Gary Hamer Named Interim COO as PartnerTulsa Strengthens Strategic Vision
Stepping into the role of Interim Chief Operating Officer at PartnerTulsa, Gary Hamer brings more than experience, he brings a deep belief in Tulsa’s potential. With a career shaped by cross-sector leadership in finance, planning and community development, Gary is focused on translating vision into strategies that generate meaningful, lasting impact.
In this month’s Meet the Team feature, Gary reflects on the opportunities ahead and shares how his past work with initiatives like the Community Impact Initiative has informed his commitment to equity and innovation.
His leadership, in partnership with Interim Executive Director Ronita Wade, aims to strengthen impact, streamline strategy and position Tulsa as a national model for economic opportunity for all.
PartnerTulsa plays a critical role in shaping Tulsa’s economic future. As COO, how do you plan to translate the organization’s vision into actionable strategies? How does your background in strategic planning and community development uniquely position you to do so?
I was attracted to PartnerTulsa because of the vision and values around expanding opportunities to those that have been left out and overlooked. Key to our efforts is recognizing where we can leverage our tools and skills to complement and amplify multi-partner initiatives across the City. Particularly, aligning with the City of Tulsa’s and philanthropic partner efforts around place-based investment. I have a diverse background in local government that spans finance, planning and grants management. This gives me a broader knowledge of the various tools that can be brought to bear to solve challenges.
In a constantly evolving economic landscape, what specific areas of PartnerTulsa’s operations are you most eager to optimize or innovate and how do you see these efforts helping the organization adapt and lead into the future?
We have a relatively small staff given our areas of responsibility. PartnerTulsa is unique. There really is no relevant comparison. The combination of urban renewal authority coupled with roles that are typically led by traditional economic development organizations, which are largely financed through membership fees, isn’t a common practice. We are always compared to Oklahoma City and they, like most other cities, continue to operate these functions independently of each other. Given this reality, it is essential that we lean into this uniqueness and leverage the collective impact of our partnerships starting with the City of Tulsa. Innovation lies in cohesively bringing stakeholders together and charting and identifying gaps and intersections where we can magnify and stack multiple investments to drive change.
You’ve been instrumental in various initiatives, including the Community Impact Initiative and the Our Legacy Tulsa Plan. How will your experience with these community-focused efforts inform your approach to ensuring equitable economic opportunities across all of Tulsa?
Both the Community Impact Initiative and the Kirkpatrick Heights/Greenwood Master Plan have really opened my eyes to the value of the rich culture and history that is present in the hidden gems we have across the City in areas that have just never been given the opportunity to shine. There is economic value in the underinvested historical and cultural assets that are present in the people and neighborhoods across the City that if tapped could drive real unique opportunities.
With Ronita Wade as Executive Director, what do you see as the greatest strengths of your leadership partnership and how will that collaboration support PartnerTulsa’s continued growth and community impact?
We both have our strengths and of course weaknesses, but I think there is a good balance and mutual respect. I tend to think through strategy and ideas really non-stop. There is always something processing in the background. I often wake in the middle of the night and realize a solution to some issue I am processing. Ronita recognizes that I am continually processing and tries to give me space to bring concepts or ideas to the point that they can be articulated and socialized. We are also aligned in that we know we are part of the collective whole and that true impact lies in leveraging our partnerships.
Beyond strategy and operations, what excites you most personally about helping build a stronger Tulsa in your new role?
Tulsa is a great city. There are so many assets here that just aren’t well known. You see stories and news pieces on how someone visiting is just blown away by Tulsa’s coolness. I am an unabashed Tulsa fan. The proximity that Tulsa has is really underappreciated. I am fortunate to live within a three-minute walk of the river and five-minute bike ride to two of the best coffee shops in America, plus breweries galore. I can go on and on. My hope is that we can be part of the “collective” in amplifying Tulsa’s underinvested and unknown assets.