Brandon Oldham and Tangela Ekhoff support the InvestNorth Initiative, a collaborative, community-led effort to drive transformational opportunities for families and children in north Tulsa neighborhoods. 

In a recent editorial in the Tulsa World, InvestNorth Senior Program Officer Brandon Oldham describes his childhood growing up in north Tulsa. Upon realizing that his friends had never been to north Tulsa, he saw the need for a sort of cross-cultural exchange. Communities from all over Tulsa could come together to appreciate each other’s neighborhoods. 

“If I were to host that same exchange in 2025, I would lead with Tulsa being at a historic inflection point,” Oldham says in his editorial. Historically underserved neighborhoods in Tulsa are experiencing a moment of growth and investment, and none of it would be possible without generations of north Tulsa residents who paved the way. 

Tangela Ekhoff, Program Manager for InvestNorth, similarly reflects on the misunderstood legacy of north Tulsa and encourages residents of other neighborhoods to rethink the story of this historic community. In her own editorial, Ekhoff explains that north Tulsans are the only community in Tulsa that must leave their neighborhood to get basic needs met. She writes: “Improving the quality of life for all Tulsans, especially our neighbors on the north side, is the only way Tulsa can be a competitive, world class city.” 

LaBrisa Williams-Hurling supports GKFF’s domestic violence initiatives and the Accelerator Grant program.

In LaBrisa Williams-Hurling’s feature, she writes about her experience returning to north Tulsa after some time away, determined to break the cycle of “violence and trauma that have too often shaped our histories.” Williams-Hurling sees a bright future for north Tulsa, where the pain of the past is honored, but not repeated. She writes: “We are working toward a future where Tulsa becomes a place of hope, resilience and healing — a place where the trauma of violence no longer defines us, and where we can create a better world for our children and generations to come.”

Ekhoff,Oldham, and Williams-Hurling offer a shared vision of the north side as a vital component of Tulsa’s vibrant community. You can read Tangela Ekhoff’s full editorial here, Brandon Oldham’s here, and LaBrisa Williams-Hurling’s here. 

‍Learn more about how InvestNorth is making an impact in north Tulsa.