AAON Increases Board Size and Appoints New Independent Directors
Bruce Ware and David Stewart will serve as independent directors
TULSA, Okla. — AAON Inc. announced that its board of directors has increased the size of the board from seven to nine members and appointed Bruce Ware and David Stewart as new independent directors to fill the vacancies, effective October 1, 2021.
Bruce Ware brings experience serving in multiple executive and leadership roles at publicly traded companies. Presently, he serves as a corporate vice president and group head of joint venture capital raising for DaVita Inc.
Ware earned a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School, a Master in Public Affairs from The University of Texas at Austin, and a Bachelor degree in Business Administration in Banking and Finance from The University of Mississippi at Oxford. He also serves on the board of directors of Blackhawk Bancorp, Inc. as well as the University of Mississippi National Alumni Board. Additionally, Ware served as a Trustee of Uplift Charter Schools.
David Stewart brings over 40 years of professional experience to the board. Stewart currently serves as chief administrative officer and trustee of the Oklahoma Ordnance Works Authority located in Pryor, Oklahoma. Stewart was appointed to his current position in December 2012 by the former Governor of Oklahoma, Mary Fallin. Prior to his current position, Stewart served as CEO of Cherokee Nation Businesses LLC. During his tenure as CEO of Cherokee Nation Businesses LLC, Stewart, also a member of the Cherokee Nation, helped negotiate the State-Tribal Gaming Compact in 2004, and also led the Cherokee Nation’s efforts to successfully diversify its business portfolio to include a wide range of non-gaming enterprises employing over 3,500 people.
Stewart earned his Master of Science and Bachelor of Science degrees from Oklahoma State University and is a certified public accountant. Stewart was appointed by Governor Kevin Stitt to (and currently serves on) the Oklahoma State Board of Career and Technology Education. He also serves on the board of directors of the State Chamber of Oklahoma and the Tulsa Regional Chamber, where he also serves on the executive committee as vice-chair for Government Affairs. Additionally, Stewart serves on the advisory board of Equity Bank, and recently served on the Advisory Council to the Oklahoma Department of Commerce concerning economic development and workforce related matters.
Ware and Stewart will each also serve as members on the Audit Committee of AAON’s board of directors.
“Bruce and David are each wonderful additions to our board,” said Paul K. Lackey, Jr., chair of AAON’s governance committee and lead independent director. “They bring strong professional backgrounds and unique skill-sets that are extremely complementary to our existing board members. We are excited to leverage their capabilities to further strengthen our board.”
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“We are very fortunate to be in a position to add Bruce and David to our board of directors,” said Gary D. Fields, CEO and president. “The experience they have each accumulated over the course of their careers is a testament to their immense capabilities, and I very much look forward to working closely with them to continue delivering meaningful value to our stockholders as we execute on our long-term strategic plans.”
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