Since 1996, Spotlight Awards have been given to five women every year who have distinguished themselves in the legal profession and have lit the way for other women. In 1998, the award was named to honor the late Mona Salyer Lambird, the first woman OBA president and one of the award’s first recipients. The award is sponsored by the OBA Women in Law Section. Each year, all previous winners nominate and select the current year’s recipients. A plaque bearing the names of all recipients hangs in the Oklahoma Bar Center in Oklahoma City. This is the 30th year of award presentations. Recipients will be honored during the Women in Law Conference on Oct. 2 in Oklahoma City. For more information about the conference, visit www.okbar.org/wil.

ANDEN BULL

Anden Bull is the chief programs officer and general counsel of Palomar: Oklahoma City’s Family Justice Center, where she oversees programs and services designed to support victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, child abuse, elder abuse and human trafficking. Since joining Palomar in November 2017, Ms. Bull has played an integral role in the organization’s growth and development, helping strengthen its victim-centered, trauma-informed approach and expand access to coordinated services for individuals and families impacted by violence.

She graduated from OU in 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts in letters and a minor in Native American studies. She earned her J.D. with distinction from the OU College of Law in 2013. Following law school, she practiced civil insurance defense.

At Palomar, she combines her legal background with her passion for improving systems and outcomes for victims and their families. She is involved in program development, organizational strategy, grant development and compliance, partnerships and the continued evolution of Palomar’s Family Justice Center model. Her work is focused on reducing barriers to services, strengthening collaboration, and ensuring that survivors can access the resources they need to move toward safety, healing, and stability.

Ms. Bull lives in Oklahoma City with her husband, Brandon, and their two sons, Hudson and Hayes.

ANNETTE WISK JACOBI

Annette Wisk Jacobi has served as executive director of the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth since 2017, providing leadership for the state’s efforts to improve outcomes for children and families. She earned her law degree from the OU College of Law and completed specialized interdisciplinary graduate training in child abuse and neglect through the OU Department of Pediatrics. Her commitment to children and families began after law school when she joined the staff of the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy. She then went on to build a career in public health spanning more than 30 years. Her focus was on strengthening families and preventing child maltreatment. Among her significant accomplishments was helping to build a statewide home visiting program which, at one time, was considered a model for other states.

Ms. Jacobi is deeply committed to professional and civic leadership. She has served on the board of directors for Catholic Charities – Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Children’s Trust Fund Alliance. She has served on a variety of federal Quality Improvement Centers related to human services issues, committees of the Pew Charitable Trusts, and volunteers for her church and neighborhood.  She was recently reappointed by Mayor David Holt as a commissioner for the Oklahoma City Housing Authority and serves as the vice chair.

In 2017, she founded Martha’s Giving Circle, a philanthropic organization created for women of all ages and stages of life. Ms. Jacobi created the group because she appreciates the profound personal benefits that come from serving others, and she believes philanthropy should be accessible to everyone. Martha’s Giving Circle has approximately 100 members who provide financial and volunteer support to nonprofits while creating friendships that add value to their personal and professional lives.

JANA L. KNOTT

Jana L. Knott is the current president-elect of the OBA and will serve as the association’s president in 2027. She joined Bass Law in 2018 and became the firm’s managing partner in 2024. Her practice focuses primarily on appellate litigation, advocacy, briefing, and consultation. She handles civil appeals in all areas of the law in both state and federal court, including oil and gas, trusts and estates, divorce, parental termination, appeals from the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, real property, municipal law, and bankruptcy. She also represents clients who wish to participate in an appeal as an amicus curiae.

Ms. Knott represents clients in district courts across the state in civil litigation cases as both trial counsel and embedded appellate counsel. She often provides district court-level brief writing and complex motion writing to other lawyers and firms in all areas of the law, including trust and estate disputes, business disputes, oil and gas litigation, municipal law and real property disputes.

Prior to joining the firm, she worked for seven years as a staff attorney to Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice Noma D. Gurich. In addition, she has worked as an adjunct professor at the OCU School of Law, teaching civil practice and procedure.

Ms. Knott co-hosts and produces Oklahoma Appeals: The Podcast, where she and her co-host discuss new cases published by the Oklahoma Supreme Court and the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals and interview guests on all topics related to civil litigation at both the district court and appellate court levels.

JUDGE APRIL SEIBERT

Judge April Seibert is a 2005 graduate of the OU College of Law and published member of the American Indian Law Review.  She was appointed as a special district judge for the Tulsa County District Court and assumed the bench on Aug. 14, 2017. During her tenure she has presided over the Anna McBride Criminal Mental Health Docket, Family Domestic and Criminal Dockets.  In 2020, Judge Seibert was the recipient of the Fern Holland Award for Outstanding Woman in the Legal Community and in 2023 she was honored to receive the Oklahoma Family Law Judge of the Year.

Prior to her appointment to the bench, Judge Seibert cultivated a respected legal career as both a Tulsa County assistant district attorney and a solo practitioner. During her tenure with the District Attorney’s Office, she was responsible for prosecuting the most serious offenses resulting in over 35 jury trials for murder, robbery, shootings, and drug trafficking. As a solo practitioner with a statewide practice, she was appointed to represent indigent criminal defendants by the Tulsa County Courts resulting in an additional 15 jury trials. Additionally, her practice included family domestic, guardianships, adoptions, mediation, and guardian ad litem for children and vulnerable adults.

In addition to her service on the bench, Judge Seibert is an active member of her community. She currently serves as a board member for Youth Services of Tulsa.  She previously served as the director at large for public service on the Tulsa County Bar Association from 2024-2026.  She is the past president of the Council Oak/Johnson Sontag Inns of Court 2025-2026 and served as the vice president of special judges on the Oklahoma Judicial Conference from 2024-2026.

JUDGE CINDY TRUONG

Judge Cindy Truong’s life is a remarkable story of perseverance, courage, and dedication to justice. Born in Vietnam in 1975, Judge Truong was raised in a country devastated by war. Her father was a ranking officer in the South Vietnamese Army and was forced to leave Vietnam with the U.S. military during the fall of Saigon. Judge Truong, her mother, and her siblings remained behind, facing extreme poverty and uncertainty. In their village, food was often scarce, and even owning a pair of shoes was a luxury. Despite these hardships, Judge Truong never missed a day of school.

In 1986, she came to the United States as a refugee with her mother and siblings. Speaking no English, she worked tirelessly to learn the language, succeed academically and embrace her new home. She graduated as valedictorian of Mustang High School and attended OSU, earning a Bachelor of Science in economics with a minor in political science in just three years.

Her experiences shaped her deep appreciation for the rule of law and the freedoms guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. Having witnessed injustice and suffering firsthand, she was determined to serve others and make a difference through the American legal system.

After graduating from the OCU School of Law, Judge Truong began her legal career as an assistant district attorney in the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s Office, where she prosecuted major felony crimes. She later served with the Oklahoma County Public Defender’s Office, gaining valuable experience on both sides of the courtroom.

As a prosecutor, defense attorney and district judge, Judge Truong has presided over more than 200 jury trials and approximately 30 bench trials. She currently serves as the most senior district judge in Oklahoma County.

Judge Truong’s extraordinary journey from a child refugee to a respected member of Oklahoma’s judiciary reflects her resilience, compassion, leadership and unwavering commitment to justice and public service.