Economic Club of Oklahoma

For more than sixty years, The Economic Club of Oklahoma (ECoO) has been a cornerstone for meaningful dialogue and thought leadership within the business community. The ECoO is an assembly of Oklahoma’s top influencers meeting to discuss important economic and social issues. Members not only benefit from access to local experts, but national speakers purposefully selected for their industry knowledge, relevancy and timeliness.

Club objective: To aid in the creation and expression of an enlightened public opinion of the important economic and social questions of the day.

In the winter of 1955, at the suggestion of Hardin W. Masters, a group of businessmen met to discuss forming a club. The principle purpose was a forum for public discussion of current economic and social subjects.

Twelve notable businessmen were selected to form the organization modeled after the well-respected Chicago and New York clubs, and tentatively adopted a constitution and by-laws. Each member suggested five distinguished persons for the original charter membership and began building the organization now known as the Economic Club of Oklahoma.

The ECoO exceeded expectations in its first full year and grew in membership, stature and importance, just as its founders had anticipated.

October 20, 2025: Nicole Chambers, Global Managing Director of Listings, Texas Stock Exchange

Nicole Chambers

Global Managing Director of Listings

Texas Stock Exchange

Nicole brings nearly 17 years of extensive experience collaborating with public and private companies across the United States. Previously, she served as senior managing director, listings at Nasdaq. In that capacity, Nicole played a pivotal role in driving the growth and development of Nasdaq's listings and services, forging strategic partnerships throughout every stage of the capital markets lifecycle. Nicole is a graduate of Southern Methodist University.

November 17, 2025: Jeff Starling, Oklahoma Secretary of Energy and Environment

Jeff Starling most recently served as Chief Legal and Administrative Officer, and Corporate Secretary at Lagoon Water Midstream, where he helped lead the company through a full investment cycle to a successful exit by a private equity investor. At Lagoon, Jeff managed all aspects of the company’s legal and corporate secretary functions and oversaw the company’s health, safety and environment; land and regulatory; information technology; and human resources departments. Before transitioning to Lagoon in 2019, Jeff worked as an in-house attorney, most recently as Assistant General Counsel, at Devon Energy Corporation, where he oversaw and directed the company’s litigation and supported the company’s operating business units. Before Devon, Jeff worked at a multi-national law firm, McGuireWoods LLP, at its headquarters in Richmond, Virginia, first as an associate attorney and later as a partner in the firm’s litigation department. Jeff also has lived and worked in Washington, D.C., as a legislative aide to former U.S. Senator John W. Warner (R-VA), and in Roanoke, Virginia, as a law clerk to former U.S. District Court Judge Samuel G. Wilson.

Jeff has served in a variety of capacities for various community-based organizations. Until recently, he chaired the Legal & Labor Reform Committee of the State Chamber of Oklahoma and was recently appointed to the State of Oklahoma Task Force for the Study of Business Courts. He also currently serves as co-chair of the 2025 Allied Arts campaign, Immediate Past Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Science Museum Oklahoma and on the boards of directors of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic Foundation and Allied Arts of Oklahoma. He previously served as co-chair for the Planetarium Capital Campaign for Science Museum Oklahoma and on the boards of directors of the Oklahoma Philharmonic Society (as both President and Treasurer), the Children’s Hospital Foundation, and the Oklahoma Health Center Foundation. He is a proud member of Leadership Oklahoma City, Class 34 and the Fortune Club of Oklahoma City.

Born and raised in a small town, Danville, in rural Virginia, Jeff is an avid outdoorsman and fly-fisherman. He and his wife, Sally, particularly enjoy hiking and traveling with their two girls, ages 18 and 15. Jeff received both his undergraduate and law degrees from Wake Forest University and is a long-suffering fan of Demon Deacon athletics.

January 26, 2026: Brian Byrnes, Senior Vice President, Business Operations, Thunder

Brian M. Byrnes
Senior Vice President, Business Operations

Brian Byrnes joined the organization in April 2005 and was instrumental in developing and executing the strategic sales and marketing efforts needed to launch business operations in Oklahoma City in 2008. Byrnes’ current responsibilities include oversight of all revenue & hospitality platforms, community engagement, brand architecture and content channels.

Capitalizing on the unique opportunity to build Oklahoma City’s first major league sports team from the ground up, Byrnes continues to design and implement initiatives that reach beyond the Thunder’s regional influence, marking the team as one of the pillars of the NBA’s global stage. The programs under Byrnes’ oversight span platforms including education, wellness, social justice, entrepreneurial development and meaningful guest experiences - diversifying the Thunder’s entertainment brand to elevate and advance Oklahoma City and Oklahoma alike.

Under Byrnes’ direction, these programs cultivate a culture of corporate leadership aimed at driving meaningful fan engagement with a relentless approach to creating conditions for people to thrive. This holistic effort is focused on bolstering the team’s commitment to its core values and maintaining emphasis on forward momentum and sustainability - all while building organizational legacy in real time.

Previously, Byrnes served as executive vice president of business operations for the NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes, guiding the organization through an organizational rebranding in conjunction with a transition to a new venue. Prior to joining the Coyotes, Byrnes built nearly 10 years of experience with the NHL’s Dallas Stars and MLB’s Texas Rangers.

Byrnes currently serves as an adjunct professor of sports marketing and management at the University of Oklahoma’s Price College of Business. Byrnes is also actively involved in the Thunder Community Foundation, Allied Arts, Leadership Oklahoma City, Leadership Oklahoma, National Sports Forum, Science Museum Oklahoma, Thunder Fellows and the Greater Oklahoma City Sports Consortium. A graduate of St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Byrnes and his wife Ashley reside with their three children in Edmond.

February 23, 2026: TBA

March 23, 2026: Tim Murphy, Vice Chair, Mastercard

Tim Murphy is vice chair for Mastercard, serving as an ambassador for the company globally and focusing on strategic relationships with regulators and policymakers. He is also a member of Mastercard’s Executive Leadership Team and Management Committee.

Before this appointment, Tim was chief administrative officer, a role in which he drove alignment and execution across functions such as Law, Government Affairs and Policy, Franchise, People and Capabilities, Corporate Security and more to best position Mastercard to deliver for all stakeholders. He also previously served as general counsel, bringing a business mindset to advance Mastercard's legal and regulatory affairs, public policy, corporate governance and compliance.

Throughout his 25-plus year tenure at Mastercard, Tim has also served as chief product officer, president of the company’s U.S. region and executive vice president of customer business planning and analysis.

Before joining Mastercard in 2000, he was an associate in the New York and London offices of Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton.

Tim is chair of the Board of Trustees for the National Urban League and he co-chairs the Cyber Readiness Institute. He sits on the boards of Northwestern Mutual, the Mastercard Impact Fund, Community Solutions and is a trustee of the U.S. Council for International Business. He is also on the advisory boards of the Asia Society Policy Institute and the Tech for Good Institute, and is a member of the Aspen Cybersecurity Group, Legal Services Corporation’s Leaders Council, the Economic Club of New York, and the Council on Foreign Relations.

Tim was named a Legend in Law in 2018 by the Burton Foundation.

He earned a Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School and a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Amherst College.

April 27, 2026: Scott Clemons, Partner, Chief Investment Strategist, Brown Brothers Harriman

As a Partner and the Chief Investment Strategist, Scott Clemons is one of the firm’s primary writers and speakers on topics related to the economy, financial markets, and investing. He began his career at the firm in international equities, where he was an analyst and portfolio manager of European and Asian equities, working out of the firm’s New York and London offices. Scott broadened his responsibilities into domestic equity management and research as well, and then managed the New York office of the firm’s Private Wealth Management business.

Scott is a frequent contributor to print and broadcast media, appearing frequently in the pages of The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, as well as on CNBC and Bloomberg TV. Outside of his professional interests, Scott is a trustee of the Morgan Library and Museum in New York, Rare Book School at the University of Virginia, and the Research Corporation for Science Advancement, the oldest foundation in the United States dedicated to basic scientific research.

Scott received an A.B. in classics magna cum laude from Princeton University. He is a CFA charterholder and a member of the New York Society of Security Analysts and the CFA Institute.

PEER ENGAGEMENT

This non-competitive environment is a platform for discussing the economic and social health of the state, as well as the nation.

SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

The ECoO provides, on an annual basis, scholarship awards based in the fields of economics and finance to graduating students from nine universities in and around central Oklahoma.

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

The ECoO is an assembly of Oklahoma’s top influencers meeting to discuss important economic and social issues through a series of local and national speakers.