Rodger A. Randle

Professor, University of Oklahoma-Tulsa

Honorary Consul General for the UK in Oklahoma / Emeritus

Native Tulsan. A native Tulsan whose maternal family came to Oklahoma in the Land Run of 1889, Rodger Randle is a graduate of Tulsa Public Schools and The University of Oklahoma and he holds a doctor of laws degree from the University of Tulsa.

From Peace Corps to the State Capitol. Prof. Randle began his career in public service with the Peace Corps in Brazil in the mid 1960’s. In 1970, at the age of 27, he was elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives. He was elected to the Oklahoma Senate in 1972, then reelected in 1976, 1980 and 1984. He was twice elected President Pro Tempore of the State Senate (the Senate’s top leadership position).

Mayor of Tulsa. In 1988, he became Mayor of the City of Tulsa and led the successful campaign to change the city’s form of government. The resounding “yes” vote came after four unsuccessful charter change attempts during the previous 35 years. He was reelected in 1990 by the largest margin in Tulsa’s history, becoming Tulsa’s first mayor under the new Mayor City Council form of government. The adoption of the new form of government marked the most significant change in the City of Tulsa in the last 50 years.

Higher Education. In 1992, he left the office of Mayor to accept an appointment as president of the University Center at Tulsa, which later became Rogers University. When Rogers University was reorganized in 1998 and its headquarters was moved to the Claremore, Randle opted to remain in his hometown and accepted a position as Professor in the Graduate College at The University of Oklahoma. He teaches and offices in Tulsa, and he also holds the title of Professor and Director of the Center for Studies in Democracy and Culture.

Photography. Rodger Randle has had several exhibits of his photography at private and public galleries. Among his exhibits was one sponsored by the Oklahoma State Arts Council in the North Gallery of the Oklahoma State Capitol Building. His most recent exhibit was in the Circle Cinema Gallery in Tulsa in 2015.

Civic Activities at the City, State, National, and International Levels.

Rodger Randle has participated in a large variety of civic activities, focused primarily on international activities. On the national level, he is the past President and Chairman of the national Board of Directors of Sister Cities International, the world’s largest volunteer citizen diplomacy program. He continues to serve Sister Cities International as a member of the Honorary Board of Directors.

At the state level, he also serves as a member of several boards of directors, including the Governor’s International Economic Development Team. He is Chair of the Board of Advisors of the University of Oklahoma Political Communications Center. He is a past President of the Oklahoma Municipal League (the Oklahoma association of cities and towns). He is also past chairman of the Oklahoma Academy for State Goals, a statewide nonpartisan and nonprofit organization that conducts studies and issues recommendations concerning public policy in Oklahoma. Currently he serves as a member of the Board of Visitors of the College of International Studies of The University of Oklahoma.

In Tulsa he is a past President of the Tulsa Global Alliance (the organization that operates Tulsa’s Sister City program and the international Visitors Programs, among other activities), and he is a past chairman of the Tulsa Committee on Foreign Relations and is a past president of the United Nations Association of Northeastern Oklahoma. He is a past President of the Tulsa Philharmonic.

He has received numerous awards for his international activities, including a decoration from a former president of Venezuela. He was inducted in 2010 as a Bennet Fellow of the School of International Studies of Oklahoma State University. He is a member of the City University Club in London, England.

Randle serves as the Honorary British Consul for Oklahoma, a position to which he was appointed in 2005.

In addition to lecturing in the United States, Randle has lectured abroad in 16 foreign countries: the United Kingdom, Japan, Indonesia, Mexico, Brazil, Spain, Germany, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Honduras, Mozambique, China, Vietnam, Portugal, and the Philippines.

Randle speaks Portuguese and Spanish.

Family. He is married to the former Judith Otterstrom, former Editorial Writer and Book Editor for the Tulsa World. Mrs. Randle is a member of the Tulsa City County Library Board, and currently serves as Chairman. They have one son, Tim.

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