The OSCO membership elects board members to serve two-year terms. Elections are held annually at our state championship. Families have one vote per scholastic member. For members under the age of 16, a parent or guardian may vote. (Membership is granted to any player who has participated in an OSCO event during the current academic year.)

Once elected, the policy board meets to select officers. This year, the board met on June 30 in Oklahoma City. 

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OSCO policy board 2023-24​

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Tai Shriner (president, elected 2022)

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"I moved to Edmond, Oklahoma in the summer of 2015 with my husband, Rex, son, Hayden (13), and daughter, Sloane (9).  Hayden entered his first tournament four years ago and we haven't looked back.  Over the course of those four years, I've galvanized our players at Casady School to form the Cyclone Chess Team.  

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"Attending OSCO tournaments allowed me the opportunity to meet families from all over Oklahoma as well as the major Oklahoma scholastic “players” (pun intended) who spent countless hours and energy creating a love of chess for our Oklahoma kids!  I couldn't help but volunteer and step into this amazing organization. This year as President has been a whirlwind of learning from the best.  I look forward to this upcoming scholastic year as we continue to grow as a sport and organization."

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Mike Langston (vice president, elected 2023)

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Mike is a business owner and event organizer from Norman. He led the volunteer effort when the Norman Scholastic Chess Club hosted the 2023 Grade Championships. His son, Parker, is now in his third year as a tournament player. 

 

"Over the years Parker has played in OSCO events, he has blossomed into a more confident chess player and person," Mike said. "Chess teaches many valuable lessons through friendly competition and strong relationships. It is a worthwhile endeavor to use our time and assets to support organizations like this one. It's an honor to serve on the OSCO board of directors."

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Guy Holland (treasurer, elected 2023)

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Guy is the chess coach at Lawton Academy of Arts and Sciences. He earned his Bachelors of Science in Anthropology (with honors) from the College of Charleston in 2002, and his Juris Doctorate from the University of South Carolina in 2005. After working for the Supreme Court of South Carolina, he joined the ERISA litigation group at O’Melveny & Meyers in Washington D.C. Mr. Holland is an active member of the District of Columbia Bar. Upon the birth of his second child, he became a stay-at-home father and home educator.

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He has lived in South Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, Hawaii, and Oklahoma. He enjoys traveling and learning about different cultures. He adores Norway. His academic interests include mathematical theory, space law, admiralty law, and human adaptation. He enjoys video games, kayaking, hiking, and stargazing.

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Feng Li (secretary, elected 2022)

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"My name is Feng Li, and I go by Fiby. I am from Edmond and represent Casady School on the OSCO board. My son, Raymond Jiang, who is a high school freshman, started playing chess in scholastic tournaments about six years ago. Thanks to all the volunteers’ hard work, he enjoys playing chess and has stayed on ever since. 

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"Last year I decided to join OSCO as a board member to pay back to the chess community that has served my son and me so well. This position not only allows me to utilize what I know to serve the chess community and help chess kids in Oklahoma, but also continues to improve myself alongside my son. 

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"Playing chess greatly promotes the development of important skills such as problem solving, decision making, critical thinking, planning, and creative thinking. We have been blessed and benefited so much from chess. As a board member, my goal is to work with other board members to provide a clean, learning, and friendly-competing environment for Oklahoma chess kids and continue to develop OSCO to its best."

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Josie Braddy (at-large, re-elected 2023)

 

Josie exemplifies that old saying about how if you want something done right, give it to a busy person. When OSCO found itself without a chief tournament director, she volunteered to step in—even though she was already serving as OSCO's treasurer, homeschooling her daughter Elizabeth, and teaching algebra at their homeschool collective. She learned the pairings program, got some experience directing small events, then passed the test to earn her local director's certification. A year later, she's well on her way to becoming Oklahoma's only senior-level director.

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Josie handles tournament registration, works with host schools and venue sponsors, fields questions from parents and players, and makes site visits in advance of every event to make sure no detail is overlooked. At any given moment on tournament day, she’ll be busy entering results, pairing rounds, figuring tiebreaks, or carrying out any of the innumerable tasks a chief TD has to handle in order to ensure a smooth event for the rest of us. So you might not even see her. But if you do, say thanks!

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Debasish Roy Choudhury (at-large, elected 2023)

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Debasish works for IBM as an IT professional. Along with his wife, Sanghamita, he runs the Edmond Chess Club and helps out at the Moore Chess Club. His sons are active players at both clubs and participate regularly at scholastic and open tournaments.

 

Along with his family, Debasish is an enthusiastic advocate for youth chess, looking for any opportunity to encourage other families to give it a try.  Unlike video games, he said, chess is a brain game that requires complex analysis and sustained focus and concentration—skills that also help players in academics. “Every parent should  encourage their children to spend some time on chess,” he said.

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He said volunteering for OSCO is important so more kids can have the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of chess, he said, noting that Oklahoma’s scholastic chess community is among the fastest-growing in the nation.  “Many exceptional rising players are representing OSCO at the national level and in many out-of-state tournaments,” he said.

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Praveen Ganapathy (at-large, elected 2022)

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Praveen Ganapathy lives in Edmond with his wife, Aishwarya, and their two sons. Praveen is a sales director at an engineering firm and Aishwarya is an IT professional. They both started volunteering for OSCO soon after their older son, Aayush, became a regular player. This year, Aayush is Oklahoma's representative to the Rockefeller national tournament of elementary state champions. Praveen said he and his family are grateful to the scholastic chess community for all their support during the previous seasons and for providing opportunities for kids like Aayush to represent Oklahoma at the national level.

 

"It's important to create opportunities for kids to explore and showcase their talent and skills," he said. "Volunteering for OSCO means providing a platform for young minds to excel in this wonderful game in Oklahoma. I'm excited and looking forward to working with the other volunteers, parents, and especially with kids who are interested in chess."