Laura Crabtree has joined the OEA staff as a Membership Processor.
Laura has worked for education associations for 15 years. Education has always been a major part of her life.
“I come from a family of educators,” Laura shared. “Advocating for public education is something that has always been important to me.”
Outside of the office Laura enjoys spending time with family and friends.
“I’m a lover of animals, group fitness classes, good (and bad) tv, memorable meals and a glass of chardonnay,” Laura added.
We look forward to having someone with great experience and a love for education working with our members – and more of her delicious deviled eggs!
Colten Ash (Ash for short) has joined the OEA staff as the official Network Admin.
Ash has had an expansive education beginning with studying Medical Science while playing soccer at Bacone College to focusing on Cyber Security and now Computer Engineering at OSU. (Go Pokes!) He began working a helpdesk many years ago and has since worked as an IT Lead, Network Engineer, and Cyber Analyst.
During the week, Ash is focused on the interworking’s of the network and office building, but on his off-time he lives a fast-paced lifestyle.
Like many people in his field, Ash enjoys playing PC games and building his own PCs, but he also participates in amateur competition racing of 100mph Rotax Go-Karts. His need for speed extends to mountain biking and he adds, “I also follow Formula 1 religiously and go to at least 1 race a year of the 3 here in the states.” Even with his busy lifestyle, he still finds time to coach and play soccer recreationally and competitively.
When he wants to relax, he loves spending time at home with his dog Sylvie or visiting his family who mostly live in Tulsa, Owasso, and Sand Springs. He also visits his father who moves from San Antonio to Europe frequently.
When asked why he wanted to join OEA staff, Ash said, “I wanted to find somewhere I can make a tangible difference for a good cause, and this is that place without a doubt.”
He adds, “Among all else though, I have found the people here to be great and a perfect match for me and my personality, it has helped me feel right at home and allowed me to get comfortable quickly.”
Ash has already been hard at work overseeing the renovations around the office and we are excited to hear his ideas on how we can continue to improve OEA.
