The Board of Directors of Oklahoma City’s Butterfield Memorial Foundation (BMF) is pleased to announce the appointment of retired U.S. Air Force Col. Hal Hoxie as the third president of the foundation. His anticipated start date will be Aug. 2. Hoxie was selected from among a field of candidates following an extensive recruitment and selection process.
“Hal Hoxie is a dynamic Christian man who will bring inspiration and vision to Butterfield Memorial Foundation. He is and has been a passionate advocate for the work at Butterfield Memorial Foundation having served as a board member for the last five years,” said Edmond (Oklahoma) Free Methodist Church Senior Pastor Denise Abston, who chaired the Presidential Search Committee.
“It is an immense honor to carry forward the rich history of important kingdom work that Butterfield provides not only in the Oklahoma City community, but internationally,” said Hoxie, who comes to the foundation most recently from Central Christian College of Kansas, where he has served as president since 2010.
Leonard Favara
As part of its transition plan, Central’s Board of Trustees appointed the Rev. Dr. Leonard Favara as interim president. Favara has served the college for more than 18 years and has full support of the board to execute the strategic mission of the college during the transition. Dr. Gary Anderson, Central’s board chairman, said, “Dr. Favara has served extremely well during his tenure as our provost, and we anticipate the same in his role as interim president of Central Christian College.”
Hoxie has served as Central’s president for eight exciting years. Under his leadership, the college has continued to focus on a Christ-centered education for character, while continuing to execute a long-term strategic plan to ensure campus sustainability. Additionally, Hoxie has been instrumental in developing an online division that facilitated enrollment growth to more than 1,000 students.
During his tenure, Hoxie has successfully presided over two accreditation visits and has significantly improved the college’s overall financial position. He implemented the College Work Program (CWP), which has had the dual effect of reducing operational costs and allowing students to work while attending college with little to no debt. In correlation with CWP, and with full support of the board, Hoxie initiated several small auxiliary businesses that provided job opportunities for students. These businesses, which include Kids’ Kampus Daycare, Kansas Certification Testing Center, Two Tigers and a Truck, and Heartbeat Coffee, provide 40 student jobs and also supplemental fiscal resources for the college.
“It is with sincere regret, along with a sense of excitement, that we accepted President Hoxie’s resignation,” Anderson said. “We as the Board of Trustees are very pleased with the progress that has been made under his leadership. We are also excited that he will continue to support our college in his role as president of the Butterfield Foundation. The trustees celebrate President Hoxie’s sense of God’s calling and look forward to a continued relationship in his new role. He and his wife, Kathy, will be sincerely missed.”
Prior to his role at Central in McPherson, Kansas, Hoxie served at the Pentagon.
“We believe that Hal is the right leader for BMF. We can trust that Hal’s military background as a colonel in the United States Air Force, his eight-year service as president of Central Christian College, his being an effective communicator, and his infectious energy will enhance the foundation’s vision and the Oklahoma City community,” Abston said.
Hoxie follows Eric Baird who retired last year for health reasons. Baird died May 16, 2018.
“Hal has a proven record of insightful leadership,” said Beth Brown, who has served for 18 months as acting Butterfield president. “The staff is excited to welcome him and his wife, Kathy, to Oklahoma City.”
Hoxie is anxious to begin his time with Butterfield.
“Scripture tells us that God orders our steps. I am convinced that is true. I feel God brought me here not only at the right time for me, but at an important juncture in the history of this foundation. We are ready to take on the enormously exciting challenge of running the next portion of the race set before us,” Hoxie said.
Butterfield Memorial Foundation was created in 2005, subsequent to the sale of Deaconess Hospital to a national health care corporation. The foundation operates in Central Oklahoma, fulfilling the century-old Deaconess Hospital legacy of advocating for health needs of the underserved in our community. Informed by its historic roots with the Free Methodist Church –USA, the original mission is still being fulfilled through this emphasis on direct access to charitable medical care and creating families through adoption. To read more about the foundation’s legacy, mission and activities, visit the foundation’s website at butterfieldfoundation.org.
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