2022 Pinnacle Award winners announced
TULSA, OK – YWCA Tulsa, in partnership with the Mayor’s Commission on the Status of Women, has announced the winners of the 2022 Pinnacle Awards honoring exceptional women of Tulsa. Among the honorees are two members of Tulsa’s Latinx community, Zaida Kepford-castro and Amairani Perez Chamu.
Amairani Perez Chamu is the 2022 winner of the Rising Star Award, which recognizes a young woman who already has made notable contributions in her field. Perez Chamu is the Hispanic Resource Center Coordinator at Tulsa Public Library, creating programs for all 24 branches and locations across Tulsa County, and overseeing orders and purchases of Spanish materials for the entire system. She is Board President for the Tulsa Global District and is the Tulsa Director for Dream Action Oklahoma. She has led countless DACA clinics and Know Your Rights campaigns and has spoken with state senators to ensure the rights of the immigrant community in Tulsa.
“I am beyond humbled and honored to share space with some of the greatest leaders in our community,” Perez Chamu said.
Zaida Kepford-castro is the 2022 winner for Health & Wellness. Kepfordcastro moved to Tulsa 17 years ago from Tijuana, Mexico. She is a servant leader who has promoted understanding and collaboration among minority groups: training Morton Clinic departments on how to work with the Hispanic community and providing pro-bono translation and interpretation services to Oklahomans Against Human Trafficking, Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office, Tulsa Police Department, Xavier Clinic, Little Lighthouse, and Sooner Start. She currently leads a health collective promoting access to sex education and promoting healthy relationships with Amplify Tulsa.
"It's an honor to be able to tell the stories of women who are fearless change agents in our community,” said Julie Davis shared, YWCA Tulsa’s CEO. “These women are creating a Tulsa that is more -- more inclusive, more representative, more creative, and more powerful because of their work.”
The other 2022 Pinnacle Awards winners are:
ANNA C. ROTH LEGACY AWARD: Joy Harjo, the 23rd Poet Laureate of the United States, is a member of the Mvskoke Nation and belongs to Oce Vpofv (Hickory Ground). Harjo is the author of nine books of poetry, two award-winning children’s books, several screenplays, and three plays. The Anna C. Roth Legacy Award is named after Anna C. Roth, who founded YWCA Tulsa in 1914.
ARTS AND HUMANITIES: Connie Cronley, Cherokee author, longtime columnist and radio commentator.
COMMUNITY SERVICE: Brenda Alford is a descendant of Tulsa Race Massacre survivors and Black Wall Street entrepreneurs, who also serves as a board member at Greenwood Rising, and as a 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission member.
CORPORATE BUSINESS: Kuma Roberts is a leader in the Tulsa community, mobilizing companies and individuals to courageously create space for dialogue about diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice.
EDUCATION: Dr. Deborah Gist is superintendent for Tulsa Public Schools, leading the city’s public-school teachers in the education of approximately 35,000 students in grades pre-kindergarten to 12th grade in 77 district and public charter schools.
ENTREPRENEUR: Wendy Williams is the owner of Health and Safety Education Consultants Training Center, an approved State of Oklahoma Health Department nurse aide registry program.
CORPORATE CHAMPION: AAON is a publicly traded company headquartered in Tulsa. AAON'S eight-member board of directors includes two women, or 25 percent.
Winners will be honored on Thursday, March 31, 2022. The Pinnacle Awards is a celebration of the investment that women are making in our community every day. It also supports the work that YWCA Tulsa leads to empower women and eliminate racism. For more information about this event, visit www.ywcatulsa.org/get-involved/pinnacleawards/.