Callahan tapped for OKU School Board District #5
Launch the media gallery 1 playerJake Callahan, a 2005 graduate of Oklahoma Union, is the school district’s newest board member.
Callahan was formally sworn in, to fill the vacant seat #5, on Wednesday, May 14. He replaces Joanne Langworthy who chose not to run again. He is considered an at-large member for this seat, as the family lives in District #4. He will fill a one year-term 2025-26.
Callahan said he was inspired to apply for the school board thanks to his wife, Brooke, and her involvement in OKU’s summer program, Summer AIM.
“In that program, I was afforded the opportunity to serve the kiddos and I realized that I could do more for our school,” Callahan said. “Having the background with project, personnel and financial management I felt that I would be a good fit for the role and the challenges that come with being a school board member.”
OKU Board President Mark Huntington said he is excited to welcome Callahan as the newly appointed member.
“His dedication to our school and community will be a tremendous asset to our team,” Huntington said, adding the board is grateful to everyone who applied for the open spot. “Your interest in serving our school community is truly appreciated.”
Callahan said he’s looking forward to learning and understanding the many facets of public education, to leverage the experience to make a positive impact for the betterment of OKU.
“Our school community is a culmination of multiple communities which reside in rural areas and the opportunities to serve our communities are limited,” Callahan said. “I chose to pursue this opportunity because it was an avenue that afforded me the opportunity to not just impact my community, but our surrounding communities as well.”
Callahan said he believes leadership has many layers.
“I am a firm believer that leadership is not about authority or titles but about inspiring, empowering, and guiding others to a common goal for the greater good,” Callahan said. “I am grateful for the opportunity and look forward to serving the OKU community.”
More about Callahan
Callahan and his wife Brooke have four children in the OKU school system: Hurli, 16, Paityn, 13, Blakeli, 9, and Ty, 6.
He has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Oklahoma State University, graduating in 2015.
Outside of being a father, Callahan has worked for CVR Energy in Coffeyville, Kansas since May 2011. He managed the reliability department at CVR Energy’s Coffeyville Refinery.
“The department consists of five discipline specific engineers, four discipline specific specialists, a vibration specialist, and four discipline specific designers,” Callahan said. “We cover rotating and fixed equipment, electrical infrastructure and controls, as well as instrumentation and controls. My group's mission is to ‘Ensure optimal uptime with limited downtime in the most environmentally friendly, safest, and economical way possible.’
Callahan said his favorite memory of his time as an OKU student is taking part in the FFA program and the Cougars State Basketball Tournament appearance.
For more information, constituents may contact Callahan either by cell phone at 918.766.6564, or by email at callahanjake@yahoo.com.