From Darkness to Light - 30th Anniversary Commemoration of the OKC Bombing

Join us for "From Darkness to Light," a 30th anniversary commemoration of the Oklahoma City Bombing, together with the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum and the Clinton Presidential Library and Museum, on Friday, April 11 at 6 p.m. CT / 7 p.m. ET.

During the program, former Oklahoma state leaders and Clinton Administration officials will share deeply personal accounts from the tragic bombing of the Alfred R. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995.

They will reflect on the immediate and long-term impacts to citizens and the community, the local and federal response, how justice was achieved, and the national unity that emerged following the bombing. The program will also explore how threads of the division and anti-government rhetoric that led to the deadliest act of domestic terrorism still exist today and require our ongoing vigilance.

• James Lee Witt, former director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

• Don Baer, former senior advisor, and White House director of strategic planning and communications
• Frank Keating, former Governor of Oklahoma

• David Holt, Mayor, Oklahoma City
• Ron Norick, Former Mayor, Oklahoma City

Additional participants to be announced. Scroll down for participant bios.

In-person ASL interpretation is available during our programs.

This program is presented by the Clinton Foundation, Clinton Presidential Library and Museum, and Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum.

James Lee Witt served as the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) under President Bill Clinton and is often credited with raising the agency’s level of professionalism and ability to respond to disasters. Since his departure from FEMA, he has worked as a consultant on emergency management issues across the nation and world.

Don Baer served as a senior advisor and White House director of strategic planning and communications under former President Bill Clinton. He also was worldwide chair and CEO of Burson-Marsteller and chair of the PBS board of directors. He is currently a senior partner with Brunswick Group and founder and CEO of Palisades Strategic Advisors.

Frank Keating is an attorney by training and a former partner of Holland and Knight. He grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma and received his undergraduate degree from Georgetown University and a law degree from the University of Oklahoma. His 30-year career in law enforcement and public service included service as an FBI agent; U.S. Attorney and state prosecutor; and Oklahoma House and Senate member, including service as a Republican senate leader.

He served under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush in the Treasury, Justice, and Housing departments. As assistant secretary of Treasury and general counsel and acting deputy secretary of HUD, Keating’s work included housing finance, lending practices, securitization and Bank Secrecy Act issues.

In 1993 Keating returned to Oklahoma to run for Governor. He won a three-way race by a landslide and was easily re-elected in 1998, becoming only the second governor in Oklahoma history to serve two consecutive terms.

As the governor of Oklahoma, Keating won national acclaim in 1995 for his compassionate and professional handling of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. In the aftermath of the tragedy, he helped raise more than six million dollars to fund scholarships for the nearly 200 children left with only one or no parents. His accomplishments as Governor include winning a successful public vote on right-to-work, tort reform, tax cuts, and major road building and education reform.

Mayor David Holt became Oklahoma City’s 38th mayor in 2018. He was elected in 2018 with 78.5 percent of the vote, the largest percentage achieved by a non-incumbent since 1947. In 2022, he was re-elected with more votes than any candidate for Mayor since 1959. Holt is the first Native American mayor of Oklahoma City. At the time he took office, Holt was the youngest mayor of Oklahoma City since 1923 and the youngest mayor of a U.S. city with more 500,000 residents.

Ron Norick was born and raised in Oklahoma City and was the city’s mayor from 1987 to 1998. In 2008, he was inducted in the Oklahoma Hall of Fame.

During Norick’s eleven years in office, he and the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce conceived the original Metropolitan Area Projects (MAPS), nine major Oklahoma City projects funded by a dedicated five-year, one-cent sales tax. MAPS is credited with leading Oklahoma City through a “renaissance” that has made the city one of the most livable in the country. While in office, Norick also guided the city through the aftermath of the Oklahoma City Bombing in 1995.

Since leaving public office, Norick has remained an ardent supporter of MAPs and many community initiatives and organizations. He is chairman of the Oklahoma City Downtown TIF Review Committee and of the Oklahoma State Fair, serves as vice-chairman of the Oklahoma Industries Authority, and sits on the board of directors of the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce and BancFirst. Norick is also former chairman of the Board of Trustees at Oklahoma City University.

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