Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher Diversity Awards

Rules

  • Deadline information for current year award submissions is to come.
  • Include the name, address and contact number of the nominee.
  • Describe the nominee’s contributions and accomplishments in the area of diversity.
  • Identify the diversity award category (organization, licensed attorney or member of the judiciary) in which the nominee is being nominated. 
  • Submissions should not exceed five pages in length.

Email submissions to: diversityawards@okbar.org

Selection Criteria & Nomination Process

Award Recipient History

One or more diversity awards will be given to an organization that has an office in the state of Oklahoma and has met one or more of the following criteria:

  • Developed and implemented an effective equal opportunity program as demonstrated by the organization’s commitment to the recruitment, retention and promotion of individuals of underrepresented populations regardless of race, ethnic origin, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, disability or any other prohibited basis of discrimination;
  • Promoted diversity initiatives that establish and foster a more inclusive and equitable work environment;
  • Demonstrated continued corporate responsibility by devoting resources to the improvement of the community at large; and
  • Exhibited insightful leadership to confront and resolve inequities through strategic decision-making, allocation of resources and establishment of priorities.

Two or more diversity awards will be given to licensed attorneys, and an additional award will be given to a member of the Oklahoma judiciary who has met one or more of the following criteria:

  • Demonstrated dedication to raising issues of diversity and protecting civil and human rights;
  • Led the development of innovative or contemporary measures to fight discrimination and its effects;
  • Fostered positive communication and actively promoted inter-group relations among populations of different backgrounds;
  • Participated in a variety of corporate and community events that promoted mutual respect, acceptance, cooperation or tolerance and contributed to diversity awareness in the community and workplace; and
  • Reached out to a diverse array of attorneys to understand firsthand the experiences of someone from a different background.
Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher
Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher

Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher was born Feb. 8, 1924, in Chickasha. She boldly challenged and forever changed segregation laws to achieve her lifelong ambition of becoming a lawyer and was a key figure in the Civil Rights Movement.

Read more about Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher and her contributions to both the legal field and the Civil Rights Movement from the Oklahoma Historical Society.

Photo Credit: Courtesy Western History Collections, University of Oklahoma Libraries, Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher 3

2023 Judge Richard C. Ogden, Oklahoma City
2022 Judge Sharon K. Holmes, Tulsa
2021 Justice Shawna S. Baker, Tulsa
2020 Judge David B. Lewis, Oklahoma City
2020 Judge Aletia Haynes Timmons, Oklahoma City
2019 Judge Philippa C. James, Oklahoma City
2018 Judge Lydia Y. Green, Oklahoma City
2017 Judge Cindy Truong, Oklahoma City
2016 Judge Bernard M. Jones II, Oklahoma City
2015 Judge Jerome Holmes, Oklahoma City
2014 Judge Jerry D. Bass, Edmond
2013 Justice Tom Colbert, Oklahoma City
2012 Judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange, Oklahoma City

2023 Tom Vincent, Tulsa
2023 Angie R. Christopher, Edmond
2023 Lenora F. Burdine, Oklahoma City
2022 Rep. Jason Lowe, Oklahoma City
2022 James Osby Goodwin Sr., Tulsa
2022 M. Alexander Pearl, Norman
2021 Anthony (Tony) Coleman, Oklahoma City
2021 Francie Ekwerekwu, Oklahoma City
2021 Miguel Garcia, Oklahoma City
2021 Trent Shores, Tulsa
2020 Scott Biggs, Stillwater
2020 Mary Frances Edmonds, Tulsa
2020 Patti Palmer Ghezzi
2019 Ruseal E. Brewer, Oklahoma City
2019 Tiece I. Dempsey, Oklahoma City
2019 Sheryl S. Sullivan, Oklahoma City
2018 Betsy G. Jackson, Tulsa
2018 Emily Virgin, Norman
2017 Kara I Smith, Newalla
2017 Tamya Cox, Oklahoma City
2016 April M. Fox, Tulsa
2016 Stephanie Conduff, Broken Arrow
2015 Damario Solomon-Simmons, Tulsa
2015 Valery Giebel, Oklahoma City
2014 Stanley Evans, Oklahoma City
2014 Gay Hellman, Oklahoma City
2013 Melvin C. Hall, Oklahoma City
2013 Danny C. Williams Sr., Tulsa
2012 Cheryl Wattley, Norman
2012 Hannibal Johnson, Tulsa

2023 Phillips Murrah PC, Oklahoma City
2023 Southwest Center for Human Relations Studies at the University of Oklahoma, Norman
2022 Mazaheri Law Firm, Oklahoma City
2022 Dragon Yoga, Oklahoma City
2022 Greenwood Rising, Tulsa
2021 CAIR Oklahoma (Council on American Islamic Relations), Oklahoma City
2020 Freedom Oklahoma, Oklahoma City
2019 Ogletree Deakins, Oklahoma City (53 offices in 31 U.S. states, the District of Columbia,
the U.S. Virgin Islands, and in Canada, Mexico, and Europe)
2019 Save Black Boys, Oklahoma City
2018 Girl Attorney LLC, Oklahoma City
2018 Metropolitan Fair Housing Council of Oklahoma Inc., Oklahoma City
2018 Oklahoma People First, 13 Oklahoma Chapters, Oklahoma City
2017 Fields & Futures, Oklahoma City
2017 Langston University, Langston
2017 OU-Tulsa Diversity Coalition, Tulsa
2016 ONEOK, Tulsa
2016 Crowe & Dunlevy Diversity Committee, Oklahoma City
2016 Oklahoma City Community College, Students Connecting with Mentors for Success
Program, Oklahoma City
2015 The Education and Employment Ministry (TEEM), Oklahoma City metro
2015 Unheard, alliance of black students from OU, Norman
2015 Voices Organized in Civic Engagement (VOICE), Oklahoma City metro
2014 Prep U, founder Christina Kirk, Oklahoma City
2014 Young Women’s Empowerment Institute, Langston University
2014 Oklahoma City University School of Law, Oklahoma City
2013 Fellers Snider, Oklahoma City & Tulsa
2013 Muscogee (Creek) Nation Family Violence Prevention Program, Okmulgee
2013 Oklahoma Policy Institute, Tulsa
2012 Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma Inc., statewide
2012 Williams Co, Tulsa
2012 YWCA of Oklahoma City and Tulsa