Ken Levit

Ken Levit is executive director of the George Kaiser Family Foundation, a Tulsa-based philanthropic organization. He previously served as president of the University of Oklahoma–Tulsa and as special counsel to CIA Director George Tenet. ([okhighered.org](https://okhighered.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Bio-Regent-Ken-Levit.pdf?utm_source=openai))

Local Networks Help Communities Turn Relationships Into Shared Opportunity

At Aspen Ideas: Economy in Tulsa, Tommy Loper of the Aspen Institute argues that communities can have many programs yet remain “systems poor” if the organizations behind them lack strong relationships. In a Tulsa nonprofit cohort, network mapping showed a 120% increase in collaborative links, 90% of them between organizations working together for the first time, Loper said. He argues that building these connections helps communities make better use of existing institutions and tackle shared problems.

The Aspen InstituteOct 26, 202611 min read