Steve Tiger

Authority under an elected board

Steve Tiger is the superintendent and chief executive officer of Tulsa Tech. The district’s seven elected board members set policy, select the superintendent and provide the financial means to carry out their plans. Tiger serves as the administrative head: he recommends personnel and policy, implements board decisions, approves purchase orders and arranges annual audits. The policy manual also assigns him responsibilities for instruction and student discipline. Those duties give him substantial influence over daily operations and recommendations reaching the board, while the board retains its governing authority. Tulsa Tech and Tulsa Public Schools are separate districts; a partnership between them does not place either superintendent in charge of the other district.

A career through Oklahoma technology centers

Tulsa Tech dates Tiger’s selection to June 25, 2012. Its biography describes a career beginning in crisis counseling for Oklahoma City Public Schools after the Murrah Federal Building bombing. He subsequently worked at Meridian Technology Center, Central Tech, the state career-education department and Pioneer Technology Center before leading Tulsa Tech. The biography places his work across student services, instruction, campus administration and statewide support. These are institutional descriptions; precise dates for the earlier positions are not supplied. Tiger earned business-administration and counseling degrees at the University of Central Oklahoma and a doctorate in educational administration and human-resource development at Oklahoma State University. The Journal Record also reports those qualifications.

Career & public service

1. Before 2012

   CareerTech administration

   District biography records roles at Meridian, Central Tech, the state department and Pioneer before Tulsa Tech.

   Tulsa Tech: Steve Tiger executive biography ↗
2. June 25, 2012

   Selected to lead Tulsa Tech

   The district dates his superintendent and CEO selection to this day.

   Tulsa Tech: Steve Tiger executive biography ↗
3. 2018

   Professional profile

   The Journal Record profiled Tiger among its Most Admired CEOs.

   Journal Record: Steve Tiger CEO profile ↗
4. 2026

   Chamber board

   Current roster identifies Tiger as a director representing his Tulsa Tech affiliation.

   Tulsa Regional Chamber: 2026 board ↗
5. October 2026

   Central partnership

   TPS and Tulsa Tech announced the planned polytechnic model.

   TPS: expanded Tulsa Tech partnership ↗

People, institutions and the relationships between them

Following the connections

Each step below represents a documented relationship. Dates and roles belong to the individual links; a path can span different periods.

Documented relationships

6 documented relationships · Historical and current roles remain distinct.

Implementation questions behind the announcement

The Tulsa Flyer reported that the Central program would begin the following school year and add offerings through 2028–29. Students would still apply for the career-training programs. The report described expected cost-sharing and use of TPS bond resources to prepare facilities, while details affecting athletics and fine arts remained unsettled at the announcement. These are material implementation questions: expanding seats requires facilities, staff and accessible admissions, and the announced ambition must eventually be tested against actual enrollment and completion. The reporting does not establish Tiger as the decision-maker for TPS’s separate school-closure process.

Central High and access to career education

In October 2026, Tiger joined Tulsa Public Schools leaders in announcing a polytechnic model at Central High School. TPS described pathways in health and emergency services, automotive and transportation, technology and infrastructure, and personal professional services. The stated purpose is to expand access to career credentials alongside high-school education and reduce waiting lists. This is a district partnership with a planned rollout, not evidence that the new school has already opened or that participants have earned credentials. TPS’s October 30 growth update continued to describe Central as a forthcoming part of its expansion strategy.

Connections to employers and economic development

The Tulsa Regional Chamber’s 2026 board roster lists Tiger with his Tulsa Tech affiliation. That seat connects the public training district to a regional business organization; it does not make the Chamber a governing body of Tulsa Tech. In the Chamber’s August 2026 announcement about Google’s Tulsa County data center, Tiger described the district’s role in training people who build facilities and operate their systems. His statement shows how he presents career education in an economic-development setting. It does not establish a Google contract with Tiger, personal compensation from the company or guaranteed jobs for students.

Facilities and program choices

In Tulsa Tech’s June 2026 podcast, Tiger discussed the developing Career Education Center at Lemley Memorial Campus and the importance of deciding its programming. This connects a physical campus project to the educational choices his office helps formulate. As an institutional interview, it records the administration’s priorities rather than an independent evaluation of project performance. The relevant public accountability remains the board’s policies, approved expenditures, construction progress and eventual capacity to serve students.

Check the record

Sources & corrections

Research checked 2026-11-01. Roles and financial figures retain their source dates. Sections appear only when supported material is available; an omitted section is not a finding that no such relationship exists.

1. Tulsa Tech: Steve Tiger executive biography ↗

   Primary institutional record · Checked 2026-11-01

   Appointment June25,2012; earlier career and degrees. Institutional biography; employment durations/graduation dates not supplied.

2. Tulsa Tech policy manual ↗

   Primary institutional record · Source date 2025-10-27 · Checked 2026-11-01

   PDF pages26 and46–49 (1-based), Section2 pages1,21–24: board legal status, superintendent duties, relationship and salary. Original retrieved.

3. TPS: expanded Tulsa Tech partnership ↗

   Primary institutional record · Source date 2026-10-06 · Checked 2026-11-01

   Central High polytechnic partnership announced, proposed pathways and access. Announcement not completed outcomes.

4. Tulsa Flyer: Central High polytechnic announcement ↗

   Independent reporting · Source date 2026-10-05 · Checked 2026-11-01

   Anna Colletto: Tiger/Johnson announcement, application process, cost-sharing and staged launch through2028–29; remaining arts/athletics details.

5. TPS: growth strategy ↗

   Primary institutional record · Source date 2026-10-30 · Checked 2026-11-01

   Latest institutional follow-up still describes Central polytechnic school as slated, not operational; waitlist reported.

6. Tulsa Regional Chamber: 2026 board ↗

   Primary institutional record · Checked 2026-11-01

   Names Dr.Steve Tiger with TulsaTech affiliation. Identity-checks existing stable directory seat.

7. Chamber: Google data-center announcement ↗

   Primary institutional record · Source date 2026-08-19 · Checked 2026-11-01

   Tiger statement describes training builders and technicians; no personal contract, student placement guarantee or district financial award established.

8. Journal Record: Steve Tiger CEO profile ↗

   Independent reporting · Source date 2018-05-01 · Checked 2026-11-01

   Confirms degrees; institutional performance praise attributed to colleague, not independent causal outcome evaluation.

9. Tulsa Tech: Putting a Bow on 60 Years ↗

   Primary institutional record · Source date 2026-06-04 · Checked 2026-11-01

   Institutional interview addresses Lemley Career Education Center and programming decisions; no cost or completion claim used.