The Hudsons are inspiring public health leaders, supporting our students and researchers through their generous investments and setting a national standard. Their commitment to ensuring the availability of public health education and cultural opportunities to the citizens of Oklahoma exemplifies the College’s commitment to transformative public service.
Dr. Leslie and Mr. Clifford Hudson have been part of the OU family since the 1970s. Dr. Leslie Hudson completed her undergraduate degree in physical therapy in 1977, followed by a master’s degree in public health and doctorate in epidemiology at the OU Health Sciences Center in 1990. She joined the College of Public Health faculty, specializing in epidemiology. In service to the university, Dr. Hudson serves on the College of Public Health Advisory Board and is a past member of the Presidential Professorship selection committee and the advisory board of the OU Breast Health Institute. In 2017, she was awarded the Regents’ Alumni Award and, in 2019, the University’s highest honor, an honorary doctoral degree in humane letters.
Clifford Hudson attended the University of Oklahoma with a Phi Beta Kappa Scholarship and as a member of the President’s Leadership Class, earning a bachelor’s degree in history in 1977 and a law degree from Georgetown University. Cliff is the former Chairman and CEO of Sonic Corp., and now serves Of Counsel to Crowe & Dunlevy. From 1994-2001, Cliff also served as the chairman to the Board of Directors of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC), a presidential appointment, and is a former trustee of the Ford Foundation (New York), and past chairman of the board of trustees of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Hudson has been involved with the university in numerous capacities. He has served on the Board of Visitors of the College of Arts and Sciences, the K20 Center and the University of Oklahoma Foundation Board of Trustees, where he chaired the Investment Committee. In addition to receiving a Regents’ Alumni Award, he was awarded the University’s highest honor, the honorary doctorate in humane letters in 2011.
In 2020 both Leslie and Clifford Hudson were presented with the Distinguished Service Award in honor of their transformative service to the state and University.