David Kyle grew up in Oklahoma City where he graduated from John Marshall High School. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial engineering and management from Oklahoma State University, received a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Tulsa, and is a graduate of Harvard Business School’s advanced management program. Kyle joined the Oklahoma Natural Gas Company, a division of ONEOK, in 1974 and became president and chief operating officer of the company in 1997. In August 2000, he was named ONEOK chairman, president and CEO, and in January 2007, he became chairman of the board, stepping down as president and CEO. He retired from ONEOK in January 2008 and its board in 2011.

Active in civic, community, and industry affairs, Kyle has served as a director of the Bank of Oklahoma, N.A., the Oklahoma Business & Education Coalition, Oklahoma Business Roundtable, Oklahoma Hall of Fame, Tulsa Metro Chamber of Commerce, Oklahoma Academy for State Goals, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Bank One - Oklahoma, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma, Junior Achievement of Greater Tulsa, Tulsa Area United Way, and the Oklahoma State University (OSU) Foundation Board of Governors. He is a Leadership Oklahoma Graduate of Class II. He previously served as trustee of Tulsa Community Foundation, the Philbrook Museum of Art, The University of Tulsa, OSU-Tulsa, the Hillcrest HealthCare System, and the former Children’s Medical Center. Kyle is a former member of the National Petroleum Council and a past director of the American Gas Association and Southern Gas Association. He is past chairman of the Oklahoma Chapter of The Nature Conservancy and of the OSU Foundation Board of Trustees.

Kyle was recognized as a 2002-2003 Outstanding Business Alumnus by The University of Tulsa, College of Business Administration. In 2004, he was inducted into the Oklahoma State University College of Engineering, Architecture, and Technology Hall of Fame. Kyle was inducted into the Tulsa Hall of Fame in October 2006 and the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 2007. He was named a Distinguished Alumni at OSU in 2009 and was inducted into the OSU Hall of Fame in 2016.

After retirement, Kyle focused his attention on a lifetime hobby and has enjoyed a second career as an artist. He studied with internationally-known impressionist painter, Leonard Wren. He works primarily in oils and travels frequently for inspiration. Kyle is a member of the American Impressionist Society and the Oil Painters of America.