Six OBU Faculty Installed to Endowed Positions

February 11, 2026

Founders’ Day Chapel at Oklahoma Baptist University featured six academic installations and a message from Dr. Eric Costanzo, senior pastor of South Tulsa Baptist Church, on Wednesday, Feb. 11, in OBU’s Recreation and Wellness Center.

The annual event, held near the beginning of the spring semester, is a time-honored tradition that celebrates the University’s incorporation in 1910 and pays tribute to the dedicated faculty and staff who have contributed to its rich history.

An OBU alumnus, Costanzo is immediate past chair of the OBU Board of Trustees and a graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, earning an M.Div. in 2006 and a Ph.D. in 2011. He also serves as executive director of RisingVillage.org, an organization focused on helping marginalized people become full participants and contributors in their communities. Costanzo is the co-author of “Inalienable,” author of “Harbor for the Poor,” and has contributed numerous bylines and media publications.

During the installations of chairs and professorships, the recipients were presented with certificates in recognition of exemplary scholarship and excellence in teaching, along with medallions representing their endowed positions.

Six faculty members were installed to endowed academic positions during the service. They include Dr. B.R. Dunk, Paul Dickinson Chair of Business; Dr. Annie Keehn, Lawrence C. and Marion V. Harris Chair of Education; Dr. Patrick Marsh, W.B. Blackstock Family Chair in Science Education; Dr. Stephen Stallard, Witness to Win Professorship of Evangelism; Dr. Jeff Paul, Albert J. Geiger Chair of Business; and Dr. Micah Meek, Floyd K. Clark Chair of Christian Leadership.

Endowed chairs and professorships are awarded to select professors who are outstanding teachers and who have demonstrated exceptional ability in their academic disciplines. Gifts to establish chairs and professorships are invested in the University’s permanent endowment, with annual earnings used to support faculty compensation and academic excellence.

Dr. B.R. Dunk

Paul Dickinson established the Dickinson Chair of Business in 1987. He was the founder and executive officer of an Ardmore-based wholesale automotive parts business.

Dunk serves as assistant professor of business in OBU’s Paul Dickinson School of Business. He attended OBU in 1998 before spending a 20-year career in Seattle that included project management and cybersecurity. Throughout his career, he built high-performing teams, led enterprise-scale initiatives and helped launch the world’s first Android platform. Later, sensing a calling to teach, he returned to OBU to earn an online M.A. degree in Apologetics, then immediately pursued his doctorate. In 2022, his family returned to Shawnee to pursue God’s calling to teach. Dunk began teaching at OBU in 2024, where his research and teaching explore AI, emerging technologies and cybersecurity, drawing on industry experience to equip students as future shapers.

Dr. Annie Keehn

The Lawrence C. and Marion V. Harris Chair of Education was endowed in July 2007 by alumnus Larry Harris and named for him and his late wife. Harris enrolled at OBU in 1937, majoring in economics and was active in campus life as a member of the Emethean Club, president of the B-Club, and quarterback of the Bison football team. He graduated in 1941.

Keehn is the chair and director of the Henry F. McCabe Family School of Education, where she serves as an assistant professor and co-directs the Master of Arts in Teaching program. An OBU alumna, she earned a Bachelor of Science in secondary science education, a Master of Education in educational leadership from East Central University and a Doctor of Education in administration and leadership from Southern Nazarene University. A former public school administrator and teacher, Keehn's research focuses on implementing trauma-informed practices in schools. Keehn is dedicated to ensuring OBU graduates are prepared to lead with a deep sense of care for every learner.

Dr. Patrick Marsh

The W.B. Blackstock Family Chair in Science Education honors W.B. Blackstock, an oil man with a lifelong interest in the natural world, and his wife, Clara Mae, an elementary school teacher. The chair reflects their shared commitment to education and science.

Marsh serves as chief of science and support for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Storm Prediction Center in Norman, a role he has held since 2019 after more than a decade with the agency. Since 2023, he has taught at OBU as a visiting professor and now assistant professor of natural science, teaching courses in Earth science, environmental science and data science. A specialist in severe weather research, Marsh earned his doctorate in meteorology from the University of Oklahoma and lives in Shawnee with his wife, Dr. Sarah Marsh, OBU professor of mathematics.

Dr. Stephen Stallard

The Witness to Win Professorship of Evangelism was created through the generosity of the Witness to Win Foundation and the Mathena Family and represents a historic first for OBU. The professorship is a central element of the University’s Shape the Future campaign and is designed to equip students and churches with practical, gospel-centered training in evangelism.

Stallard began his role at OBU in January 2026 as associate professor of evangelism and Christian ministry. He holds a Ph.D. in applied theology and brings extensive experience in both academic and pastoral ministry, including service as a seminary professor, church planter and pastor. He is the author of several books and numerous scholarly articles and will lead evangelism initiatives, student internships and ministry placements through the Hobbs School of Theology and Ministry.

Dr. Jeff Paul

The Albert J. Geiger Chair of Business was filled in 2007 through the generosity of Albert J. and Laura Belle Geiger, longtime Tulsa residents and devoted supporters of the University. A former chair of the OBU Board of Trustees, Geiger was affectionately known as “Mr. OBU” for his extensive service and leadership.

Paul, who graduated from OBU in 1998 with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance, was appointed dean of traditional undergraduate education effective Jan. 1, 2026. He brings more than two decades of experience in higher education and business leadership, having served in senior academic roles at multiple universities. His career includes extensive scholarship in leadership and organizational behavior and corporate experience in strategic planning. Paul’s leadership emphasizes mission-driven growth and the integration of faith and learning.

Dr. Micah Meek

The Floyd K. Clark Chair of Christian Leadership was established through the generosity of OBU graduate Al Clark in honor of his father, Floyd K. Clark, recognizing a deep commitment to Baptist higher education.

Meek serves as dean for online, nontraditional and graduate education and associate professor of Christian ethics at OBU. A 2002 OBU graduate, he returned to the University in 2019 after serving in academic leadership and teaching roles at several institutions. His research focuses on moral development and conscience, alongside extensive pastoral ministry experience. Meek and his family live in Shawnee and are active in local church ministry.