New Faculty Join Oklahoma Christian University

Editor’s Note: Oklahoma Christian University welcomes six new faculty members for the 2025-2026 school year. The Talon has interviewed three out of the six for this article. The next three will be featured in the coming weeks.

The College of Sciences & Education welcomes Dr. Brent Sykes as its new dean. Along with this leadership role, Dr. Sykes also serves as professor of education, bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience to the classroom.

Before joining Oklahoma Christian University, Dr. Sykes worked 12 years at Randall University, where he served as Provost. During his tenure, he played a pivotal role in shaping academic programs, supporting faculty development, and fostering a culture of innovation in higher education. Before his move, Dr. Sykes felt inspired to seek new opportunities that would allow him to continue contributing to the growth of both  students and faculty.

His transition to Oklahoma Christian reflects this motivation for change, as well as his passion for advancing the mission of Christian education.

“God was just directing me to go somewhere different, which was a really hard thing for me, because it kind of felt like burnout, I was kind of overwhelmed,” Sykes said. “I think gradually, God was just telling me ‘You’ve served here for a long time, you enjoyed it’. But, I decided to go ahead and start looking, then I found this position”.

Sykes was first introduced to Oklahoma Christian through a conference he attended while working at Randall. After the conference, he encouraged his daughter to attend Eagle for the Day.

“I said ‘Hey let’s go to Oklahoma Christian and go to Eagle for the Day’. When my daughter and I came, I thought man, everybody’s so nice here. And I thought maybe someday I’ll get to come to a place like this, and then that’s where I came,” Sykes said.

Oklahoma Christian Provost, Dr. Brian Starr, shared why Dr. Sykes stood out among the candidates for this role.

“We were blessed with some really strong candidates for the dean position. Dr. Sykes immediately presented as a candidate with tremendous breadth of experience and a deep commitment to the mission, vision, and values of Oklahoma Christian,” Starr said. “The hiring committee was impressed with the fact that his experience spanned much of the intellectual terrain of the College of Science and Education, so that he could quickly assume his decanal duties with a basic grasp of the content of each department under his purview.  And it was quite clear that he loves the Lord and delights in working with students”.

According to Starr the College of Science and Education is a “real jewel” for the university housing departments that educate teachers, therapists, nurses, doctors, scientists, and other working professionals who serve the world in diverse and meaningful ways.  Leading this service-oriented college that produces graduates whose focus is helping people is a talented and dedicated educator who himself has the heart of a servant.

“We are delighted that Dr. Brent Sykes has joined the OC family and is confident that God will use his service and leadership to make OC and its College of Science and Education even stronger,” Starr said.

Additionally, among the new faculty are Megan Smith, associate professor of nursing and work-based nursing chair, and Steven Yerkes, visiting assistant professor of finance. 

Smith earned her Master’s degree in Nursing Education from Oklahoma Baptist University and a Doctorate of Education in Nursing Education from Western Connecticut State University. 

Her training includes working as a nurse educator at the Children’s Hospital in Oklahoma City, where she educated patients, families, nurses, and nursing staff. This experience made her aware of the students’ unpreparedness for professional practice, leading her to seek higher education. 

Before joining Oklahoma Christian, she developed an online graduate curriculum, but missed direct engagement with people and teaching. 

“I probably get most excited when I’m actually working with students or teaching a class,” Smith said.

Now, as chair of Oklahoma Christian’s work-based nursing program, she says the program’s flexibility and support is available through academic advisors for mainly adults managing full-time jobs on the side and children.

“The most important skills to develop in nursing,” Smith said, “is critical thinking, clinical judgment and communication.” 

She also suggests viewing all patients through the lens of the Christian worldview.

“There is a lot of diversity in the world, and we want to be the hands and feet of Christ and love people well and care for them well,” Smith said.

Steven Yerkes received his personal finance masters degree from the American College of Financial Services and an undergraduate of psychology from Azusa Pacific University. He says in finance, curiosity and personal interaction play a huge role. He explains that while finance has a lot to do with math, human interaction and psychology are also key assets. 

His background in finance includes teaching personal finance at the University of Northern Iowa for 10 years. 

Yerke teaches financial planning, bringing his experiences in the wealth management firm to the classroom. He will share interactions with clients to demonstrate how real-world concepts play out. 

“I practice what I teach and I teach what I practice,” Yerke said.

Yerke said he is excited to see students excited to go into their career paths in finance, guided by their Christian worldview and to blend finance with faith. 

“I am really excited to be at a Christian college where I can integrate faith and finance. There are not a lot of financial planning programs at Christian universities nationwide, so it’s really exciting to get that started here,” Yerke said.

At Azusa Pacific, he met his wife, Jen, and they have four children together: Amelia, Nate, Katrina, and Mariah. When not at work, Yerkes likes to attend church activities and cook.