The Hon. Kathy L. Taylor and William E. “Bill” Lobeck, Jr. have distinguished themselves individually and jointly in public life. Ms. Taylor served a dynamic term as the 38th mayor of the City of Tulsa (2006-09) and as Oklahoma Secretary of Commerce and Tourism (2003-06) in the administration of Governor Brad Henry, for whom she also served as a key educational advisor. Mr. Lobeck achieved high distinction in the auto rental industry through a series of executive appointments, which included serving as president and CEO of Vanguard Car Rental USA, and later, as a Director of the Tulsa-based NORDAM Group.
Kathy Taylor and Bill Lobeck also have sustained an exemplary legacy of philanthropy, both personally and through the Lobeck Taylor Family Foundation, and have long worked to advance the Tulsa community through strategically directed giving, including generous support for dozens of programs and initiatives at The University of Tulsa (TU). The couple also has ensured that their family’s philanthropic leadership will continue with future generations; Taylor’s daughter, Elizabeth Frame Ellison, has taken the role of President and Chief Executive Officer of the Lobeck Taylor Family Foundation.
In addition to their financial support, Kathy Taylor and Bill Lobeck have kindly lent their talent and expertise to the university as members of the TU Board of Trustees; Ms. Taylor served from 2001 to 2006, and Mr. Lobeck served from 2008 to 2012 and again in 2013.
In 2021, Ms. Taylor was again asked to share her business expertise and leadership skills in a critical role at TU when she was named the Genave King Rogers Dean of the Collins College of Business.
Alongside their other generous support, Kathy Taylor and Bill Lobeck made a generous endowment gift in 2014, which was amended and renamed in 2023 to become the Kathy Taylor & Bill Lobeck Endowment for Female Entrepreneurship Program in the Collins College of Business. Earnings from this fund are used to support entrepreneurship programming, with the focus on female entrepreneurs. Kathy and Bill have spent much of their lives as entrepreneurs or supporting entrepreneurs, and they are especially interested in assisting female business owners who may have less access to support and capital.
Taylor’s and Lobeck’s support also extends to The University School at TU (founded 1982). This school provides a pre-K through eighth-grade curriculum focusing on the needs of gifted and talented students and has become a highly valued educational option for Tulsa-area families. Elizabeth Frame Ellison received what she called an exemplary education from 1988 through 1994 at the University School, which inspired her lifelong learning.
In 2014, Kathy Taylor and Bill Lobeck established an endowment fund to support scholarships for students hoping to attend The University School, and they named it in tribute to Taylor’s daughter: The Elizabeth Frame Ellison Scholarship Endowment Fund for the University School.
The University of Tulsa is deeply grateful for the inspiring philanthropy and dedicated service of Kathy Taylor and Bill Lobeck. Their caring concern for the needs of others will create important opportunities for Tulsans for generations to come.
