Kimray’s CEO Thomas Hill to Speak at OBU Minter Lecture Sept. 18

September 10, 2020

Thomas Hill, CEO of Kimray and author of, “Recovering Leadership: Musings of an Addict Leader,” will speak at OBU’s Minter Lecture Sept. 18 at 10 a.m. in Raley Chapel’s Potter Auditorium.

In his lecture, “Recovering Leadership and Life: Creating a Healthy Workplace,” Hill will share his own story of success, failure and recovery, and will also challenge other leaders to create an ethical workplace culture where people are respected because of their intrinsic value as human beings. He will share the signs of an “addict leader,” dangers inherent in addict leadership going unchecked, how a leader’s personal beliefs translate to corporate culture and how creating a positive workplace culture helps team members find meaning and connection.

The annual Minter lecture series began in 1991 and was underwritten by 1940 OBU graduate Lloyd G. Minter of Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Minter earned his degree at the University of Oklahoma and served as counsel for Boone, Smith, Davis and Hurst of Tulsa. He built a successful career with Phillips Petroleum, rising to the position of senior vice president and general counsel before retiring in 1978, after a 35-year career. Minter served five terms as an OBU trustee and two terms as a trustee of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary before his death in 2013 at age 94.

The Minter Lectureship in Business was established out of Minter’s desire to help OBU students expand their knowledge of the business world. The Lectureship is designed to provide training specifically for ministry students in the history of the American economic system as well as to help all students understand and appreciate the business and professional community. The Minter Lectureship promotes proper management of personal finances, as well as a better business knowledge for the institutions where they will one day lead and serve.

Thomas Hill serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Kimray, a leading manufacturer of valves and controls for oil and gas production. The company was founded by Hill’s grandfather, Garman Kimmell, in 1948. Hill has worked in nearly every department, having grown up in the company, which has given him an intimate knowledge of the people and the process from start to finish.

Hill, along with his wife, Rebecca, earned a degree from Oklahoma State University. They have been married for more than 30 years and together have six children. He currently serves as vice chair for Hope Is Alive and personally mentors a group of men recovering from addiction. His book, “Recovering Leadership: Musings of an Addict Leader,” is the story of how Hill, a self-described addict leader, hit rock bottom and had to find a new way to live and work.

Learn more about Hill and subscribe to his “Monday Musings” on life and leadership.