“Ag alumni have always been supporters of the students, and I want to get us back to the point where our focus is mostly, if not entirely, on helping students,” Kouplen said. “Whether through encouraging alumni to provide scholarships, or through men-torship and internship programs, we want to focus on the students.”
Kouplen, who also serves on the Oklahoma State University National Alumni Association board of directors, said students fail to realize the involvement the Agricultural Alumni Association has in the college, including providing hamburgers at Ag Roundup, sponsoring the Agricultural Alumni Barbecue, helping to select new deans and faculty, and sponsoring scholarships.
“The Ag Alumni Association is really broad in terms of what it is involved in,” Kouplen said. “I think our exposure to the students in the past few years has not been where I would like to see it. My guess would be that students know very little about the Ag Alumni Association, and my goal is to correct that.”
One thing students may not realize is that membership in the Agricultural Alumni Association is free the first year after graduation.
“Students can come by the OSU Alumni Association office in the Student Union and receive a membership during senior week,” said Melinda Tharp, former coordinator of publications and media relations for the OSU Alumni Association. “Students get a free gift and free one-year membership to both the Ag and OSU Alumni Associations.”
After the first year of membership, the cost is $35 a year for individual membership in both organizations. Joint membership is $45.
“My focus is to work with faculty and staff to figure out how we can benefit both the college and the students,” Kouplen said.
Kouplen’s awards and activities while at OSU are nothing short of impressive. He was an OSU Top Ten Senior, the Outstanding Senior in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, the Outstanding Agricultural Economics Student, the Outstanding Greek Man and the Outstanding National Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity Member. He served as president of AGR, Inter-fraternity Council and Agricultural Student Council. In addition, he was a member of the Blue Key National Honor Society.
This small-town boy from Beggs, Okla., never dreamed of his future success at OSU.
“For me to go to a major university and be involved in so many activities and with so many people was just overwhelming,” Kouplen said. “I just couldn’t believe that somebody from a little town would have that many opportunities, so I’m very grateful.”
Ironically, Kouplen’s first choice of schools was OSU’s rival, the University of Oklahoma.
“I went to OU out of high school and in the summer between my freshman and sophomore years was serving as president of the Oklahoma Junior Cattleman’s Association,” Kouplen said. “I was going to various field days talking about the association and meeting people from OSU.”
One of those people was Mark Johnson, associate professor of animal science, who encouraged Kouplen to consider OSU. Johnson had an impact on Kouplen that day, and after some soul searching, he decided OSU would be a better fit.
“OU just wasn’t quite what I wanted,” Kouplen said. “I transferred to Oklahoma State that fall, and it was the warmest and most endearing place. I feel like I can uniquely appreciate OSU. It’s just a phenomenal university.”
Kouplen, who earned his master’s in business administration from OSU-Tulsa in December, serves as senior vice president and chief operations officer of Citizens Security Bank in Bixby, Okla., where he is responsible for marketing, customer service, personnel and business development.
Kouplen decided on banking after an internship with MidFirst Bank in Oklahoma City.
“The thing that really drew me to banking is that it’s really a win-win profession,” Kouplen said. “If you’re coming in and you want to buy your first house, we can help you do that which is a win for you, while at the same time a win for us because we draw interest on that loan.”
Beyond the business development side of it, Kouplen’s favorite part of the job is motivating employees.
“I feel like my gift is helping employees realize that they really are important and we really want to help them grow and develop,” Kouplen said. “I want to get them excited and ready to come to work every day.”
Kouplen said people sometimes fail to realize they have a gift.
“Every person has a gift. It’s just a matter of knowing what that gift is,” Kouplen said. “I think the best feeling in the world is marrying your talents with an organization and an industry that can use those talents.”
Stressing the importance of hands-on experience, Kouplen encourages students to pursue internships.
“I think nothing takes the place of experience,” Kouplen said. “Course-work and academics can tell you to some degree what you’re meant to be and the direction you may head. But I think that until you actually work in a job, there’s just no way to know.”
Kouplen still travels back to his hometown on weekends to help with his family’s 2,000-acre Hereford ranch. His father, Steve, serves as president of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau and his sister, Shanna Gomez, resides with her family in Beggs. His mother, Salli McCormick, works alongside Kouplen at Citizens Security Bank in Bixby.
An active member of the community, Kouplen serves as president of the Bixby Chamber of Commerce. He and his wife, Angela, an OSU graduate in business management, are expecting their first child in September. Kouplen said he counts his blessings daily.
“I feel blessed to be at the right organization that can really utilize my talents and allow me to grow,” Kouplen said. “I feel blessed to be aligned with OSU and the ag college, and I feel very blessed to have found the right wife. It’s just a blessing.”
Kouplen challenges alumni to stay involved with students.
“I really believe that all alumni can look back at some key figure who helped them get where they are. I think that as alumni, our obligation is to help students live out their dreams.”
Thinking beyond himself is something Kouplen strives for each day.
“A lot of times we, as adults, can become very self-absorbed,” Kouplen said. “You’ve got bills to pay, mouths to feed, a job to do, and it’s very easy to think of yourself and yourself alone.”
Kouplen admires those people in his life who take the extra step to look around and help other people.
“When I’ve worked with people in my life who I really admire, they are people who are selfless,” Kouplen said. “So, my goal as ag alumni president over the next couple of years is to encourage alumni to help students live out their dreams. Even if I just reach one alumnus who helps mentor students that otherwise wouldn’t have, I think the job has been done.”
And that’s something worth admiring.