2017 Women of the Year Announced
YWCA Tulsa in partnership with the Mayor’s Commission on the Status of Women has announced the winners of the 2017 Women of the Year-Pinnacle Award:
Caroline Zink-Hott Abbott, attorney and mental health advocate
Dorothy Dillard, social justice advocate and community volunteer
Ginnie Graham, journalist and women’s rights advocate
Jocelyn McCarver, president and CEO of Youth at Heart
Dr. Katherine Anderson, physician and STEM advocate
Michelle Nicole Evans, Mrs. America 2015, prescription drug abuse opponent
Stephanie Cameron, State Director for OK2Grow and Dream It Do It Oklahoma
Stephanie Conduff, Founder of Leche Lounge and tribal leader
Dr. Su An Arnn Phipps, director of Healthy Women, Healthy Futures
Suzann Stewart, executive director of the Family Safety Center
“We are so excited to honor these women and highlight their incredibly diverse approaches to ensuring equal access to wellness, wealth and education,” says Vanessa Finley, CEO of YWCA Tulsa. “Our honorees have proven that despite the many challenges facing our state, we can create real, sustainable change right now. They do it every day.”
The 10 honorees were selected from more than 75 online nominations for their outstanding accomplishments and/or projects of distinction within the past three years. Each honoree has worked throughout her career and through her philanthropic endeavors to stand up for social justice, help families and strengthen communities.
“What really sets this award apart is that we are honoring women for the work they are doing right now,” says Finley. “While the accomplishments of our foremothers built our foundation and history, it is the women in the field today, those rolling up their sleeves and digging in with both heels, who will shape our future.”
Each honoree personifies the mission of YWCA – to eliminate racism and empower women – and upholds the legacy of the Pinnacle Awards, which is reflected in women who are role models in their professions, take risks on behalf of others, perform community service, and advocate for women’s issues.
After honoring 100 Women with Moxie at its 100-year anniversary in December 2014, YWCA Tulsa honored its first class of Women of the Year at a similar event in 2015. Given the success of the award and the opportunity to partner with the long-standing Pinnacle Awards, YWCA’s board of directors voted unanimously to approve the organic partnership with the Mayor’s Commission on the Status of Women.
Winners will be honored on Friday, Feb. 24, 2017, at the Cox Business Center in a Grammy’s-style, artistic showcase that will feature dance and musical performances, celebrity presenters, and beverage selections from the nation’s top women-made or women-owned beverage companies.
The Mayor’s Commission on the Status of Women has honored more than 200 Tulsa women since the Pinnacle Award’s inception in 1987, despite a three year hiatus from 2012-2014. Past honorees were recognized in 11 categories including Arts/Humanities, Community Service, Economic Empowerment, Education, Health and Wellness, Public Advocacy and Reducing Female Incarceration.
The Mayor’s Commission on the Status of Women acts as the coordinating agency for activities and information relating to women. The commission is charged with helping women develop a collective voice to influence public policy and affect positive changes in their lives, in addition to stimulating research in the area of women’s legal rights, educating the community on the status of women by publicizing information on women’s rights and obligations, reviewing the range of services available to women to enable them to fully contribute to society through their homes and participation in community life, and to strengthening existing services and assist public, commercial, cooperative or voluntary agencies in pursuing needed services.
Updated 06-27-2016
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