TU celebrates 2022 Homecoming honorees - The University of Tulsa
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TU celebrates 2022 Homecoming honorees

The University of Tulsa Alumni Association marked 2022 Homecoming with a flourish last week, celebrating three outstanding new Distinguished Alumnae as well as a host of other honorees. Congratulations to this incredible group of alumni who support TU and represent the best of our university!

Distinguished Alumna Rilla Askew (BFA ’80)

Rilla Askew was drawn to TU by its reputation in the arts. She came to Tulsa and immersed herself in all aspects of the theater. She graduated with a bachelor of fine arts in theater performance in 1980 and then pursued her dream in New York.

Askew studied acting, taking roles in Off-Off-Broadway productions, but she found that she wanted to create stories rather than act them and found her real interest was in writing.

She wrote stories set in New York, but her works set in Oklahoma consistently received the most positive response. Her first book of short stories, Strange Business, earned Askew the Oklahoma Book Award in 1993.

Askew’s first novel, The Mercy Seat, earned numerous awards including the Western Heritage Award and her second Oklahoma Book Award, but it was in her novel Fire in Beulah that Askew uncovered stories and voices that had been buried for decades. Her latest novel, Prize for Fire, was released in October 2022.

In 2021, Askew donated her archive to TU’s McFarlin Library Special Collections. She was inspired by her fond memories of the library during her time as a TU student.

Distinguished Alumna Lisa Stewart (BSPE ’81)

As only one of five women in a class of 75 students to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering, Lisa Stewart found her passion and enjoys a successful career in the oil and gas industry.

While in school, Stewart gained experience working for MAPCO as well as Skelly Oil. She added to her resume through Cities Service Oil and Gas and later accepted a job with Apache, a smaller company that offered more opportunity for professional growth. Over the next 20 years, she was promoted to various positions ranging from reservoir engineer to executive vice president of business development.

Stewart began to contemplate new leadership opportunities in the field, moving to El Paso E&P to lead exploration and production and other non-regulated businesses.

In 2006, she co-founded Sheridan Production Co., leading a team of seasoned executives in partnership with the private equity investment firm Warburg Pincus. Today, the company operates mature producing properties in East Texas with the goal of returning value to partners through cost-efficient operations utilizing best in class environmental and safety procedures. In 2020, she retired as CEO but remains chairman.

In 2006, TU inducted her into the College of Engineering and Natural Sciences Hall of Fame. She has served on the Petroleum Engineering Industry Advisory Board since 2014 and is a member of the Dean’s Circle.

Distinguished Alumna Dana Weber (BSBA ’79, JD ’83)

Dana Weber had two dreams as a young girl: follow in her father’s footsteps in the family’s manufacturing business and attend TU. Both dreams eventually would be realized.

Established in 1969 by F. William Weber (MBA ’63), Webco provided manufacturers of heat exchangers with the highest quality tubing and customer service. Over four decades, Webco grew to be the leading provider of pressure tubing in North America and a top tier manufacturer in other specialty tubing niche markets.

Dana Weber became CEO of Webco in 2011, one of the few women leaders in this industry. She has led the company to significant growth including reported net earnings of $48.4 million in 2022, up from $5.6 million just five years earlier.

Weber’s immersion in the life of TU continues today: She remains active as a mentor in Chi Omega, the sorority that helped shape her experiences at TU. She is a member of the Collins College of Business Dean’s Circle, as well as a member of the college’s Executive Advisory Board. In 2018, she was recognized as an Outstanding Alumna of the college. Most notably, after four years of service as a trustee, Weber was elected chair of TU’s Board of Trustees in 2020, the first woman to lead the university in this role. She continues to serve on the board.

Paschal Twyman Award Winner Laurie Fiocchi Brumbaugh (BS ’78)

With enthusiasm and entrepreneurial commitment, Laurie Fiocchi Brumbaugh leads by example in her long-standing and dedicated service to her alma mater.

As a TU student, Brumbaugh served within her sorority, Chi Omega, as well as Student Senate. She has remained involved as a volunteer, mentor, donor and friend. She has served on the university’s Board of Trustees as president of the Alumni Association Board of Directors and as a member of the Kendall College Board of Visitors, McFarlin Fellows Board of Visitors and the Heritage Committee. She along with her husband, Terry, are supporters of McFarlin Fellows and established The Laurie and Terry Brumbaugh Endowment for the McFarlin Library and the TU Alumni Association.

Brumbaugh also built the foundation for two TU programs that ensure more students feel they have a place at TU: the D’Arcy Fellows internship program and TU Uncorked, with raises funds for need-based scholarships.

Avid Golden Hurricane fans, Laurie and Terry, also enjoy cheering on TU football and basketball teams.

Mr. Homecoming Thomas J. McIntosh (BSBA ’89, MBA ’91)

Tom McIntosh earned two degrees from TU and then used his business acumen to open Mac’s Soccer Shack in 1993 and Mac’s National Soccer School in 1995, which have grown into a Tulsa-based soccer brand.

Since his first season as head coach, McIntosh has built TU men’s soccer into a conference powerhouse. He has led his teams to 15 conference championship finals, including eight tournament and four regular season titles. In addition, the team has advanced to the NCAA Tournament 11 times, including national quarterfinal appearances in 2004 and 2009.

For McIntosh, performance off the pitch for his student-athletes is just as important. His emphasis on academic excellence has resulted in 270 players earning conference academic honors. Thirty-six student-athletes have earned Academic All-District accolades, and 10 have received Academic All-America recognition. Three of his teams have won the award for the highest GPA in the league while also winning the regular season and conference tournament titles.

McIntosh represents TU on national scenes, including eight years as chairman of the NCAA Regional Advisory Committee and as a member of the NCAA National Committee. He also is a member of the Golden Hurricane Champions Fund, supporting TU student-athletes.