The University of Tulsa recently welcomed Monica Basu as part of its Cyber Fellows Speaker Series. Basu is a senior program officer at the George Kaiser Family Foundation (GKFF), working in Tulsa’s community to advance community health plans, higher education initiatives and social service agencies. She brings years of experience in business management, community growth and health care expansion.
Her lecture covered progress and future strategy for Tulsa’s enrichment, teaching students her philosophy on altruism, community health management and the purpose of philanthropy.
Basu discussed her upbringing, noting that her passion grew from personal experience. From India, she said the transition between countries was difficult, mentioning that the resources GKFF provides today would have helped her then. She has since turned that experience into inspiration.
Her team has developed mental health services for poverty-stricken children and expectant mothers, assisting more than 35,000 people annually. Currently, Basu and her team are working on a plan to advance brain development care for children, including research on brain development in poverty-stricken areas in Tulsa.
GKFF was founded by George B. Kaiser in 1999 to create equality for all. A Tulsa native, Kaiser returned to the city after earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Harvard University, later taking over his family’s business, Kaiser-Francis Oil Co. He is now the president, CEO and primary owner of GBK Corp., as well as board chairman and majority owner of BOK Financial.
Basu described Kaiser’s view on philanthropy as a moral responsibility, wishing to tackle all issues in Tulsa to ensure everyone has equal opportunity. For more information, visit https://www.gkff.org/.