November 6, 2025
Big Bets for America: Oklahoma City Recap

Share
Tweet
Post

Heartland Forward and The Rockefeller Foundation co-hosted Big Bets for America: Oklahoma City, a one-day gathering of policymakers, philanthropists, investors, entrepreneurs and industry leaders. More than 200 leaders engaged in critical discussions to encourage greater collaboration on shared priorities, harnessing the latest innovations while spotlighting new economic opportunities to improve lives across the heartland and beyond. Big Bets for America: Oklahoma City featured sessions on health and nutritious food, defense innovation, artificial intelligence, workforce development and investment readiness. 

Key Heartland Forward announcements included:

  • Heartland Forward’s Center for Investment Readiness. The Center for Investment Readiness will serve as a dedicated hub for research and strategic program development, working to enhance investor confidence and support thriving businesses in the heartland. Its cornerstone initiative, 30 by 2030, will create a model for investment readiness across the region.
  • Heartland Forward’s AI Caucus. The Heartland AI Caucus is a bipartisan group of state executive and legislative leaders committed to harnessing the power of AI in the heartland, ensuring the heartland is ready to lead in the age of AI. Announced at the event, Arkansas Senate President Pro Tempore Bart Hester will help lead the Caucus focusing on developing and advocating for an AI strategy guided by safety, transparency and strong coordination across state government, education, health care and  workforce.
  • The BlackRock Foundation Doubles Down on the Skilled Trades: The BlackRock Foundation, and Heartland Forward announced a partnership to connect more people to opportunities in the high-demand skilled trades across the Heartland region. By bringing together high school students and local skilled trades employers and training providers, next generation talent will be inspired to pursue pathways that strengthen their communities. Support from The BlackRock Foundation will help establish a full-time position at Heartland Forward focused on workforce development to grow skilled workforce opportunities in both Arkansas and Oklahoma and to work alongside rootEd students in Arkansas.

Key quotes from Big Bets for America: Oklahoma City included:

  • “Across the Heartland, communities are filled with determination, creativity, and pride. What they often need are the tools, the data, and the partnerships to turn that potential into lasting opportunity,” said Krista Cupp, Executive Vice President of Partnerships and Events, Heartland Forward. “That is why Heartland Forward is launching the Center for Investment Readiness–to drive real economic progress across the Heartland. We know this region is a place to innovate, to invest, and to grow, and it is time the world sees that too.”
  • “The Rockefeller Foundation has had a focus for more than 100 years on helping families and vulnerable communities, around the world and right here at home, be more hopeful about the future,” said Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, President of The Rockefeller Foundation. “And we are hopeful about the future. We see technology frontiers helping to solve challenges like chronic disease. We see that artificial intelligence is taking away a lot of jobs, but also creating massive new opportunities that can transform the ways we live and work. We see young people all over the planet, including right here at home, having pathways where they can be productive citizens, work in jobs that give them dignity, and live in communities that can become affordable.”
  • “As long as we have the freedom in America to get an education, to build a business, to pursue a career, the American Dream isn’t dead and, this year, we are going to reignite the American Dream,” said Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt. “For the American Dream to thrive, Americans need access to good jobs, a relevant and impactful education system, and energy that can power our future.”
  • “It was a fantastic opportunity to host this event in Oklahoma City,” said Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt.  “Much of our city’s success is built on public-private partnership, and there were a lot of potential partners in the room today.  There were also a lot of people who can draw inspiration from our city’s journey, and we welcome those opportunities as well.  Oklahoma City is truly one of the great success stories of the Heartland, and we are always thrilled to share that story.”
  • “Culturally, the Midwest – the Heartland, the southern parts of the U.S. – are oriented towards the military. At our state universities, the percentage of U.S. nationals conducting advanced research at universities is much higher than it is in many of the institutions on the coasts. And yet, the defense research and development dollars historically have not flowed into this part of the country,” said Jay Harrison, CEO and Founder of Xtremis. “We are already starting to see that change. The workforce opportunities here – and that cultural connection to the military – make it possible for us to recruit high-end talent to the heartland.”
  • “As a resource for states and local communities, we are committed to helping heartland states tackle big issues like artificial intelligence,” said Angie Cooper, president of Heartland Forward. “That is why we are honored today to launch the first-of-its-kind Heartland AI Caucus. Convening heartland leaders, providing cutting edge research and insights to policymakers will advance smart AI policy and help the heartland fully harness the power of AI.”

Big Bets for America: Oklahoma City in the news: