Malena Putnam

YAY DUDE / Chicks in Charge

Malena Putnam is a multi-passionate CEO, brand strategist, marketer, podcaster, speaker, and author. A married mother of three, Malena hails from Western Oklahoma, where she learned to live with tornadoes and love football, and received a B.A. in Journalism and Mass Comm at the University of Oklahoma where she was an Alpha Chi Omega and McMahon Scholar. She has won numerous writing and advertising awards and was named 40 under 40 in OKC Biz when she was under 40.

In 2022, Malena was named Alpha Chi Omega Woman of the Year in Oklahoma City and a Woman of the Year nominee for the Journal Record’s 50 Women Making a Difference. She was also selected to speak at TedxUCO in the spring of 2023.

In the past, she was an author and her novels include The Stork Reality, Fixer Upper, Dating da Vinci, Something New, Family Charms, and the novellas The Last Resort and Life’s a Beach. She also co-wrote Dance Mom Survival Guide with Jill Martin and wrote her first young adult novel, Twin Falls, under the pen name Lena Brown. She currently mostly writes captions for Instagram and lots and lots of newsletter copy for Yay Dude and clients. Her weekly podcast, The Coop Chicks in Charge Podcast can be found on your favorite podcast stream.

Steve Ivy – HR/Recruiting

Regional Vice President, Onin Staffing

My greatest achievement to date, I’m a father of two full-size, grown adults and currently living with a 17-year-old me, for a total of three great kids. Yes, I’m old enough to have grandchildren, but no I don’t have any … and I’m good with that at the moment. Professionally, I have been in the staffing industry since April Fool’s Day, 1991. Following my second “retirement,” I joined Onin in 2017. With 16 offices across Oklahoma, Arkansas, Colorado, and Nebraska, I consult with business leaders and owners on work culture, production, and accountability on a weekly basis. Staffing Industry Analysts recently named Onin “Best Staffing Company to Work For” winner for the third straight year!

Shelley Cadamy – Business Strategy

Cadamy Business Consulting

Strategist, consensus builder, problem solver and advocate for no-nonsense effectiveness, Shelley Cadamy has built, turned around, or transformed organizations and programs for nearly 30 years.

Shelley has worked with business owners to create strategies for their companies throughout her career. Her 25-year career in economic development included building and leading entrepreneurship programs, traditional economic development, and workforce development. She has built programs from the ground up and turned around failing ones, usually in highly political, complex environments.

Shelley graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in art history, followed by a master’s degree in regional and city planning, with an economic development emphasis, from the University of Oklahoma. She is a graduate of Leadership Tulsa, Leadership Oklahoma City, and multiple other leadership programs.

Shelley has received multiple awards for her business and community involvement, including YWCA Tulsa’s Woman of the Year, the Journal Record’s “50 Women Making a Difference,” and the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute’s Angels in Adoption award.

Russell A. Wantland – J.D., M.B.A.

Resolution Legal Group

There’s legal advice and then there’s business advice. Russell provides a unique combination of knowledge in both categories to assist clients with improving strategic planning, operations, and the long-term value of companies on the move. His desire to change the way a law firm operates, grows, and delivers, is one of the reasons he founded RLG on a platform that better serves client’s needs. Whether it’s growing consumer brands through international franchising, real estate investment portfolios, or technology innovations, Russell is a trusted advisor for clients in a wide variety of industries. The OU grad does his best to keep Edmond a place where community thrives and will gladly debate anyone who thinks there is a better place than Oklahoma to call home. While his passion is working with clients to accomplish any objective, his priority is being a better husband and father, with generally promoting Gaelic culture being a close second.

Susan Urbach – Funding and Money Matters

Oklahoma Small Business Development Center

For many years, Susan Urbach has driven through commercial areas in the metro area and observed her handiwork. After retiring with 27 years full time working with the Oklahoma Small Business Development Center program, she returned in 2020 to the program on a part-time basis. She has found it a profound privilege to work in helping Oklahoma small business owners.

Urbach comes from an entrepreneurial family, having learned in elementary school to answer the phone for the family’s then home-based business. Urbach’s love for music brought her to Oklahoma where she received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music from Oklahoma City University. Her career began with and still includes music-related businesses and activities. Her personal business experience includes self-employed activities and banking. Urbach’s work in economic development began when she held a position at the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) in 1986. She began her work with Oklahoma Small Business Development Center in 1988.

She was the first recipient of the “State Star Award” from the Oklahoma Small Business Development Center network in 2000, and her office received the “Healthy Workplace Award” from the Oklahoma Psychological Association in 2001. Her center received the Small Business Development Center Service Excellence and Innovation Award on a state and regional level in 2008, and at the state level in 2010 and 2013.