Keynote

Bonnie J. Johnson, PhD, FAICP is Director and Professor in the University of Kansas' Urban Planning Program within the School of Public Affairs and Administration.  She teaches planning theory, land use, politics, and administration courses.  Research focuses on the public service ethics of planning and allied professions, innovations in staff reports, social media use for neighborhood organizing, and creation of the civic bureaucracy model. Before academia, Johnson was a practicing city planner for eight years. At the City of Liberty, Missouri, she was project manager for Liberty's "Blueprint for Liberty: Land Use Plan" which was awarded the American Planning Association's (APA) "Outstanding Planning Award" for the best plan in the country. She is the Professional Development Officer for the Kansas Chapter of the APA. Past member of the Ethics Committee for the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and current member of the Planning Accreditation Board. She was inducted into the AICP College of Fellows in 2020.