An award-winning news anchor and veteran reporter, Clay Loney brings a wealth of experience to FOX23 News.
Clay specializes in unscripted live coverage of breaking news. As Talent Development Director, he trains and provides editorial leadership for a team of reporters.
With some 25 years in television news, Clay has provided political coverage from Washington D.C. for stations nationwide, served as Bureau Chief for CBS Florida, and specialized in military coverage.
A graduate of the University of Texas in Austin with a Bachelor of Journalism degree, Clay’s work has earned him a prestigious Edward R. Murrow award for news writing, an Associated Press award for top Individual Achievement, and several Emmy nominations.
Clay beams when he talks about the love of his life, his wife Grettel, and their four children, Ross, Erika, Bryant and Gracie. Clay enjoys playing the piano, hiking and photography.
Shae Rozzi is an award winning investigative journalist who anchors FOX23 News at 5, 6, 9 & 10 with Clay Loney.
She comes to Tulsa from the Cox Media Group flagship station WSB-TV in Atlanta, Georgia, where she worked for 6 months as a General Assignment Reporter and Fill-in Anchor before being promoted to Main Evening Anchor in Tulsa.
Shae's first day on the job at FOX23 was an unusual one. She was in the office for no more than four hours before she accepted the assignment of traveling to Boston, and reporting on the response to the explosions that occurred at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.
Shae is ready to jump on breaking news without skipping a beat. Shae spent the majority of her career at WTVD, the ABC owned station, in Raleigh, North Carolina. During her nearly 12 years in the Triangle area she worked as the Weekend Evening Anchor and focused on investigative reporting during the week.
Some of the biggest stories Shae covered include the political corruption trial of former presidential candidate John Edwards and the Duke Lacrosse case.
When sports becomes news, Shae is ready to jump right in, covering the Carolina Hurricanes when they won the Stanley Cup, as well as covering the UNC Tar Heels and Duke Blue Devils when they became NCAA National Champions. Shae has also covered devastating hurricanes along the North Carolina coast and deadly tornadoes in the Raleigh area with her stories airing on CNN and The Weather Channel.
One of the most difficult stories for Shae was the massacre at Virginia Tech, her alma mater. Shae spent days covering the investigation and telling personal stories of students from North Carolina affected by the tragedy.
Shae began her television career at WLUC in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and went on to anchor and report at WSLS in Roanoke, Virginia, before working in North Carolina, Georgia and now in Oklahoma. Shae has been the lead or main contributing reporter on Emmy award-winning newscasts and news specials. She has also been nominated individually for an Emmy for her work. Shae's reporting for the FOX23 News team.
Shae and her family will be setting out to explore Green Country with their two pugs. Send her your thoughts about what makes this a great place to live and raise a family.
5-time Emmy-Award Winning anchor, Ron Terrell, joined the FOX23 News team in June 2004.
Ron co-anchors FOX23 News This Morning and hosts the web series “Burger Brothers” on www.FOX23.com. Ron moved into the anchor chair from the sports department after serving as Sports Director for nearly 2 years, covering major events such as the 2005 Orange Bowl and the NCAA Tournament.
In 2005, Ron received the OAB Award for best sportscast for the "FOX23 Sports Buzz." In 2005, he took over duties as host of Oklahoma State University's coaches shows.
Ron previously worked at KOCO in Oklahoma City as Sports Director. He covered sporting events including the 2001 US Open, 2002 Final Four, 2003 Rose Bowl and Dallas Cowboys football, but the highlight of his career was following the Oklahoma Sooners as they captured the national title at the 2001 Orange Bowl. He was part of 3 OAB Award-winning OU football specials, and won AP Best Sportscast in 2004.
Ron's career began in southeast Oklahoma as a sports reporter at KTEN before becoming weekend sports anchor.
Ron's extensive broadcast experience includes coverage of the Oklahoma City Bombing and the 1999 Oklahoma City tornadoes. He also co-hosted various radio programs in Tulsa and Oklahoma City.
A 1994 graduate of OU, Ron grew up in the Detroit suburb of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. He loves spending time with his wife and daughter. In his spare time, Ron enjoys golf, basketball, skiing, going to concerts, and watching sporting events, including his beloved Detroit Tigers, who break his heart year after year. He also occasionally appears on stage in local theatre productions.
Michelle Linn is excited to co-anchor FOX23 News This Morning with Ron Terrell.
As the busy mom of four young children (two girls and two boys), little sleep and crazy hours are not exceptional.
Michelle worked these crazy overnight/early morning hours for the last decade. She launched the morning newscast for the ABC affiliate station in Columbia, Missouri.
Michelle loves the diverse and intimate nature of morning news. She thinks it’s an honor to be invited into your home during those hectic hours, and realizes she needs to get your family ready for the day ahead, and hopes to help start your day with a smile.
Michelle loves reading, writing, researching and delivering news. She also loves volunteering in the community. She’s spent years serving as a member of the March of Dimes Board of Directors, the Central Missouri Food Bank Board of Directors, Ambassador for the Columbia Chamber of Commerce, and mentor at a local elementary school. She was recognized as one of Columbia’s “40 Under 40”.
Michelle is a St. Louis native and a graduate of William Woods University. Her husband, Mark, grew up just 90 minutes from Tulsa, so they’re both thrilled to be much closer to family.
She grew up in Tulsa, where her parents still reside, and graduated from Jenks High School. She earned a degree in Broadcast News Journalism from the University of Kansas.
Tiffany began her career in 1995 in Topeka, KS as a part-time reporter at KTKA. In 1997, she moved to Joplin to launch a 10 year career at KSNF. During that period, she worked as a reporter, weekend anchor, morning show and noon news anchor. She spent the majority of her time as the 5, 6, and 10 o’clock evening news co-anchor.
In January 2011, she became main anchor at KODE in Joplin anchoring the 5, 6, and 10 o’clock news.
That May, one of the deadliest tornadoes in history hit Joplin. 161 people lost their lives due to the storm and nearly 8,000 structures were damaged or destroyed. Tiffany said that was the most difficult day of her career. She was in the field moments after the storm hit reporting on the emergency response and recovery. In the years that followed, she has continued to share the stories of those who overcame unimaginable loss and how they rebuilt their lives.
Over the course of her career, Tiffany has been proud to earn recognition including several Missouri Broadcasters Association awards. She earned two for an hour long show she wrote and produced: Behind the Scenes of the Extreme Home Makeover Build: The Joplin Edition. She also covered Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma for Nexstar Broadcasting.
Tiffany always had a passion for news and feels honored to tell the stories of others. She finds inspiration in the resilience of people, as they share their trials and triumphs with all of us.
Outside the newsroom, Tiffany spends time with her daughter Whitley, family, and friends. She also spends time volunteering, including many breast cancer charity events and fundraisers. She’s looking forward to getting involved in the Tulsa community with her daughter.
If you would like to share your thoughts with Tiffany, you can find her chasing Whitley around the local parks or in line for chocolate milk at McDonald’s. Or, you can email her with your suggestions of great things to do with kids in Tulsa or a great story idea.
If you have a story idea or would just like to drop Tiffany a note, you can email her at talaniz@fox23.com.
Lynn Casey joined the FOX23 News team in November 2013.
She came from NBC affiliate WJFW in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. In her two years there Lynn was a reporter during the day and anchored and produced the 10 o’clock news at night.
Lynn covered crime and courts in the area, but also had adventures doing everything from flying an airplane to learning how to make maple syrup. She loves to break news, but has to admit her all-time favorite thing to do was cover the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.
Telling people’s stories and helping people understand how their world is functioning is why Lynn loves being a reporter. She can’t wait to meet all the people who make Tulsa the great place she’s heard it is.
Lynn never wanted to do anything but be a journalist. She graduated from Columbia College in Chicago with a degree in broadcast journalism. She also spent a lot of time traveling Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Lynn’s passion for discovering the world is the root of a long-time dream of doing foreign reporting someday. She even lived in Egypt to study Arabic at Al-Azhar University in Cairo.
When she’s not tracking down a story you’ll find Lynn outside looking for a beautiful place to hike in the woods and searching for water for her kayak. She’s a terrible runner, but insists one day she’ll conquer it, so you’ll probably find her at local 5Ks this spring too. But on Sundays during football season you’ll always find Lynn cheering loud enough for the Packers to hear her all the way at Lambeau.
Lynn’s heart is in the Milwaukee area with her family. You’ll see plenty of her parents, brother, sisters and new baby niece featured along with her news stories on her Twitter.
She looks forward to meeting as many people in the area as possible, and would love to hear from you!
If you have a story idea or would just like to drop Lynn a note, you can email her at lcasey@fox23.com.
Naomi Keitt, pronounced "Kit," joined the FOX23 News team in June 2015 as a multi-media journalist.
She came to Tulsa from the CBS affiliate WRBL in Columbus, Georgia.
Naomi was born in Chicago and grew up in Coral Springs, Florida and Kennesaw, Georgia. She is a Broadcast Journalism graduate of the University of Georgia class of 2013. Go Dawgs!
Naomi began her career as a digital journalist and weekend anchor/producer in Columbus, Georgia. While in Columbus she covered stories across the Chattahoochee Valley like new policies in Georgia and Alabama schools, and deployments at Fort Benning.
While in college, she immersed herself on campus as a reporter, anchor and producer for Grady NewSource, the school's student run news program. She also supported the University and its students as a Resident Assistant and as publicist for UGA's housing channel. Over the summers, Naomi interned at WSB-TV Channel 2 in Atlanta and 95.5 FM/AM 750 WSB Radio Station.
In her free time she loves reading, hanging out with friends, shopping, volunteering with children, and getting to know new people. Naomi is passionate about life and is thrilled to be in the Tulsa area!
She is very interested in telling the stories that matter most to you, please feel free to contact Naomi at nkeitt@fox23.com.
James grew up in Tulsa and has always been fascinated by the severe weather that seems to hit Tulsa with fearsome regularity.
James is an instrument-rated pilot and enjoys flying his Cessna Cardinal. James and his wife Robyn have two children and a golden retriever, Mia, who also loves to fly.
He also likes to cook and has even been a celebrity chef in Tulsa’s own Chef Fest.
James’s dad piled the family in the station wagon and toured the damage after each round of severe weather, and all that destruction made quite an impression on young James.
After graduating from Tulsa ‘s East Central High School, James headed to the University of Oklahoma and graduated with a degree in meteorology.
James has worked in Sherman, TX, Savannah, GA, Wichita, KS, Dallas, TX and in Tulsa, seeing and forecasting everything from tornadoes to hurricanes to blizzards. He has years of tornado chasing experience and is a severe weather and Doppler radar expert.
Michael Seger joined the FOX23 Severe Weather Team in April 2008 from KTEN-TV in Denison, TX where he forecasted the weather for southern Oklahoma and north Texas.
While at KTEN-TV, he received honorable mention for best morning newscast from the Oklahoma Associated Press Broadcasters in 2006.
In 2007, the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters awarded Michael and the KTEN-TV morning news team as winner of the Non-Metro TV Newscast Award. Michael is also a member of the American Meteorological Society.
Michael earned a degree in Computer Art from the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, GA in 1999 and he even had to evacuate from Hurricane Fran in 1996 and Hurricane Floyd in 1999. He holds a degree in Broadcast Meteorology from Valparaiso University where he was inducted into the meteorology honor society Chi Epsilon Pi. He also earned honors from the College of Adult Scholars, Alpha Sigma Lambda.
Michael is now happy to call Tulsa home. When he is not forecasting the weather for FOX23, Michael enjoys spending time with his family and friends, storm chasing, music and the arts, a round of golf, and rooting for the Indianapolis Colts.
Megan McClellan joined the FOX23 Severe Weather Team in April 2016 from KTEN in Denison, TX where she focused on the forecast for Southern Oklahoma and North Texas.
Since joining the FOX23 Severe Weather Team, Megan has partnered with several local organizations including the Tulsa Regional STEM Alliance and the American Parkinson Disease Association. She continues to expand our coverage of the STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and has brought our viewers live scenes from Texas as Hurricane Harvey made landfall. While she was covering Hurricane Harvey, she reported on the damage and record-setting rainfall in (and around) Houston. During May and June of 2019, she covered the abnormally high rainfall that caused record flooding in Eastern Oklahoma with several creeks/rivers setting new crest records.
Megan considers herself a "Texas Girl, Born & Raised" but is familiar with Oklahoma weather. She attended the University of Oklahoma (Boomer Sooner!) getting a Bachelor of Science in Meteorology with minors in Math and General Business.
While at OU, Megan worked for the Oklahoma Mesonet, held officers positions in many student organizations, was a member of the Pride of Oklahoma Color Guard, and did weather for the on-campus newscast OU Nightly. She also presented research on how color tables and graphics affect decision making during severe weather at a national conference for meteorologists. Outside of her school classes, she gained valuable forecasting and broadcast experience during her time at OU Nightly and as an intern at the CBS affiliate in Dallas-Fort Worth.
Megan is an amateur radio license holder for fun but also practices emergency preparedness exercises with other license holders. She is also a member of the American Meteorologist Society (including secretary of the local Route 66 Chapter) and a member of the National Weather Association.
Megan is a member of the American Meteorological Society and the National Weather Association.
In her free time, Megan enjoys spending time with her friends and family, watching movies, and shooting at the gun range.
If you have any weather (or STEM) questions, feel free to send her an email at mmcclellan@fox23.com
Laura Mock joined the FOX23 Severe Weather Team in July 2017 from WHSV in Harrisonburg, VA where she forecasted the weather for the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia and parts of West Virginia.
Laura earned the designation of Certified Broadcast Meteorologist by the American Meteorological Society in 2016. She is also a member of the National Weather Association.
While in Virginia, she provided extended coverage of the historic Mid-Atlantic blizzard of January 2016 and numerous deadly floods. She was awarded Best Weathercast of the Year by the Virginias Associated Press for team coverage of the March 2015 snowstorm in Virginia.
She is no stranger to Oklahoma weather. Originally from Broken Arrow, Laura is thrilled to be back in Green Country and to forecast for the central plains again. She graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Science in Meteorology and a minor in Broadcast Journalism. While at OU, she storm chased in her free time and interned at KOCO in Oklahoma City. She also spent three years forecasting for OU Nightly, a student run newscast.
In her free time, Laura enjoys being outdoors hiking and camping. She loves to travel across the country visiting National Parks.
Mike is a native Tulsan and thrilled to continue his career in Green Country here at FOX23. From tornado outbreaks to winter storms, he has forecasted it all in Tulsa since April 2011. Before that, he covered weather in the Mid-Atlantic states from Hagerstown, Maryland.
In 2008, Mike earned his meteorology degree, graduating cum laude from Valparaiso University in Indiana. Since then, Mike has been a member of the American Meteorological Society, currently serving as the local chapter president. He is also a Certified Broadcast Meteorologist through the AMS.
In addition to covering severe weather from the studio, Mike is an avid storm chaser. He has pursued storms in over 15 states across the country and relishes every moment he gets to witness the extremes of Mother Nature.
Mike is heavily involved in the community. He serves on the board of the Disaster Resilience Network and the local chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. He also serves as a leader for several local initiatives regarding food justice and cross-cultural emergency preparedness.
Outside of work, Mike enjoys indoor rock climbing and catching the latest show at Cain's Ballroom. He also loves to travel far and wide, often in search of a mountain to climb. He is working toward his goal of climbing the highest point in all 50 states.
Be sure to say hi if you see him around town or send him a message to MGrogan@fox23.com!
Justin Ayer joined the FOX23 News team as a multimedia journalist in June 2018. A hard-hitting, energetic reporter, Justin takes prides in sharing stories residents care most about.
Needless to say, he’s not used to warm temperatures Oklahoma has to offer—and that’s a good thing! Before moving to Tulsa, Justin worked a year at NBC Montana as a bureau reporter in Butte, MT. An area known for rich mining history, Justin was able to report on the Berkeley Pit—an over 1,700 foot deep, toxic open pit copper mine in town, Montana’s growing meth epidemic, along with breaking the news that Evel Knievel Days—Butte’s longest- running, summer festival (and the hometown of Daredevil Evel Knievel) has been cancelled. Only in Butte!
Justin was born and raised in Wallingford, Connecticut where the weather can be 70 degrees one day and 40 the next. He studied communication and broadcast journalism at the University of Connecticut (GO HUSKIES). He got his TV start sports reporting and anchoring for the University’s student-run television station, UCTV. He also stayed busy interning at NBC Connecticut, NBC Sports, the Tab, the Connecticut Tigers (an MiLB team out of Norwich, CT) and Hertz.
In his spare time, Justin enjoys traveling, going to concerts, trying new restaurants, reading, running and cheering on the New York Giants. HIs story interests include localism, business, crime and human safety.
Story ideas, tips, complaints, say hi? Drop me an email at JAyer@fox23.com
Alyson joined the FOX23 News team as a multimedia journalist in May 2019.
Alyson graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in News Media 2019. She never quite got used to Utah winters after being raised in Mesa, Arizona, and is excited to be back in a warmer climate!
While still in school, Alyson reported, produced, and anchored for the daily newscast on the local PBS station. During that time she was named the Broadcast Education Association's anchor of the year.
Alyson is looking forward to getting to know members of the community as she follows stories for FOX23. When she isn't out reporting she enjoys going to the movies, golfing, and baking.
To send a story idea, restaurant recommendation, or just to say hi- email her at acaffrey@fox23.com
Alternatively, you can reach out through her Twitter or Instagram, using the handle or her Facebook page.
Janna Clark is FOX23’s most experienced Investigative Reporter. She was actually the first reporter ever hired at FOX23 News back in 2001, and she helped launch FOX23 News in February 2002.
Janna grew up in Tulsa. She went to high school at Booker T. Washington, and then graduated from Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, with a degree in Journalism.
Janna began her broadcast career as a reporter at KXII-TV in the Ardmore, OK bureau.
Janna has covered every kind of news, but she has focused solely on investigative stories since 2013.
Janna is one of the most award-winning reporters at FOX23 News. She’s won numerous regional Edward R. Murrow awards, as well as a national Edward R. Murrow award. Janna’s also won multiple regional Emmy awards for her reporting. Most recently, she won two first-place Associated Press awards, as well as two first-place Society of Professional Journalists awards for her investigative stories in 2016. She also won a 2016 regional Edward R. Murrow award for her investigative reporting.
When she's not reporting, Janna coaches youth baseball and softball teams, and she likes to watch high school and college sports.
If you know about something Janna should investigate, become one of her many sources by emailing her at jclark@fox23.com, or message her on her Facebook page - FOX23 Janna Clark.
Brooklyn DeGumbia joined the FOX23 News Team in August 2019.
This is Brooklyn’s first time living in the south! She grew up in Connecticut but left the east coast to attend Arizona State University, where she graduated with a Bachelors degree from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She was also a member of the ASU cheerleading team for 2 years.
Brooklyn began her journalism career in Rapid City, South Dakota. She spent almost a year as a reporter, anchor and producer at the ABC and FOX affiliate, KOTA/KEVN.
Brooklyn is excited to continue her career in Tulsa, Oklahoma and learn all about the culture here.
Jackie DelPilar joined the FOX23 news team in January 2017 as a multimedia journalist.
Jackie comes to FOX23 from KIMA-TV, the CBS affiliate in Yakima, Washington where she worked as a reporter and fill-in anchor.
Prior to moving to Washington, Jackie worked as an investigative reporter with News21, investigating guns in America.Reporting has taken her across the country, from Washington D.C., Michigan, Arizona and more.
Jackie grew up in the Nashville area and attended the University of Tennessee. (Go Vols!) In her free time, Jackie loves hiking, exploring, and getting lost in a good book.
She loves meeting new people and sharing their stories! You can reach her at jdelpilar@fox23.com
Mariah joined the FOX23 news team in April 2018 as a multimedia journalist.
She attended the University of Wyoming and later graduated from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, where she reported for the school’s PBS news station.
Mariah began her career in her hometown of Cheyenne, Wyoming. She spent two years as a reporter and anchored/ produced the morning show at the CBS affiliate, KGWN. During that time she received an award for her storytelling from the Wyoming Association of Broadcasters.
Mariah is excited to continue her career in Tulsa, Oklahoma and experience all that it has to offer.
When she’s not reporting the news, Mariah enjoys the outdoors, traveling, teaching dance and playing the piano.
Amanda Gilbert is excited to work for Fox23 as a multi-media journalist. She joined the team in October 2019.
Amanda was born and raised in Chicago. She studied broadcast journalism at Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism. She was a news director, producer and reporter for the campus television station, “The Northwestern News Network.” Go cats!
She started her career at KWWL, the NBC affiliate in eastern Iowa. Amanda worked there for four years, and she was part of several Emmy award-winning newscasts. While there, she was promoted to weekend morning anchor. She won’t forget the friendly people who inspired her passion for storytelling.
Amanda looks forward to sharing your stories and to getting her first taste of warmer winters! Outside of work, Amanda is passionate about hiking, dance, recycling and animals! Please reach out if you’d like to say hello or have a story idea! Her email is agilbert@fox23.com.
Amanda Hari joined the FOX23 team in March 2019 as a multimedia journalist.
She grew up in northern New Jersey, about 20 miles outside of New York City. She attended Syracuse University and majored in Broadcast and Digital Journalism with a minor in Political Science. Go Orange!
In 2015, Amanda began here career at KXLT/FOX47 in Rochester, MN as a morning anchor and reporter. She then moved on to WKOW in Madison, WI where she was a reporter and producer. During here time in Madison, Amanda covered historic flooding, an explosion that leveled a city block, and plenty of cold and snowy weather.
She is excited to be in Tulsa, learn more about the area and the state of Oklahoma!
In her free time she likes to hang out with her dog, a Miniature Australian Shepherd named Carson. She also enjoys music, movies and CrossFit.
If you have a story idea or want to say 'hi!' you can email her at ahari@fox23.com. You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Amber Hughes joined FOX23 in February 2018 as a multimedia journalist. Her infatuation with local television news started at a young age watching the news every morning with her mother growing up in New Orleans. Years later after moving to Houston, Texas, she was immersed in the field while attending the Electronic Media Academy at Hightower High School.
Hughes proudly bleeds America’s brightest orange as a graduate of Oklahoma State University, GO POKES! She graduated with two degrees in sports media broadcast production and multimedia journalism news with a minor in leadership. Hughes was featured regularly on the student-run online news magazine the O-State Report which helped her land an internship at KHOU-11 in Houston.
After college, Hughes worked on the assignment desk at KRIV Fox 26 in Houston before moving to Jackson, Tennessee to join WBBJ-TV. At the station she served as the weekend sports anchor and Multimedia Journalist.
Although Tulsa is just a short 8-hour drive from Houston, she is excited to be a part of the Tulsa community.
Amber is also a PROUD member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., National Association of Black Journalists, and Investigative Reporters & Editors.
If you have story ideas and would like to connect with Amber, you can e-mail her at ahughes@fox23.com or follow her on Twitter @AmberHughesTV
Rick Maranon is proud be reporting back in the town where his career all started.
He started at FOX 23 in March 2014 as a multimedia reporter. Rick came to FOX23 from Eugene, Oregon where he literally did it all from weatherman to producing to investigations. Before that, he was a producer in Oklahoma City, but started his career in news on the print side of things at the Tulsa World in 2010.
Rick is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma’s Gaylord College of Journalism and holds a political science minor as well. During his senior year, he was a full-time student at OU while also solo-producing the top weekend morning news show in Oklahoma City.
He enjoys covering aviation and preservation of historical places, but don’t be surprised if you also see him filing Freedom of Information Act requests regularly in addition to reading legislation at a local coffee shop in his free time.
A few awards Rick has won in recent years: 2011 Cimarron Alliance Horizon Award, 2nd Place Criminal Justice Reporting 2011 Oklahoma SPJ, 3rd Place 2011 SPJ Mark of Excellence Award.
What made you pursue a career in broadcast journalism?
I love journalism in general. I never really got into it for the TV aspect. I’m sure if it was 1925, I’d be sitting at a typewriter with a cigar in my mouth smoking away while I type out my notes. I love bringing to light hidden things, and I’ve come to learn that regardless of the medium, journalism has a way of touching people’s lives like nothing else out there (for better or for worse). The trust is very empowering. What’s your favorite thing about Oklahoma?
I love the people. Southern traditions and values mean a lot when you live in the Pacific Northwest for two years. Family and friends mean the world to me, and many of them live near Tulsa. I hate to sound like the Wizard of Oz, but there is no place like home. What’s your most memorable story
I’ll never forget the time I found a major error in a piece of legislation that was about to pass the Oklahoma House and had already passed the Oklahoma Senate when I was a reporter for the student newspaper at OU. The bill was intended to take away rights from the LGBT community, but because of the error, it actually removed protections for race and religion. I’ll never forget coming in to the campus newsroom the next day, and the story had thousands of hits. It also aired on MSNBC and went viral on the Huffington Post. It was the first time I had ever won a major journalism award from a community organization.
What’s your guilty pleasure?
1970s action and disaster moves like Towering Inferno, Airport, and Earthquake. Everyone remembers Karen Black for her other film roles, but to me, she’ll always be the flight attendant that landed the 747 in Salt Lake City in 1975. Pop in an old action DVD, and my whole day is planned out right there.
If you have a story idea or would just like to drop Rick a note, you can email him at rmaranon@fox23.com.
Sara Whaley joined the FOX23 News team in August, 2013.
She is thrilled to be reporting news in her hometown as a multi-media journalist.
Born and raised in Sand Springs, Oklahoma, Sara didn’t travel far for her college degree. She played collegiate softball for the University of Tulsa while majoring both in Communications and Education.
Sara graduated in 2009 and taught high school English for three years before taking a leap of faith into the profession she loves. That’s when she became a part of the FOX23 family for the first time. She was hired as an associate producer in August 2012 and eventually did some fill-in reporting.
By January 2013, she got a full-time reporting job at KSWO in Lawton, Oklahoma. She did a special report on the problems of Feral Hogs within the first month, a story that included hog hunting. That’s when she knew she wasn’t in Tulsa anymore. Sara also notes covering the Moore and Shawnee tornadoes as a highlight of her reporting career. On a lighter note, she will never forget interviewing Johnny Depp when he came to Lawton for a screening of “The Lone Ranger”.
Sara spent six months in Lawton before making her way back to FOX23. She is a family girl through and through. When she’s not working, Sara loves to run. In fact, she’s run four marathons and five half marathons. The November Route 66 Marathon here in Tulsa is her favorite.
Nathan Thompson joined the FOX23 sports team in June 2007, but he's been covering Oklahoma sports for two decades and following it almost all of his life.
Nathan grew up in Oklahoma and went to high school in Bartlesville. After spending four years at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, he went to Waco, Texas for his first job in the TV news business.
In 1999, Nathan switched from news to sports, getting a job at KSWO-TV in Lawton. For the next eight years -- including four as sports director -- he covered the Sooners and Cowboys.
Nathan has been on the sideline for three OU national championship games and three semifinal games and many other OU, OSU, and TU bowl games. He's also covered the Thunder in the NBA Finals and all seven games of that amazing 2016 Western Conference Finals showdown with the Golden State Warriors. Nathan has one thing to say about a job with perks like that, "it's great work, if you can get it."
Since 2013, Nathan has been the voice of the Tulsa-area Cox Communications high school football broadcasts on the YurView channel.
Nathan enjoys following the local college teams across the country but also has just as much fun driving around Green Country reporting on area games and getting to know local athletes and coaches.
Nathan has won numerous awards in his broadcasting career, including two prestigious Edward R. Murrow regional awards and more than a dozen Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters awards. He has also been nominated for three Emmys. He was also named the 2018 National Sports Media Association Oklahoma Sportscaster of the Year.
Nathan is married to FOX23 weekend anchor Lynn Casey. They had their first child in the fall of 2017. They love playing with Sofia and like to bring her by the station sometimes so everyone at FOX23 can get in their baby fix. Sofia is entranced by the family dog Charlie.
When he's not working, Nathan likes watching movies and TV, and, when he gets a chance, playing golf and basketball.
If you have any good ideas for sports stories or just want to say hi, feel free to send Nathan an email at: nthompson@fox23.com
Luke Slabaugh is a storyteller. He joined the FOX23 Sports team in June 2019.
Luke grew up in St. Louis, Mo. and holds a journalism degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He comes to Tulsa from Knoxville, Tn., where he spent the past three seasons covering the UT Vols football team.
At WBIR-TV, Luke survived Tennessee’s grueling 26-day search for a football coach in 2017. He received a Midsouth Regional Emmy nomination in 2018 for his story on a small-town football team honoring its coach 20 years after his death. He followed the UT basketball team through its conference championship run to the SEC tournament finals in St. Louis in 2018.
In 2015, Luke helped break the story that the University of Missouri football would join in race-related protests on MU’s campus, which garnered national attention. He appeared on NBC Sports Radio during that time. Luke helped cover Mizzou’s coaching search after the 2015 season. He also received a Heart of America Award from the Kansas City Press Club for his story on a 91-year-old competitive diver.
Luke considers his greatest accomplishment in life to have scored a ticket to Game 7 of the 2016 World Series, in which his beloved Chicago Cubs beat the Cleveland Indians in extra innings.
He loves to travel, and hopes to visit every SEC (halfway there!) and Big 12 football stadium. He likes rock music, reading, working out and meeting your dog.
You can be friends with Luke on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. If you have a story that needs to be told, email him at LSlabaugh@fox23.com.
Michael Barber was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
When he's not working on stories for FOX23 he likes to be out me fishing, teaching country dancing, or grilling up barbecue on a nice day....or ugly day.
