Krystal Reyes

What the office can decide

Mayor Monroe Nichols selected Reyes for an executive appointment beginning February 10, 2025. Her assigned portfolio covers education, youth and resilience, including oversight of the children-and-families office. The Chief Resilience Officer reports to her; Dion’trae Hayes was selected to succeed her in that departmental job in 2025. These are administrative and coordinating powers. The Tulsa City Council retains legislative and budget responsibilities. Convening school and nonprofit leaders does not give the deputy mayor authority to govern their independent institutions.

Education and the path into public service

Reyes’s institutional biography lists a New York University bachelor’s degree in politics and Spanish literature and a master’s in public administration. Exact degree years were not independently established. At a February 2026 Tulsa Community College event, she described how Upward Bound in Illinois helped prepare her for college. That is her account of the program’s influence, not evidence that she studied at TCC. Independent reporting identifies her as Tulsa’s first Latina deputy mayor and describes her use of Spanish to communicate with residents and community organizations.

Career & public service

1. 2008–2013

   New York City government

   Senior advisor for children and family services, according to the City’s appointment biography.

   City of Tulsa — deputy mayor appointment ↗
2. 2013–2015

   South Bronx nonprofit leadership

   Executive director of Hunts Point Alliance for Children.

   City of Tulsa — deputy mayor appointment ↗
3. 2015–2019

   New York public health

   Community-engagement director in the family-and-child-health division.

   City of Tulsa — deputy mayor appointment ↗
4. May 6, 2019

   Tulsa resilience appointment

   Bynum appointed Reyes Chief Resilience Officer, effective that day.

   City of Tulsa — resilience appointment ↗
5. 2024

   Nonprofit and state-policy work

   United Way director recorded in its tax return; presented Flourish Tulsa to a state task force.

   Tulsa Area United Way — original 2024 Form 990 ↗Oklahoma — Work Permits and Visas Task Force report ↗
6. February 10, 2025

   Deputy mayor

   Effective start specified in the January 14 announcement.

   City of Tulsa — deputy mayor appointment ↗
7. May 2025

   Children’s Cabinet

   Named chair at the Cabinet’s launch.

   City of Tulsa — Children’s Cabinet launch ↗
8. November 1, 2026 — announced

   Youth-office director transition

   Latta’s scheduled start remains future as of this review.

   City of Tulsa — Latta appointment announcement ↗

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

18 documented relationships · Historical and current roles remain distinct.

Dated public records

Compensation & campaign finance

Reported policy dispute

Progress claims and public scrutiny

In February 2026, the Tulsa Flyer reported delayed youth-office initiatives, an unfinished public fiscal map and gaps in the published methodology behind claimed results. Reyes defended the work as building the infrastructure needed for implementation; Nichols said a new office needed time. A later City presentation reported five activated Action Alliances and described pilots, the fiscal map and year-over-year tracking as work still to come. Its website label says July 2026 while its cover says May 2026. This establishes a later account of activity, not independent proof that the promised economic-mobility gains occurred. The distinction matters when judging Reyes’s coordinating role: convening organizations and establishing processes are observable steps, while effects on young people require further measurement.

New York experience, then Tulsa

The City’s appointment biography dates her service as senior advisor for children and family services in the New York City Mayor’s Office to 2008–2013, executive director of Hunts Point Alliance for Children to 2013–2015, and community-engagement director in the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s family-and-child-health division to 2015–2019. The earlier Tulsa hiring announcement describes nonprofit program management, fundraising and collaboration among agencies. These roles explain her experience joining public services with community organizations; they do not establish continuing authority over her former employers.

From resilience administration to executive oversight

G.T. Bynum appointed Reyes Chief Resilience Officer effective May 6, 2019. The job included implementing the Resilient Tulsa Strategy, tracking human-rights complaints and supporting advisory commissions. By 2025 the City credited her tenure with language-access work, financial empowerment services, immigrant inclusion and youth mental-health initiatives. Those are the administration’s descriptions of her record. A separate state task-force report records her July 2024 presentation on Flourish Tulsa, including credential recognition and barriers faced by internationally trained workers. That was a presentation to the task force, not a seat on it.

How the children-and-families partnership works

The Tulsa Children’s Cabinet brings institutional leaders together to advise the Mayor’s Office of Children, Youth and Families. Its launch announcement named Reyes chair and identified ImpactTulsa as the nonprofit implementing and staffing the work. The public office, advisory cabinet and nonprofit are distinct bodies. The City’s target is to put 15,000 additional young people on a path toward economic mobility by 2030; it is not a count of completed outcomes. In February 2026 the Cabinet adopted transportation, housing stability, early literacy and youth workforce as priorities. The July-linked year-one presentation continued to describe ImpactTulsa’s role in coordination and outcome tracking.

An announced change in youth-office leadership

On August 7, 2026, the City announced that Laura Latta would become director of the Mayor’s Office of Children, Youth and Families on November 1. Latta was then leading the Tulsa Higher Education Consortium and had participated in the Children’s Cabinet. The announcement records a future start, not a completed transition as of this profile’s October 5 review. It also describes continued work on Action Alliance pilots. Reyes’s deputy-mayor oversight and the director’s operational assignment remain separate roles.

Public health, higher education and Beyond Apology

The Tulsa Health Department lists Reyes as a City-appointed member of the Tulsa City-County Board of Health, initially appointed in July 2019, with a term expiring May 1, 2031. The board advises the health director, sets public-health policy and helps establish the agency budget. Its April 15, 2026 minutes record her affirmative vote on a Food Advisory Council appointment. She also represents the City on the Tulsa Higher Education Consortium’s advisory board and serves as the Mayor’s designee on the Beyond Apology Commission. The latter researches and recommends measures addressing the legacy of the 1921 Race Massacre, including housing equity; membership does not itself authorize an individual to award compensation.

Cultural service with a precise institutional boundary

The Woody Guthrie Center’s current page lists Reyes on the advisory board of Friends of American Song Archives, identifying her City of Tulsa affiliation. Friends supports American Song Archives, which operates the Woody Guthrie Center and Bob Dylan Center. The same page names George Kaiser Family Foundation as the Woody Guthrie Center’s founder. These are distinct roles: Reyes’s listed advisory service belongs to the support organization; it does not make her a foundation trustee, owner of the archives or director of either museum.

Historical nonprofit service and disclosed compensation

Tulsa Area United Way’s 2024 nomination slate identified Reyes as an existing director. Its calendar-2024 Form 990 independently lists her as a director and reports US$0 in each of the three compensation columns. The return was prepared August 19 and filed August 20, 2025; the row is on PDF page 13, printed page 11, Part VII continuation, entry 42. These figures concern United Way and related-organization compensation, not her City salary or total income. She is absent from the current United Way board page reviewed, so this profile preserves the historical service without inventing a departure date. No newer return was listed in the filing index checked.

Check the record

Sources & corrections

Research checked 2026-10-05. 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 City Council · Government branches and responsibilities ↗

   Primary source · Checked 2026-09-26

2. City of Tulsa · Mayor’s management team ↗

   Primary source · Checked 2026-09-30

   Named management and department-head entries. Rechecked September 30, 2026: Anna America still has combined deputy/director title despite reported August reassignment; Dennis Larsen succession remains separately held for October 1 verification.

3. Tulsa Area United Way — board and cabinets ↗

   primary · Checked 2026-10-03

   Full Board of Directors: Susan Bynum, OU-Tulsa. Officer and cabinet roles separately listed; no personal grant authority inferred.

4. Tulsa Higher Education Consortium — advisory board ↗

   primary · Checked 2026-10-03

   College/university leadership roster lists Susan Bynum, Vice President, University of Oklahoma-Tulsa.

5. City of Tulsa — Children’s Cabinet launch ↗

   primary · Source date 2025-05-22 · Checked 2026-10-03

   PublishedMay22,2025; archivedJune19 is not publication date. Membership includes Gilbert; MOCYF overseen by Deputy Mayor and staffed by ImpactTulsa.

6. City of Tulsa — deputy mayor appointment ↗

   primary · Source date 2025-01-14 · Checked 2026-10-05

   January14 announcement, effective February10,2025; assigned portfolio, dated NYC career and historical nonprofit affiliations.

7. City of Tulsa — resilience appointment ↗

   primary · Source date 2019-05-06 · Checked 2026-10-05

   Effective May6,2019; responsibilities and institutional biography.

8. City of Tulsa — Hayes succeeds Reyes ↗

   primary · Source date 2025-02-27 · Checked 2026-10-05

   CRO reports to deputy mayor; successor scheduled March24.

9. Tulsa Flyer — Reyes profile ↗

   independent-reporting · Source date 2026-03-30 · Checked 2026-10-05

   Angelica Perez; independently reported profile, community voices, Spanish language and move from New York.

10. Black Portraiture[s] — Reyes biography ↗

    institutional-biography · Checked 2026-10-05

    Conference biography: NYU politics/Spanish literature BA and MPA; self-description, degree years not established.

11. Tulsa Community College — TRIO Day ↗

    primary · Source date 2026-02-26 · Checked 2026-10-05

    February23 event; Reyes describes Illinois Upward Bound participation; no attendance at TCC inferred.

12. City of Tulsa — children and youth office ↗

    primary · Checked 2026-10-05

    February5,2026 priorities and later meeting summaries; goal15000 by2030 is a target, not achieved outcomes.

13. Tulsa Flyer — youth-office first-year scrutiny ↗

    independent-reporting · Source date 2026-02-11 · Checked 2026-10-05

    Reported delayed initiatives, fiscal map and measurement limitations; City response. Contract amounts not independently adopted here.

14. City of Tulsa — youth-office year-one presentation ↗

    primary · Checked 2026-10-05

    Linked as July2026; cover says May2026. PDF pp12–15 describe five activated alliances, future pilots, fiscal map and tracking infrastructure. Preserve date-label discrepancy.

15. City of Tulsa — Latta appointment announcement ↗

    primary · Source date 2026-08-07 · Checked 2026-10-05

    August7 announcement with November1,2026 future start; no completed transition asserted.

16. Tulsa Health Department — board and minutes ↗

    primary · Checked 2026-10-05

    Reyes City-appointed member; initial July2019, term May1,2031. Board advisory/policy/budget role. April15,2026 minutes record her aye on Food Advisory Council appointment.

17. City of Tulsa — Beyond Apology Commission ↗

    primary · Checked 2026-10-05

    Current mayor’s designee; collective research, recommendations, planning and annual reporting duties.

18. Woody Guthrie Center — Friends advisory board ↗

    primary · Checked 2026-10-05

    Friends of American Song Archives ADVISORY BOARD lists Reyes/City; Friends supports ASA, which operates Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan centers. Distinguish support nonprofit, operator, venues and founder foundation.

19. Tulsa Area United Way — 2024 nominees ↗

    primary · Source date 2024-02-06 · Checked 2026-10-05

    Reyes listed existing director nominated for another term and D&I co-chair. Nomination alone is not election evidence.

20. Tulsa Area United Way — original 2024 Form 990 ↗

    tax-filing · Source date 2025-08-20 · Checked 2026-10-05

    EIN73-0580283; calendar2024; preparedAugust19,2025, filing indexAugust20. PDFp13, printedp11, PartVII continuation row42, columnsD/E/F eachUSD0. Visually inspected; amendment box unchecked. PDF repeats return later; no duplicated amounts.

21. ProPublica — United Way filing index ↗

    primary · Checked 2026-10-05

    Latest listed2024 return filedAugust20,2025. No newer listed; index warns amendments may not appear.

22. Oklahoma — Work Permits and Visas Task Force report ↗

    primary · Checked 2026-10-05

    July11,2024 special-meeting minutes record Reyes presenting Flourish Tulsa credential/workforce program; presenter not task-force membership.