Written by Sharla Bardin
Reprinted with permission from Boyd Street Magazine.

 

Dedicated to serving
MNTC board member honored for involvement in education, community

   Glen Cosper’s decades of community service have been influenced by a desire to build camaraderie and create connections.

   Cosper incorporates these goals into his work as a member of Moore Norman Technology Center’s Board of Education. He said it’s a role that gives him the chance to advocate for students, while also developing relationships with local, state and workforce officials on how the center can help meet community needs.

   The Moore resident has served on the center’s board since 2005 and, in August, will be recognized with a Distinguished Service Award from the Oklahoma State School Boards Association.

   “It was a surprise,” Cosper said, about the recognition. “It means a lot.”

   Cosper said he is grateful to the center’s superintendents, staff and fellow board members he has served with through the years and the work they’ve done to help students.

   It aligns with Cosper’s guiding philosophy that every student “needs hope, opportunity and love. That’s what we are there to provide.”

   The Distinguished Service Award is presented to a present or former member of a public board of education who has exhibited distinguished service to the school and community during his or her tenure on the school board, according to the state school boards association website.

   Factors considered in the award are the length of service, distinguished service acts for students, schools, professionals, patrons, the community and state and distinguished service to the Oklahoma State School Boards Association.

   “Glen Cosper has demonstrated extraordinary, sustained and visionary service to students, schools, education professionals, patrons, the community and the state of Oklahoma through more than three decades of leadership in public education and workforce development,” according to a news release about the award. “His career reflects an unwavering commitment to student opportunity, educational access and the belief that every learner deserves hope, purpose and a viable pathway to success.”

   Cosper is one of five elected members of the technology center’s Board of Education, and members serve five-year terms. Cosper said his involvement in the technology center stemmed from a desire to serve students who were not going to college but, instead, were seeking other career and education options.

   “All students need a path light,” he said. “You just need to know there’s different pathways you can go.”

   Cosper said he’s excited to see the growth in services at the center, including the expansion of programs that were funded by bond issues. That support has helped enhance the center’s programs in areas such as automotive technology, welding, aviation and healthcare. 

   Cosper said he’s also proud of the center’s work with local and state officials and workforce representatives and how those partnerships have helped address training and employment needs in the region.  

   His involvement with the technology center also gives him the opportunity to hear success stories from students, such as how the center gave them educational opportunities or offered them training for a career that can better support their families.  

   “It changes lives and it touches lives,” Cosper said about the center.

    Outside of his work with the technology center, Cosper has served on a variety of local, state, civic and professional organizations that focus on education, workforce development and community advancement. 

 

 

Find this interview in the August 2026 issue of Boyd Street Magazine.