Oklahoma Commission on Status of Women welcomes newly elected officers
Published: August 21st, 2020
Gloria Torres is Executive Director of Calle Dos Cinco in Historic Capitol Hill Business District. She was recently elected as chair for the Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women. Provided Photo.
Kitti Asbury is executive director of the Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women. Last November, she was elected to serve on the board of directors for the National Association of Commissions for Women (NACW) recently presented the Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women.
Brenda Jones Barwick is founder of Jones PR, an integrated communications agency. In 2020, she was named a national awardee by ‘Enterprising Women.” Jones PR garnered wide-spread recognition for excellence in recent yars. The Public Relations Society of America’s (PRSA) Oklahoma City Chapter named the firm as the 2019 Agency of the Year during the 42nd annual “Upper Case Awards.
Dr. Nyla Ali Khan is a widely published author whose writings appear regularly at CapitolBeatOK.com, an online news service, and in The City Sentinel newspapers, as well as at websites and print publications around the world. She was recently chosen as advisory committee chair for the Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women. Photo: Wikimedia Commons. Women’s Web.
Oklahoma Commission on the Status Women logo.
The Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women (OCSW – https://www.ok.gov/ocsw/), a state commission, has elected its officers for the 2020-21 year. The commission informs the legislature and executive branch on issues impacting improvement of opportunities and quality of life for Oklahoma women.
“The new officers will continue guiding the commission on its mission of helping every Oklahoma woman realize her full potential as a contributor to society,” said OCSW Executive Director Kitti Asberry. The officers are nominated by a nominating committee comprised of OCSW commissioners and then elected by the full commission.
The elected officers also serve as the OCSW executive board, which includes:
• Chair: Gloria Torres, Executive Director of Calle Dos Cinco in Historic Capitol Hill Business District
• Vice Chair: Delores Runnels, Senior Pastor at The Father’s House Church
• Financial Officer: Brenda Jones Barwick, APR, President and CEO of Jones PR
• Secretary: Mary Larson, Associate Dean for Special Collections at Oklahoma State University
• Advisory Council Chair: Dr. Nyla Khan, faculty member at Rose State College
The newly elected Chair Gloria Torres stated, “We will continue informing and educating lawmakers about societal, educational and economic issues to advance the progress of opportunities for women in Oklahoma and identifying barriers that prevent women from reaching their potential.”
OCSW works closely with the Oklahoma legislative and executive branches to provide expertise and to identify issues impacting the quality of life, inequality and barriers for women and families in Oklahoma through community conversations, events and research. OCSW communicates these issues to appropriate governmental branches with recommendations of solutions through legislation or policies. In addition, the Commission identifies opportunities to encourage and empower women leaders across the state of Oklahoma.
To learn more about OCSW, please visit www.ok.gov/ocsw/.
About the Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women: The Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women is a state commission that serves as the voice for women in Oklahoma. It strengthens and empowers women in Oklahoma by informing and educating the legislature and executive branches about issues to improve opportunities and quality of life for women.
Commissioners are appointed by the Governor, Senate President Pro Tem and Speaker of the House. The commission oversees the Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame and presents the Guardian and Kate Barnard Awards. To learn more about OCSW, visit www.ok.gov/ocsw/.