Professional Bio
Kurt Gwartney started his public radio career working first as a part-time news producer, then as Morning Edition host at KOSU, in Stillwater, Okla. He left public radio to help start a business in his hometown of Pryor, Okla. that produced computer training videos.
Kurt decided to follow his call to ministry by attending seminary. He first attended The Iliff School of Theology in Denver, before transferring to Phillips Theological Seminary (PTS) in Tulsa, Okla. where he graduated with honors in 1999 with a Master of Divinity degree. He served as minister of communications at St. Luke's United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City for five years before starting his own media business, Discuss Communications LLC. He also taught worship media classes as adjunct faculty at Phillips during that time.
In 2005, he once again returned to radio as the operations manager and Morning Edition host at KGOU. In 2008, he was named news director at KGOU. Kurt is the recipient of numerous awards for his reporting work and the founding editorial director for StateImpact Oklahoma, a collaborative reporting project with NPR. He also served on the board of the Oklahoma Associated Press Broadcasters and the national board for Public Radio News Directors, Inc.
Kurt is past president of the Oklahoma Professional Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. In 2014 he was part of a team of three Oklahoma Public Media Exchange reporters honored to win the national Society of Professional Journalists/Sigma Delta Chi large market/network radio spot news award for coverage of the 2013 Moore, Okla. tornado.
Currently, he is the executive director of Freedom of Information Oklahoma and the senior director of communications at Phillips Theological Seminary in Tulsa, Okla. where is also teaches in the Center for Ministry and Lay Training.
Kurt decided to follow his call to ministry by attending seminary. He first attended The Iliff School of Theology in Denver, before transferring to Phillips Theological Seminary (PTS) in Tulsa, Okla. where he graduated with honors in 1999 with a Master of Divinity degree. He served as minister of communications at St. Luke's United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City for five years before starting his own media business, Discuss Communications LLC. He also taught worship media classes as adjunct faculty at Phillips during that time.
In 2005, he once again returned to radio as the operations manager and Morning Edition host at KGOU. In 2008, he was named news director at KGOU. Kurt is the recipient of numerous awards for his reporting work and the founding editorial director for StateImpact Oklahoma, a collaborative reporting project with NPR. He also served on the board of the Oklahoma Associated Press Broadcasters and the national board for Public Radio News Directors, Inc.
Kurt is past president of the Oklahoma Professional Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. In 2014 he was part of a team of three Oklahoma Public Media Exchange reporters honored to win the national Society of Professional Journalists/Sigma Delta Chi large market/network radio spot news award for coverage of the 2013 Moore, Okla. tornado.
Currently, he is the executive director of Freedom of Information Oklahoma and the senior director of communications at Phillips Theological Seminary in Tulsa, Okla. where is also teaches in the Center for Ministry and Lay Training.
Company
Phillips Theological Seminary
Supporter
Job Role
Outside of the newsroom