COMMUNITY ACHIEVE RS
Governor's Mansion group adds board member
The Friends of the Mansion group has announced the addition of Samonia Byford to i ts board of directors.
Friends of the Mansion is a nonprofit or ganiza ti on that strive s top reserve and promote the Oklahoma Governor's Mansion.
By ford has been a part of numerous other boards and organizations during her career, such as the Oklahoma Historical Society, Friends of the Oklahoma History and the Capital Medical Zoning Commission. She also has a variety of volunteer experience in her repertoire of involvement, such as Junior League of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Academy of State Goals and t he Oklahoma Institute of Child Advocacy.
By ford is joining Friends of the Mansion as one of 21 board members under the leadership of first lady Sarah Stitt and Friends of the Mansion President James Pickel.
To l earn more about Friends of the Mansion or to make a donation to its mission, goto https://fomok.org/.
Professor picked for panel
LaDonna Atkins, professor in the Department of Human Environmental Science sat the University of Central Oklahoma, was recently selected to serve on the research committee for the newly established Oklahoma Clearinghouse for Early Childhood Success.
The clearinghouse, launched in December 2020, will establish new initiatives and promote practices to improve the overall well-being for children and their families in the state. Atkins' role on there search committee will include prioritizing outcomes and recommending research-informed practices to meet the needs of the Oklahoma early childhood system.
Atkins joined UCO in 1998 as a family life education adjunct instructor before being hired as a full-time faculty member in 1999. She now serves as administrator for the UCO Child Study Center, a halfday education program for 3- and -4- yearold child reno nU CO' s campus, and is the past president of the Early Childhood Association of Oklahoma. Her accomplishments at UCO include the 2018 Van der ford Teaching Award and the 2018 Neely Excellence in Teaching.