Dennis R. Neill was inducted into the Tulsa Hall of Fame in 2022
In March 2018, Dennis retired after serving for 37 years in various positions with the Schusterman Family interests in Tulsa. From 2012 until retirement, he was the Senior Program Officer for the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, with a focus on the Foundation’s Tulsa-based investments. From 1981 until 2012, he held various executive positions with the Schusterman owned Samson Investment Company, last as Senior Vice President – Technology and Administrative Services. In that role, he also served as the company’s media spokesperson and head of the logistics and support services team for the company’s Emergency Response Team. From 1977 until 1981, he was an associate at the Tulsa law firm of Conner and Winters. Dennis graduated from Oklahoma State University in 1974 with a BA with honors in Political Science and received his Law Degree with honors from the University of Texas at Austin in 1977.
Born in 1952 to Frances and Bill, Dennis grew up in Ponca City with his siblings Kathleen and Bill. Dennis’ long term volunteer service was inspired by his active involvement in Boy Scouts at the First Presbyterian Church in Ponca City. As a Scout, he earned his Eagle, God and Country and Vigil membership in the Order of the Arrow. As his mom stated in 2007 when he received the lifetime achievement award from Oklahomans for Equality, “from a youth in school he was a champion of the unpopular or disadvantaged ones, leading to his volunteering in many capacities.”
He has been on the Boards of the Tulsa Regional Chamber, Tulsa Regional Stem Alliance, Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice (2015 Annual Awards Dinner Honoree), KIPP Charter School, Reading Partners, Teach for America, the Tulsa Community Foundation, Tulsa Human Rights Commission, the Tulsa Economic Development Corporation, the Tulsa World Editorial Advisory Committee and the Advisory Board of the Division of Institutional Diversity at Oklahoma State University. He has also been a board member and officer with several other non-profits, including the Tulsa Area United Way, Youth Services of Tulsa, and ACLU of Oklahoma. In 1980, he co-founded and served as the first president of Oklahomans for Equality, formed to advocate for equal rights for the LGBTQ community while providing important support services and programs. The Dennis R. Neill Equality Center in downtown Tulsa is one of the largest such community centers in the U.S. and serves more than 60,000 clients a year.
Currently, Dennis serves as a volunteer with the American Red Cross, Oklahoma Medical Reserve Corps (OKMRC) and Oklahomans for Equality. From 2018 until 2021, he served as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for a child under Department of Human Services. Through his role at Samson and as a volunteer with OKMRC, Dennis has received training on the Incident Command System and related topics.
Dennis has been a long-time member of All Souls Unitarian Church.
Dennis and his partner John Southard have been together for 34 years.