What makes Teena Wildly Capable?

Teena exemplifies a wildly capable and inspiring woman. Beginning her career in high-level mergers and acquisitions, she pivoted to nonprofit work out of a deep passion for empowering youth. As President and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of OK County, she has expanded programs from six clubs to 16, transforming after-school care and youth programming. Teena leads with empathy, selflessness, and dedication. – ALLY GLAVAS

What does your typical day look like?

In a typical work day, I am working on variety of things at Boys & Girls Clubs of Oklahoma County. What I love about my job is every day is different whether that is giving a tour of one of our clubs, working on a grant application, meeting with elected officials, attending an event by a community partner, etc. On the weekends, I enjoy spending time with my husband, Mark, spending time with our friends, gardening, and relaxing by the pool.

What makes you feel proud?

My daughter makes me feel proud. She is an amazing person inside and out and I am proud to be her mom. She is a singer, dancer, actor, and choreographer in New York City and there is nothing that I enjoy more than going to visit and watching her perform.

Who is the biggest influence in your life? Why?

My faith is a big influence in my life and is a big factor in what I do on a daily basis. I also find a lot of inspiration from my family as well as our Boys & Girls Club kids and staff. They have such big hearts and care so much about making the community a better place.

What keeps you up at night?

Thinking about our Boys & Girls Club kids and the challenges they face. We have absolutely amazing kids that enter our doors each day but they are dealing with critical issues both in their home life and community such as hunger, homelessness, violence, and a major opportunity gap that puts them at risk for not having a great future. I want to make sure we are doing our very best to mitigate those challenges and provide them with the skills they need to be successful in life.

What’s the single biggest problem you’d like to solve in your community?

I would like to see the opportunity gap for kids shrink dramatically. Unfortunately, the trajectory of kids’ lives can be majorly influenced by their environment, and they may have to work harder to overcome challenges than those born in a different zip code.

What advice do you wish you could give your younger self? How might it have changed your course?

I would tell my younger self to be kinder to myself and more confident in my skills as we will do great things in life.

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