about us

Who are we?

Founding members include representation from citizen advocates, local business owners, Stillwater Public Schools, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater Medical Center, and the City of Stillwater. Increased involvement is desired and expected.

What is the strategy behind this effort?

We believe:

  • The most powerful impetus for change is a grassroots effort, with community members stepping forward to take ownership in the well-being of Stillwater.
  • Civic awareness, education, and engagement are the heart and soul of vibrancy. (That’s why we want you to get involved!)
  • The health of our community lies in the vision, passion, and integrity of the people within it. • A shared, well-communicated, citizen-led vision of community development is critical for forward progress to happen. (This has been a proven model across the nation.)
  • The best opportunity for success happens when public/private partnerships are healthy and frequent.
  • The local business community should lead the charge.
  • An evolving, long-term vision is the guidepost from which every project is measured.
  • Action and progress are more important than status quo and perfection. We also believe in partnering with experts to embrace their best practices and evidence-based approaches to what works. By marrying these two philosophies, we move forward with confidence.

How is the group organized?

Vibrant Stillwater is guided by a steering committee that meets monthly on the fourth Friday of the month that also includes a community coach from Vibrant Community Partners. The City of Stillwater is also working with Vibrant Community Partners as well to help drive innovation, service, and operational excellence.

Pictured left: Chuck Marohn during Speaker Series, author of ‘Strong Towns’.

What kinds of things are being worked on now?

The initial focus of Vibrant Stillwater is to let the community know about this effort and encourage people to get involved. In addition, the first focus will be on getting citizen input on what they think about Stillwater and what is important to them through a Quality of Life Survey. This will help drive and align all the work. While there is a road map that Vibrant Community Partners recommends, this effort will be fluid and guided by our citizen-defined vision, opportunities as they arise, and the willingness of people to join our efforts. Communicating with and listening to our citizens is a top priority.

how is this effort being funded?

Initial investment in this effort has been provided by Stillwater Medical Center with further funds being raised to support these efforts and important community projects.

how does this group relate to other groups in Stillwater ?

The formation of Vibrant Stillwater was in part inspired by the tremendous effort by Love STW in 2020 to help look at the opportunities and challenges facing Stillwater and invite people to get involved with their city. The goal is to create a shared vision for Stillwater that will help to coordinate and align all the great efforts underway. It will amplify the results of individual efforts of groups or organizations as there is connectivity to an overall vision and plan.

steering committee

  • Jeremy Bale
  • Gary Clark
  • Rebecca Eastham
  • Ed Gallegos
  • Bill Goodwin
  • Claudia Humphreys
  • Behfar Jahanshahi
  • Alan Lovelace
  • Norman McNickle
  • Ron Walker
  • Denise Webber
  • Chad Weiberg
  • Kyle Wray

Contact Form

Thank you for visiting our site! We are glad to see that you are interested in being part of intentional community development. Fill out the form to get in touch, share your thoughts and find ways to get involved.