Stan Khrapak

Where did you start your career?
I got my B.S. in education, with a minor in business, and my Master’s in higher education administration from the University of Oklahoma. I met my now-wife in graduate school, and we moved to Colorado, where I worked for Colorado State University as an engagement operations manager. While I loved higher education, my wife was feeling a bit homesick for Tulsa. I was fortunate to become a member of the inaugural cohort of Tulsa Remote, and I brought my remote job with me so we could move back here.

Once in Tulsa, I became the operations manager for the Holbertson School, which teaches software engineering. And then, through my local network, I was able to connect with inTulsa and pitch my idea for the inTulsa Visa Network.

What inspired the inTulsa Visa Network, and how did it get launched?
I’m originally from Ukraine, and when the war broke out there, I was living here and I felt disconnected and unable to help. I had family who were still there and impacted by the war.

At the same time, a lot of companies were starting up in Tulsa and moving to Tulsa, and there just wasn’t enough local, highly skilled talent to fill those critical skills gaps. Combine that with some of the global geopolitical issues that are happening, and there are a lot of highly skilled workers who are now displaced.

The inTulsa Visa Network originated from an economic development perspective as well as a lens of humanitarian support. This idea gave me a tangible way to help people, not just Ukranians but other people too, who are in similar situations and who just want to live a good life. So, I pitched the idea, and now we have a program that helps relocate international talent to Tulsa.

Highlight a bit about the program and what it does.
The program launched in 2022, and there are four components to it. We have a partnership with an immigration law firm, and we help put together the legal framework for foreign nationals to come to Tulsa. Once they’re