Okla. State prez named to Chesapeake Energy board

OKLAHOMA CITY—Oklahoma State University President Burns Hargis soon will become the newest member of Chesapeake Energy Corp.'s board of directors.

The Oklahoma City-based company announced Hargis' appointment on Monday. His stint on the board will begin on Sept. 15 and he will serve until Chesapeake's 2009 annual meeting of shareholders, when he will stand for election.

Hargis served as vice chairman of BOK Financial Corp., which is the holding company of the state's largest bank, the Bank of Oklahoma, from 1997 until this year.

The longtime attorney became Oklahoma State's president in March. He graduated from the university in 1967 and served for a time on its board of regents.

Chesapeake is the third-largest overall producer of natural gas in the U.S. Other members on its board include Aubrey McClendon, the company's chairman and chief executive officer; former U.S. Sen. Don Nickles of Oklahoma and former Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating.