Two Women Inducted To Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame

Nine Oklahoma journalists - including two women - were inducted into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of fame on May 13, 2011. The two Oklahoma women were:

~ Gloria Brown, Managing Editor of the Perry Daily Journal

~ Joan Henderson, Publisher of Oklahoma Today Magazine

Vashina Butler is First Black Female Captain for OK City Police Department

The Oklahoma City Police Department has promoted the first black female to the rank of captain. Congratulations Captain Vashina Butler! You can read her story at http://newsok.com/oklahoma-city-promotes-first-black-female-police-captain/article/3579860

Betty Shaw Elected President of Oklahoma Mortgage Bankers Assocation

Congratulations to Okie Woman Betty Shaw who has been elected President of the Oklahoma Mortgage Bankers Association. A resident of Chickasha, Shaw is Senior Vice President and Mortgage Operations Manager at Spirit Bank in Oklahoma City. You can read an interview with her at http://newsok.com/oklahoma-mortgage-bankers-associations-new-president-sets-sights-on-growth/article/3576084

Ruthe Blalock Jones Selected "Honored One"

Ruthe Blalock Jones was celebrated this past weekend as the "Honored One" at the 2011 Red Earth Festival in OKC. Blalock is a visual artist who has supported and promoted and taught American Indian art her whole life. She is Director Emeritus and Associate Professor of Art, Bacone College, Muskogee, Oklahoma and her paintings are in permanent collections including at the Heard Museum, Five Civilized Tribes Museum and the Museum of the American Indian. This is a great recognition for a most deserving Oklahoma artist. Congratulations, Ruthe!

You can learn more about Blalock at the following sites:

Red Earth Festival:

http://www.redearth.org/red-earth-festival/festival-honors/

http://www.newsok.com/article/3573297

The May/June 2011 issue of Oklahoma Today Magazine:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=183986458318633&set=a.122445254472754.18138.119354361448510&type=1&theater

View some of her amazing works here:
http://www.facebook.com/RutheBlalockJones
http://RutheBlalockJones.com

Image is from http://www.redearth.org

Rebecca Manzer Honored by Metropolitan Tulsa Chamber of Commerce

Rebecca Manzer and her husband run Certified Carpet Cleaning and Restoration in Skiatook, Oklahoma. Rebecca was recently named "Small Business Person of 2011" by the Metropolitan Tulsa Chamber of Commerce. Her 10-year old business saw sales increase 84% over the past year. Manzer also supports schools and organizations that assist women and children. Congratulations, Rebecca! You can read more about the award ceremony on the Chambers website by clicking here.

Image is from the Metropolitan Tulsa Chamber of Commerce website

Teresa Knox Honored by Tulsa Chamber for Entrepreneurial Success

The Metropolitan Tulsa Chamber of Commerce recently honored Tulsan Teresa Knox for her "Entrepreneurial Success." Knox is founder and CEO of Community Care College, Clary Sage College, and Oklahoma Technical College. These private colleges employ 200 and offer 47 degree programs.
Read a nice interview with Knox in the Tulsa Tribune in 2008 HERE. You can read more about the awards event on the Metropolitan Tulsa Chamber of Commerce website by clicking HERE.

Images is from the Clary Sage College Facebook page.

An Overview of Higher Education in Oklahoma

A while back, I accompanied my husband, Larkin, to Stillwater where he spoke to Leadership Oklahoma Class XXIV. The session topic was Oklahoma education and Larkin's assignment was higher education. It was fun to see friends in this year's class including Deena Fisher, Connie Schlittler, Robin Roberts Krieger, Marnie Taylor, Steve Potts and Greg Wheeler.  If you'd like to see Larkin's handout, go to http://bit.ly/lc5NY8.

Liz Hunt Named 2011 Women in Business Champion by Tulsa Chamber

Liz Hunt is Chief Executive of Hunt Media and Marketing, a 10-year old full-service public relations firm in Tulsa. She developed and executed a project that connects small business owners in all 77 Oklahoma counties -- many of which are women-owned -- and is developing leadership opportunities  for these women. She has been named by The Journal Record one of the "50 Women Making A Difference in Oklahoma" and one of Oklahoma's outstanding "Achievers Under 40."  Last month, the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce named Hunt their 2011 Women in Business Champion. You can read the article on the Tulsa Chamber's website HERE.

Remembering Lawton's Sheila Lee

Thank you, Clytie Bunyan, for your article in the Sunday Oklahoman remembering the extraordinary Sheila Octavia Lee of Lawton, Oklahoma. She was a long-time employee of the Lawton Fort Sill Chamber of Commerce - ending up as the CEO last October. She was a graduate of Leadership Oklahoma and active alum. State Representative Don Armes on his blog said this of Sheila:

She served as a board member for the Oklahoma State Chamber of Commerce, the United States Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Oklahoma, the Lawton Food Bank, the Oklahoma University Cancer Institute, and the Fort Sill Federal Credit Union. She was a member of Leadership Oklahoma Class XVII, the Lawton Business & Professional Women, the League of Women Voters, the Association of the United States Army and the United States Field Artillery Association. Shelia participated in numerous professional organizations including the American Chamber of Commerce Executives Annual Convention, the Great Plains Association and the Oklahoma Travel Industry Association. Shelia was an instructor for the United States Chamber of Commerce and the Oklahoma Chamber Management Institute. She was also a member of the Artillery Order of Molly Pitcher and was a very active volunteer for many organizations, but she was most proud of her work with Army Community Services and military families who were in need. She worked numerous hours to enhance the "Loan Closet," a program designed to allow military families to borrow common household items while in transition between duty assignments. The program was unfunded and owes its success to Shelia's tireless efforts to ensure the care of soldiers and their families.

Sheila's life was cut short as a victim of a murder-suicide. The Lawton Chamber of Commerce has established a scholarship in Sheila's memory at Cameron University to benefit a female full-time student pursuing a business degree. To contribute to this memorial scholarship, send your contribution to “The Sheila Lee Endowment” c/o Cameron University Foundation Inc. 2800 West Gore Blvd., Lawton, OK 73505

Read Clytie Bunyan's article at http://newsok.com/chamber-exec-colleagues-establish-endowment-at-cameron-university/article/3572172#ixzz1Nlf0jZ7v

Margo Gray-Proctor Named Minority Small Business Champion

The Metropolitan Tulsa Chamber of Commerce recently named Margo Gray-Proctor their 2011 Minority Small Business Champion.

An Osage business woman, Gray-Proctor is President of Horizon Engineering Service Company. She is the only woman to have served as Chair of the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development.

You can read about the awards presentation by clicking HERE.