The Okaloosa Commission on the Status of Women (OCSW) is all set to host their annual Women of Honor event at the University of West Florida (UWF) Emerald Coast Campus on Thursday, May 4, 2023, at 2:00 pm. The ceremony will be held in the Auditorium.
The “Women of Honor” event was first established as “Wall of Honor” by the OCCSW in 1997, as an idea of its members who thought it would be a nice way for someone to honor the women in their lives whose works might be unknown to most others.
- It could be anyone: a mother, a co-worker, an organization member, a teacher, either living or deceased, who made a difference in the nominator’s life.
- The event is always held in May around Mother’s Day for those who might want to honor their Mom.
Each woman’s name will be added to a plaque that hangs on the Wall of Honor at the UWF Emerald Coast campus library. A letter that includes the honorees photo and brief nomination bio along with the names of the person or people who nominated her will be placed in the Book of Honor below the plaque. At the Women of Honor Ceremony, details about who they are and the impact they had on the nominator or our community will be shared.
The 2022 Women of Honor are:
- Nitsi Bennett
- Maureen Bierman
- Kathie H. Blue
- Kathy Marler Blue
- Rochelle Brown
- Michelle Carmical
- LaShana Douville
- Lija Eldridge
- Cindy Frakes
- Letrich Milligan-Gainer
- Kristen Genrich
- Caralee Gibson
- Sheila Hale
- Dr. Sandra Hansen
- Holly Karr
- Teneka Lock
- Joyce Loughrige
- Mary Bell Lundsford
- L. McCain
- Clara Oates
- Quanda Pace
- Belva Parrott
- Christie Pratt
- Jan Pooley
- Dr. Maxine Reed
- Doris Scaife
- Deborah Stone
- Pam Strecker
The OCCSW also holds the Hall of Fame in August recognizing women who made a significant impact on the community. Unlike the Women of Honor where all nominees are honored, the Hall of Fame nominees go through a rigorous screening and selection process to narrow down to the top few women in specific categories who earn the right to be placed in the Hall of Fame located in the County Administration Annex. Nominations will open for the Hall of Fame May 15.
The Okaloosa County Commission on the Status of Women was established by the Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) in Resolution 95-09 on February 1, 1995. The purpose of the OCCSW through research, education, and communication is dedicated to the elimination of all barriers to a woman’s achievement of her fullest human potential.
For more information on the OCCSW, you can visit their website at occsw.com. To RSVP for the Women of Honor event, please email Jeanne Rief at jrief2@cox.net.