OK House Speaker Names 8 Women to Committee Leadership Positions

Oklahoma House of Representatives Speaker Kris Steele has announced the committee chairs and vice-chairs for the 2011 and 2012 legislative sessions. There are 70 Republicans in the House in 2011 and 26 committees - i.e., 52 slots (although 6 vice-chairmanships actually went to Democrats).

Six chairmanships went to women: 
Pam Peterson (Human Services)
Sue Tibbs (Public Safety)
Ann Coody (Common Education)
Sally Kern (Long-Term Care and Senior Services)
Lee Denney (Appropriations Subcommittee on Education)
Lisa Billy (Appropriations Subcommittee on Public Safety)

Two vice-chairmanships went to women: 
Marian Cooksey (Appropriations Subcommittee on Public Health and Social Services)
Leslie Osborn (Appropriations Subcommittee on Natural Resources and Regulatory Services)

Congrats, ladies! Women rock!!!

You can see all committee leadership positions by clicking here.

Paula Pechonick is 1st Female Delaware Tribe Chief

Bartlesville-based Delaware Tribe elected its first female chief recently.

Paula Pechonick defeated the current chief, Jerry Douglas, 44% to 38%.

Pechonick has 15 years experience serving on the Delaware Tribal Council, on the tribe's Trust Council, and as a tribal judge.

Here is her Facebook page and an article on her at Native American Times.

Oklahoma's "Five Indian Ballerinas"

There is a lovely article in The Oklahoman on Sunday, Nov 28, 2010 entitled "State's 5 Indian ballerinas turn out graceful heritage." There is good information about all five of these remarkable women - Moscelyne Larkin, Marjorie Tallchief, Maria Tallchief, Rosella Hightower and Yvonne Chouteau - in the article but EVEN BETTER is the additional pictures and video at The Oklahoman's archival webpage. Check it out at ndepth.newsok.com/five-indian-ballerinas.
These five Oklahomans are depicted in the State Capitol *(see image of mural above) and were declared "Oklahoma's Treasures" by former Governor Frank Keating in 1997.

Oklahoma Champions for Early Opportunity (OKCEO) Push for early Childhood Education

Last Wednesday, Oklahoma leaders from across Oklahoma met at the Governor's Mansion to launch "Oklahoma Champions for early Opportunity" or OK-CEO. They pledged to spend the next year promoting projects that will better prepare Oklahoma infants and toddlers for school. First Lady Kim Henry kicked off the event which was organized by the Potts Family Foundation, Smart Start Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Business Roundtable.

"If we invest in early childhood we can improve our economic climate in Oklahoma and we won't loose as many people as we do to remediation and incarceration," said Pat Potts, Potts Family Foundation President, pictured here with her husband Ray Potts.

The photo is from The Oklahoman article about the event and the quote is from the KSBI blog post which also features a video clip.

Oklahoma Arts Council Honors Oklahoma Women

Fifteen individuals and organizations were recently honored for their significant contributions to the arts in Oklahoma. The awards ceremony took place November 10, 2010 on the fourth floor Rotunda of the Oklahoma State Capitol. Two women -- Ann Graves of Tulsa and Michi Susan of Oklahoma City -- received the Governor’s Arts Award. Other Oklahoma women were also recognized at this Oklahoma Arts Council sponsored annual event. You can read about them in this Oklahoman article and in this Tulsa World article.

Roberta Preston to Head Girl Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma

Congratulations, Roberta Preston, on being selected the next CEO of Girl Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma. Click here for details. 

OU's Jill Irvine Doing Research in the Balkans

Great news for Dr. Jill Irvine, Director of the Women's and Gender Studies Program at the University of Oklahoma. She received a US State Department Research Fellowship and will be working as a Research Associate at the Five Colleges Women's Studies Research Center at Mt. Holyoke and as an affiliate  of Harvard University's Center for European Studies. She'll travel to the Balkans to do fieldwork on women, war, and political transformation.

OCU Grads Angela Monson, Martha Peixotto-Smith, Ekaterina Marsakova Zoubkova Honored

Oklahoma City University's Alumni Association will honor several special alum this weekend including Angela Monson, Martha Pelxotto-Smith, Ekaterina Marsakova Zoubkova. Here is what OCU says about these extraordinary women:

Monson, ’76, was elected chair of the Oklahoma City School Board last year. She has been engaged in activities related to health care policy for 28 years and currently serves as associate provost for the Office of Community Partnerships and Health Policy at the Oklahoma University Health Sciences Center. She also serves as an adjunct associate professor in the department of family and preventive medicine. She is a member of the OU Medical Center Board of Trustees and of the Oklahoma City/County Board of Health. Monson was a member of the Oklahoma State Senate from 1993 until November 2005 and of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from November 1990 until her election to the Senate. She was the primary sponsor or co-sponsor for much of the legislation pertaining to health care coverage, financing and delivery systems in Oklahoma and was one of the chief architects of the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, the state’s Medicaid Agency. As a community activist, Monson has worked with elementary schools, churches and other community organizations providing technical support and assistance to many after-school programs and other related initiatives.

Peixotto-Smith, ’06, earned her Masters in Nursing Degree from OCU’s Kramer School of nursing. She is retired as director of emergency services, outpatient services and the transplant program at St. Anthony Hospital. Peixotto-Smith also served on the Governors Council for trauma Legislation and Emergency Preparedness. She continues to serve on the Oklahoma State board of Health Traumatic Brain Injury Council and outreach programs,such as the largest feeding program in Tulsa with trinity Episcopal Parish. Peixotto-Smith teaches part-time for Oklahoma City University. She said herlife has been enriched by attending OCU, not only helping her re-tool from an acute-care nurse to a nurse educator, but also pointing her to serve in the science and art of nursing wherever she is called.

Zoubkova, ’95, learned about OCU through St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City. A native of Ulyanovsk, Russia, she transferred to OCU in 1994 and decided to become a pastor. After graduating from OCU, Zoubkova attended the Saint Paul School of Theology in Kansas City and then returned to Russia to begin serving a church in Pervouralsk, Siberia. Her husband’s job later took her to Tyumen, Siberia, where there was no United Methodist Church so Zoubkova became a social worker and started a local church. Today, she serves as pastor of the Tyumen United Methodist Church of the Salvation and is the only female pastor in the region. Her church is involved in humanitarian aid to former orphans now in prison and to orphans in Usalka and Uspenka. She also conducts a prison ministry prisoners and guards.

Congratulations!

Source. http://www.okcu.edu/news/?id=4721

E. Ann Nalley Inducted Into Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame

Dr. E. Ann Nalley, Professor of Chemistry at Cameron University, was inducted into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame last month. She was the only woman among the 11 academic inductees this year. Congratulations, Dr. Nalley! Read more here.  The Hall of Fame is a program of the Oklahoma Higher Education Heritage Society.

"Muscogee Daughter"

Susan Supernaw was Miss Oklahoma of 1971 and wrote a book about her experience -  "Muscogee Daughter: My Sojourn to the Miss American Pageant" - a  decade ago. Her book manuscript received the Native Writers' "Circle of the Americas Award" in 2003 but the book took a while to get published. Now University of Nebraska Press has published this fascinating tale. I am eager to read it and add it to my Oklahoma Women library! You can read Betty Lytle's book review in The Oklahoman here and a review of the book in Monsters and Critics here.

Kristen Chenoweth to be Inducted into OK Hall of FameInduct Kristin Chenoweth, Judy Love Tomorrow

The Oklahoma Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is November 4. Six Oklahomans will be inducted including two women -- Judy Love and Kristin Chenoweth. Read more about the program and honorees here.

Jennifer Seal Named Oklahoma's Preserve America History Teacher of the Year

Putnam City North High School teacher Jennifer Seal has been selected the Oklahoma Preserve America History Teacher for 2010.

One teacher is selected from each state. Read more about Seal, what she and her school get along with the honor, and what comes next for Seal HERE.