Susan Bynum is leading The University of Oklahoma-Tulsa’s charge toward the future with tech-centric workforce development and other programs that place the needs of the community first.

“I feel like all my skills have built up to this,” she says from her office as vice president of OU-Tulsa.

Born and raised in Norman, Bynum herself graduated from OU with a degree in journalism — emphasis in public relations — and a minor concentration in business. After 10 years as a consultant in Oklahoma and Washington, D.C., she earned a law degree from The University of Tulsa and has recently spent time as an attorney practicing corporate, nonprofit and employment law.

Since January, Bynum has been leading the development of the campus’s strategic plan, ensuring it dovetails with the larger OU strategic plan. “OU-Tulsa is unique in that we are here to serve the region,” she says. “I want to make sure the programs we have are in line with what the region needs and the workforce development, and that we’re meeting the needs of our community.”

The campus’s Polytechnic Institute cybersecurity program welcoming its first students this month is doing just that, she says, adding that programs in software development and integration and applied AI will begin in fall 2025.

OU also recently announced Tulsa would be the second location for the Stephenson Cancer Institute, the only National Cancer Institute-designated center in Oklahoma. Bynum says the Tulsa campus will build a new building to accommodate this growth.

Bynum’s had numerous highs since starting her post in January, including May’s graduation ceremony.

“To know the sacrifices they made, and their families have made, and just to be able to greet them on the other side of the stage just gives me chills,” she says. “It was so much fun.”