Shawnee Bison Connections

Bison Connections is an event series OBU has been proud to offer for many years now in Oklahoma City and Tulsa and now for the first time in Shawnee! These events strive to serve many purposes for our alumni and friends – a chance to engage with OBU, an opportunity for reconnection with fellow alumni and colleagues, and to be inspired by speakers who are leaders in their fields and who strive to live the OBU motto....all of life, all for Jesus.

Our speaker for this event is the recently retired CEO of Blue Bell Creameries, Ricky Dickson. He began his career with Blue Bell on January 1, 1981, as a territory manager in Dallas, Texas. In 1982, he moved to Fort Worth to become sales manager and, in 1984, was promoted to branch manager in San Antonio. He transferred to Oklahoma City and Tulsa when each of those branches opened. In 1992, Ricky was named assistant Dallas/Fort Worth division manager. He transferred to Kansas City as branch manager in 1993 and returned to Tulsa later that year. In 1994, he was named Midwest division manager. Four years later, he became general manager of the Broken Arrow plant yet remained involved in sales, particularly with the Wal-Mart account. He was named general sales manager in 2003. In 2010, he was appointed to vice president of sales and marketing and serve as a director on the Blue Bell Board of Directors. In 2017, he was promoted to president, and in 2019, he was elected CEO and president of the Company. After 43 years of service, Ricky retired from Blue Bell in March of 2024. Ricky has always been involved in community organizations and continues to do so. While living in Oklahoma, he served two terms on the Broken Arrow Chamber of Commerce board of directors. He has been a Rotary member since 1990, was named a Paul Harris Fellow in 2009, and is past president of the Rotary Club of Washington County. Ricky is president of Faith Mission, a local ecumenical Christian-based non-profit organization created to assist the homeless and working poor in the community, and has been involved with the organization since 2006. Ricky is Chairman of the Board for the Dairy Products Institute of Texas and serves as Ice Cream Board Chair for the International Dairy Food Association. He was ordained as a Deacon at the First Baptist Church in San Antonio in 1987 and is now Chair of Deacons at Central Baptist Church in Bryan, Texas. Ricky and his lovely wife Anita have five children and eight grandchildren.

Host or Publisher OBU Alumni Association