Carl Renfro was born in Oklahoma City, moved to and was raised in Kansas City, Missouri, then moved to Ponca City, Oklahoma, in 1968. He was chairman and CEO of Pioneer Bank & Trust from 1979-2006. He has a deep sense of affection for Oklahoma and all the people and has become a community and state leader promoting arts, education, economic development and the preservation of Oklahoma history.

Renfro graduated from the University of Missouri, Kansas City, in 1960 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

Renfro was past chairman of the Oklahoma Bankers Association Senior Banking Management Committee and past president, chairman and director of the Kiwanis Club, Crime Stoppers, the Chamber of Commerce President’s Club, St. Joseph Medical Foundation, Ponca City Friends of Education, Ponca City Economic Foundation and a number of other organizations.

Renfro is chairman of the board of Cushing Valley Hope, where he and his wife, Carolyn, established a permanent endowment scholarship fund for patients with addictions. He also served on the board of directors of Harmony House, which serves citizens with addictions, for the past 20 years.

In 1993, Renfro co-founded the Standing Bear Native American Foundation and Standing Bear Native American Park. This park and foundation is overseen by a Native American committee consisting of leaders from six neighboring tribes: Kaw, Osage, Otoe-Missouri, Pawnee, Ponca and Tonkawa. Since 1993, he has raised in excess of $7 million to establish a tribute to Chief Standing Bear, the first civil rights Native American leader. The park now encompasses 160 acres with 2.5 miles of walking trails, a 22-foot bronze statue of Chief Standing Bear, eight tribal Memorial Courts, a powwow arena, an 8,000- square-foot museum and education center, and a recently completed Founders Court and Osage By-way Tribute.

Renfro received the DAR Community Service Award, the Sertoma Service to Mankind Award, the Edward P. Gaylord Oklahoma Heritage Award for Preservation of Oklahoma History, and the Governor’s Art Award for Outstanding Service to the Arts (given by the Oklahoma Arts Commission).

Renfro played a major role in establishing the University Center at Ponca City, which now provides higher education courses from 12 Oklahoma colleges and universities throughout the state. He also established the University Center Foundation, to provide scholarships for needy students, and he and his wife endowed the foundation with permanent scholarship funds. The Renfros also made a contribution to the Northern Oklahoma College Foundation to endow a lectureship series for education, history and the arts. As past chairman of the Marland Mansion Estate and founding board member and chairman of the Marland Mansion Foundation, the Renfros endowed the foundation to support the restoration and preservation of this national historic landmark in Ponca City. The Renfros were honored by the Marland Mansion Foundation and the city of Ponca City by recognizing them on their newly created “Honor Wall.”

Renfro served on the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education for 12 years and served as chairman in 2004.

In 2007, Renfro received the Distinguished Service Award from the Great Expectations Foundation for his past support of education, and he and his wife were honored by NOC, by naming its newest facility the Renfro Nursing and Communications Center.

In November 2008, Renfro was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame.

In 2012, the Renfros provided matching funds to completely renovate a facility as the new home of the Hospice of North Central Oklahoma (a not-for-profit organization), which provides free services for the terminally ill, and recently, Renfro provided funding for a major renovation for Valley Hope in Cushing, Oklahoma.

Renfro resides in Ponca City. He has three children and five grandchildren.