OWC Fall Issues Symposium ~ November 15, 2011 (1:45 – 5:00 pm)
Join us at Francis Tuttle Technology Center – Portland Campus in OKC on the 15th to learn about issues impacting women from top experts in the state. Register Now or View Agenda
ADVOCACY DAY ~ April 12, 2011 (8am-2:30pm)
On Tuesday, April 12, we will host our 3rd annual Advocacy Day at the State Capitol from 8:00 am to 2:30 pm. We gather at the Jim Thorpe Association Building, 4040 No. Lincoln Blvd in NE Oklahoma City, at 8am for coffee and networking. At 8:45, Dr. Terry Cline, Commissioner of the OK Department of Health will discuss the status of women’s health and strategies for change. We’ll also get updates on incarceration of women, “Hot Topics” in the 2011 Legislature, and effective ways to communicate with legislatures. After lunch, we will travel down Lincoln Blvd to the State Capitol Building to leave Coalition material with our State Senators and Representatives. Come advocate for Oklahoma women and girls. Registration is $40 ($15 for students). DEADLINE for registering is April 8. Click HERE to watch a video on Advocacy Day 2011.
LEADING LADIES RECEPTION ~ April 11, 2011 (5:30pm-7:30pm)
Come to our Leading Ladies reception Monday, April 11 honoring female public officials throughout Oklahoma. Special Guest: Governor Mary Fallin. Speakers: The Honorable Dana L. Murphy, Chair, OK Corporation Commission and Mary Melon, President and Publisher, The Journal Record. Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive, Oklahoma City. Sponsored by INTEGRIS Health; no charge to attend. Can’t come Tuesday for Advocacy Day but want to attend the reception? Just RSVP to ">
or call 405-951-2277.
WOMEN AND GIRLS DAY IN OKLAHOMA ~ April 12, 2011
On April 12, lawmakers will issue a proclamation designating the day as “Women and Girls Day in Oklahoma.” Come find out who the sponsors and announcers will be for this important recognition of the important role women and girls play in the life and culture of our great state. This activity is part of our 2011 Advocacy Day at the State Capitol.
PAST COALITION EVENTS
January, 2011 – Incarceration Focus
The Coalition is a participating member of an alliance of advocacy associations called Count the Costs (www.countthecosts.com) that seeks to reduce the rate of incarcerated women in the state. In January, a group of State Legislative and Department of Corrections leaders attended the Southwest Legislative Branch Council of State Governments Conference in Texas. Highlights of best-practice methodologies were presented at the conference. Texas has experienced significant reductions in prison population growth coupled with reductions in crime. Many of its initiatives are outlined and complimentary to the Oklahoma SIS Public Agenda Action Plan.
November 17, 2010 – OWC Friend Raiser in Tulsa
Oklahomans met at the home of Sharon King Davis in Tulsa — a long-time champion of causes for women and girls. Tulsan Nancy McDonald, a well-known community leader, motivated the group to become actively involved in issues impacting women and girls.
August-September, 2010 – Coalition Helps Form Count The Costs Alliance
In order to advance the strategies outlined in our Oklahoma SIS Public Action Plan, the OWC helped organize Count The Costs (http://countthecosts.com/), an alliance of advocacy associations committed to reducing the incarceration rates in Oklahoma. See www.countthecosts.com.
June 24, 2010 – Annual Meeting and Issues Forum
Our 2010 Annual Meeting and Issues Forum was held June 24 from 9:30 am to 12:30 at Francis Tuttle Technology Center in NW Oklahoma City. Participants elected new board members and officers for the coming year, got updates on committee activities and presented special recognitions to Treasurer Faye Henson, Communications Chair Quin Tran and outgoing Chair Jean Warner. Speaker-Elect Kris Steele was honored as OWC’s 2010 Legislator of the Year for his efforts to reduce the high rate of female incarceration in the state. Jan Loftis and Senator Susan Paddack gave an update on the 2010 Legislative Session. Jean Warner moderated a panel on “Connecting the Dots Between Education, Poverty and Incarceration” featuring Erin Taylor, Academic Affairs Project Coordinator, OK State Regents for Higher Education and Debbie Boyer, Administrator of Quality & Operational Services, Division of Female Offender Operations, OK Department of Corrections. A second panel on “The State of Domestic Violence in Oklahoma” featured Jan Peery, CEO, YWCA of Oklahoma City, Jackie Steyn, LPC, Chief Programs & Compliance Officer, YWCA Oklahoma City and Andrea Hamor Edmondson, Administrative Program Officer with the Injury Prevention Service, OK State Department of Health, Coordinator of Rape Prevention Education Program.
April 30, 2010 – Summit on Incarceration of Women
This Oklahoma Solutions Initiative Summit (S.I.S.) looked at possible strategies for prevention, intervention and diversion, and recidivism and reentry with the overall goal of lowering the incarceration rate of Oklahoma women. A Statewide Action Plan was adopted that provides specific steps to be accomplished at the local and state levels. Speakers included Governor Brad Henry (via video), Attorney General Drew Edmondson, Congresswoman Mary Fallin, Lieutenant Governor Jari Askins, and more. This event was co-hosted by the Coalition, the Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women and the Oklahoma department of Corrections.
March-April, 2010 – S.I.S. Blue Ribbon Committee
Leading up to the Oklahoma S.I.S. event April 30, a 45-member S.I.S. Blue Ribbon Committee met several times to identify and refine possible goals and strategies to be included in a “Public Action Plan to Reduce the Rate of Women Incarcerated in Oklahoma.”
March 2, 2010 – OWC Advocacy Day 2010
In 2010, over 160 participants met at the Oklahoma History Center for this event. Highlights included advocacy tips from Rep Lee Denney and Secretary of State Susan Savage and Oklahoma’s first gubernatorial candidates forum featuring all major candidates as the spoke on how they would work to improve conditions for Oklahoma women. Jan Peery and Amy Santee briefed us on briefed on the Coalition’s 2010 legislative priorities. We traveled to the State Capitol to urge legislators to support passage of HB 1814 (which brings Oklahoma’s laws into compliance with federal law pertaining to discrimination against pregnant women in the workplace), HB2998 (which allows diversion programs for nonviolent female offenders in order to reduce the number of women incarcerated in Oklahoma), and to maintain state funding for domestic violence and sexual assault programs.
February, 2010 – KWTV Interview Series on Incarceration
The OWC participated in a four-part interview series on KWTV News9 in Oklahoma City. The series of live interviews highlighted the OWC and its issue areas. They aired Feb 7, 14, 21 and 18.
December 10, 2009 – OWC Friend Raiser in Tulsa
After its December board meeting, OWC held a coffee social at the YWCA of Tulsa for representatives from nonprofit organizations interested in issues impacting women and girls. We heard about efforts under way to reduce the rate at which Oklahoma incarcerates women from representatives from Amy Santee (George Kaiser Family Foundation), Dr. Laura Pittman (Oklahoma Corrections Department) and Dr. Rebecca Kennedy (OWC Incarceration Committee Chair).
June 10, 2009 – OWC Annual Meeting
Our 2009 Annual Meeting and Issues Forum was held on June 10 from 2 to 6pm at the Oklahoma History Center. After electing officers and board members for the coming year, participants heard presentations on incarceration from Dr. Laura Pitman, Oklahoma Department of Corrections; on violence against women from Marcia Smith, OK Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault; and on aging from Lance Robertson, Aging Services Div, Oklahoma Department of Human Services. The also got an update on the bills in the 2009 Legislative Session that Impacted Women & Girls from Senator Debbe Leftwich and Representative Lee Denney. The event ended with a networking reception at 5pm.
March 13, 2009 – OWC Meet ‘N Greet
More than 80 people gathered at Carleen and Jerry Burger’s historic home, the Buttram Mansion, in Oklahoma City. Susan Winchester, the first woman to serve as Speaker Pro Tempore in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, along with other advocates spoke about the need for more women to participate in leadership roles in the legislature, business, and other arenas.
Feb 18, 2009 – OWC Advocacy Day 2010
Over 150 people participated in the OWC’s inaugural Day at the State Capitol. Participants met with lawmakers to address issues concerning women and girls. Lieutenant Governor Jari Askins and Corporation Commissioner Dana Murphy unveiled our logo and officially launched the OWC. Attorney General Drew Edmondson addressed key issues affecting women, girls, and families. House and Senate leaders from both parties shared hot topics in the 2009 legislative session. US Congresswoman Mary Fallin provided insight on legislative matters at the federal level. “Oklahoma women and girls are reaching new heights in many respects, but we still have far to go,” Fallin said. “The OWC can help facilitate significant change and I challenge every woman in Oklahoma to become involved.”
