About 900 junior and senior high school students from across Oklahoma will hear the “Sound of Success” at the 61st Annual DECA Leadership Development Conference March 7-9, at Tulsa Southern Hills Marriott.

DECA is the career and technology student organization associated with marketing education. The conference features students participating in 33 competitive events in categories such as sports and entertainment marketing, retail merchandising, travel and tourism marketing and creative marketing research.

Lettie Dilbeck, state marketing education program administrator and DECA advisor, said that about 90 business leaders will rate competition entries.

“It’s very important for business people to serve as judges,” she said. “Students learn valuable lessons about the real world of marketing from interacting with business and industry leaders.”

Keynote speakers will be David Shelton, National DECA president and Cory Cox, from Del City, elected National DECA Southern Region vice president last year at the national convention. The welcome address will be by Dr. David Sawyer, Superintendent of Tulsa Public Schools.

“In Tulsa we will again, for the second year, have the Leadership Development Academy for sophomores,” Dilbeck said. “This event drew attention last year with the virtual mall simulation project.”

Gene Warner, who retired last year as the Oklahoma marketing education state program administrator and Darin Dredge, consultant and facilitator for the Youth Entrepreneurs of Kansas will lead the mall-building activity.

The awards and recognition session will be at Union High School, Tulsa. Winners of the state competitive events will represent the United States at the International DECA Leadership Development Conference held this year in Nashville.