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Sam Combs was named president of ONEOK Distribution Companies in February 2005. He has responsibility for the operations of all of ONEOK’s natural gas distribution companies Kansas Gas Service, Texas Gas Service and Oklahoma Natural Gas Company. ONEOK Distribution Companies serves more than 2 million customers.
Prior to assuming his current job, Combs held engineering, marketing and management positions at Oklahoma Natural Gas Company. He became vice president of the company’s Oklahoma City District in 1996 and was named vice president of the Western Region in 1998. Combs was promoted to president and chief operating officer in 2001.
A Bristow, Oklahoma, native, Combs holds a bachelor of science degree in industrial engineering from Oklahoma State University. He graduated from the Executive Program at the University of Michigan’s Business School in 1999 and has completed advanced studies at Harvard University.
His strong belief in community involvement is reflected in his service to a wide range of organizations. He is a director of First Fidelity Bank, i2E Inc., the Southern Gas Association and SSM Health Care of Oklahoma. He also serves on the Governor’s Council on Workforce and Economic Development and on the boards of the Oklahoma State University Foundation and The State Chamber, among others. He is past president of Leadership of Oklahoma, past board chair of the Urban League of Greater Oklahoma City and a former member of the Oklahoma Judicial Nominating Commission.
Combs is a member of the Executive Leadership Council and the National Association of Corporate Directors. He completed the Minority Director Development Program at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management in 2004.
He has been recognized and honored for contributions to his community and state. He was named as one of the 75 most powerful African-Americans in corporate America, by Black Enterprise magazine and was named an Oklahoma Star by Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry and the Department of Commerce. Combs also received a Distinguished Alumni Award from Oklahoma State University. | 