Kate Barnard Award Luncheon

OKLAHOMA COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 26, 2007

Contact: Chris Morriss
405.388-2900


Askins and Fallin Receive Prestigious Kate Barnard Award

The only two women to serve as Oklahoma’s Lieutenant Governor are this year’s recipients of the Kate Barnard Award, presented by the Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women. Dr. Jennifer Paustenbaugh, Chair of the Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women, presented the awards to Lieutenant Governor Jari Askins and former Lieutenant Governor Mary Fallin during a luncheon at the State Capitol on Thursday, January 25.

Adopting a proposal from Commissioner Linda Edmondson, the Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women created the Kate Barnard Award in 1988 to honor outstanding women in public service in Oklahoma. The award is named after Kate Barnard, an Oklahoma native, who in 1907 became the first woman to win a statewide elected office in the United States.

Born and reared in Duncan, Oklahoma, Jari Askins was sworn in as Oklahoma’s 15th Lieutenant Governor in 2007, giving her the rare distinction of being involved in public service in all three branches of government.

Askins received her BA in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma and earned a Juris Doctorate from the OU College of Law. She served as Special District Judge for the District Court of Stephens County for eight years, from 1982-1990. In 1991, the Governor appointed her to the Pardon and Parole Board, which elected her as its first woman Chairman. She later served as Executive Director of the Pardon and Parole Board and as Deputy General Counsel to the Governor.

Askins was elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives in 1994 from District 50, and served for twelve years, earning the position of Democratic House Leader in 2005. She won statewide election as Lieutenant Governor in 2006, becoming the first Democratic woman to serve in that office. She was inducted into the Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame in 2001.

Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2006, Mary Fallin represents Oklahoma’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes Oklahoma County and most of Seminole and Pottawatomie Counties. Fallin was first elected to public office in 1990 as a state legislator. During her time as State Representative she was recognized by the American Legislative Exchange Council as Legislator of the Year and was named a Small Business Advocate by the National Federation of Independent Business.

In 1995, Fallin became the first woman and first Republican elected Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma. During her 12 years in office she pursued an aggressive agenda focusing on economic development, health care, education, and government reform. Fallin is a graduate of Oklahoma State University. She was inducted into the Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame in 2005.

“At the start of our second hundred years, it is appropriate that the Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women would recognize these two outstanding women who have provided leadership in Oklahoma politics for more than a decade. They are blazing the trail for generations to follow. We applaud Congresswoman Fallin and Lt. Governor Askins for their vision and courage,” said Dr. Jennifer Paustenbaugh, chair of the Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women.

Dr. Anne Morgan, Founding Chair of the Women’s Foundation of Oklahoma was guest speaker to the audience of commissioners, advisory council members, and honored guests – women legislators, state elected and appointed officials, and the judiciary.

Previous recipients of the Kate Barnard Award include U.S. Federal Judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange, State Senator Penny Williams, and State Senator Angela Monson.

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