The nonprofit Oklahoma Media Center recently welcomed Cindy Elliott Allen and Kurt Gwartney as new members to its Board of Directors.
Allen is a retired Oklahoma journalist, opinion columnist and former newspaper publisher with a distinguished career in local and regional media. She held newsroom leadership and senior news executive roles across Oklahoma, Kansas and Arkansas, guiding daily newspapers through significant periods of industry transition. In those roles, she directed editorial operations, digital strategy and community engagement efforts while maintaining a steadfast commitment to strong local reporting and journalistic integrity.
Beyond her media leadership, Allen has also worked in corporate and nonprofit communications, with a focus on public messaging, media relations and advocacy. Her professional work has consistently centered on civic engagement, public trust and effective community communication.
Today, she continues to write opinion columns that are regularly published in CNHI newspapers throughout the region, offering informed commentary on public policy, politics and the evolving media landscape.
Gwartney is the senior director of communications and instructor in the Center for Ministry and Lay Training at Phillips Theological Seminary in Tulsa and executive director of the nonprofit Freedom of Information Oklahoma. A 1999 alum of the seminary, Kurt has served in a variety of journalism and communications roles throughout his life, starting as a teenage DJ at his hometown radio station (now Z104.5, Tulsa) in Pryor.
Gwartney is the former news director of KGOU and was the founding editorial director of StateImpact Oklahoma. He is the recipient of numerous journalism awards, including a national Society of Professional Journalists/Sigma Delta Chi Award for team coverage of the 2013 Moore tornado. He also holds Accreditation in Public Relations (APR), and certificates in Advanced Crisis Communication, Nonprofit Management (Professional), Adult Mental Health First Aid and Health Minister Certificate from Wesley Theological Seminary, with a micro-credential in AI Leadership from ATS (Association of Theological Schools), Atla (formerly American Theological Library Association) and the In Trust Center.
The OMC Board voted in December to add these two new members, expanding from seven to nine board members to support local newsrooms in Oklahoma. While Allen joined the board immediately. Gwartney plans to step down from his FOI Oklahoma leadership position in June and will officially begin his OMC board service in April.
“Cindy and Kurt are both excellent communicators and bring a valuable mix of journalism, corporate and nonprofit experience to our board,” said OMC Executive Director Rob Collins. “Their unique perspectives will help our collaborative nonprofit strengthen the crucial connection between local newsrooms and their communities.”
Allen and Gwartney join OMC Board President Tyler Tokarczyk, senior program officer for Inasmuch Foundation; Board Treasurer Angel Ellis, director of Mvskoke Media; Board Secretary Bianca Gordon, associate executive director of Bridges of Norman; Board Member Kari King, who leads a team of content-creators for KFOR.com and the station’s social media channels; Board Member Jeff Mayo, publisher and president of Cookson Hills Publishers, Inc.; Board Member Ashley Harris Philippsen, executive director of ImpactTulsa; and Tres Savage, editor in chief of NonDoc Media.