Tulsa Women's Commission Meeting - April 10, 2026
Tulsa Women's Commission Meeting - April 10, 2026
The Tulsa Women's Commission met on April 10, 2026, to advance their initiative on women's safety, elect officers, establish four committees, and discuss the impact of state budget cuts on child care. The meeting featured a guest presentation from Gina Wilson, founder of the Opal Center, on domestic violence prevention.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Minutes: The minutes from the March 6, 2026 meeting were approved unanimously.
Discussion Items
- Chair's Report: Vice Chair Kate Neary reported on several activities: a drive for the Family Safety Center planned for October 3, 2026; the successful Pinnacle Awards event; a presentation to the City Council on March 10 highlighting the Commission's work on pay equity, child care access, and safety; a meeting with the Battered Women's Justice Project (BWJP) regarding a domestic violence task force; and an upcoming joint meeting with the Tulsa Area United Way in June to discuss the ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) population and child care challenges.
- Child Care Crisis: Commissioners discussed the severe reduction in Oklahoma DHS child care subsidies – from $57 million allocated to only $7 million, with a $5 per child per day reimbursement cut effective April 1, 2026. Eligibility will drop from 85% to 55% of state median income on July 1, 2026. Commissioners noted that 400 child care providers closed in Oklahoma last year, and many more are expected to close, exacerbating child care deserts. The impact on families, especially single mothers, was highlighted.
- Women's Safety Initiative – Committee Formation: The Commission established four committees to advance the women's safety initiative: Personal Safety, Housing and Economic Security, Health and Emotional Safety, and Community Safety and Belonging, with a cross-cutting theme of Systems Rights and Institutional Safety. Members signed up for committees, and chairs were appointed to lead each group. The committees will recruit outside members, meet virtually, and develop communications endeavors to spread awareness and resources.
- Election of Officers: Dr. Laura Latta was elected Chair and Kate Neary was elected Vice Chair of the Commission for the upcoming term. Both were elected by unanimous voice vote after no other nominations were received.
- Issues Impacting Women: Commissioner Latta shared data on the low number of women in state and federal office, and the record low US fertility rates in 2025, linking them to rising child care costs. The Commission committed to advocacy and sharing information.
- Guest Presentation: Gina Wilson, founder of the Opal Center, presented on her work in domestic violence prevention. She is a survivor and former principal at East Central High School. The Opal Center focuses on prevention through curriculum and workplace abuse resources. She noted that prevention is underfunded and that she is partnering with DVIS to provide services. She shared her personal story and resources with the Commission.
Key Outcomes
- Official Actions: Minutes approved; Dr. Laura Latta elected Chair, Kate Neary elected Vice Chair.
- Committee Appointments: Chairs appointed: Sharissa for Personal Safety; Tanil and Marcia for Housing and Economic Security; Maria for Health and Emotional Safety; Jackie for Community Safety and Belonging; Desiree for Systems Rights and Institutional Safety.
- Next Steps: Committees to begin meeting in April/May and recruit outside members. The next full Commission meeting in June will feature the Tulsa Area United Way. The Commission will also participate in the Courageous Leadership Conference on June 3, 2026, with a breakout session on the women's report.
Meeting Transcript
Let's just do we have got some guests joining us. Let's do a quick round of hello's and introductions with names. And since the weather's kind of funny, what's your weather today? Internal weather. Not external weather. Oh, I was like, okay, I didn't know that we could do that. Internal weather. So I'll give you an example. I'm Laura Latta and I serve as the executive director of the Tulsa Higher Ed Consortium. I'm very honored to chair the women's commission. And actually, even though it's raining outside my internal weather, it's sunny 75. Okay. Okay. Yeah. I'm Meg Myers Morgan. I've been on the commission for eight. Eight years. And um I sort of you. I think my internal weather is like a foggy snow. You know, like a cozy. Oh I think I'm just saying to you all I'd rather be laying down. I think it's worth it. It's Friday. Cozy weather. Well, um Maria Palacios, and I'm the director of Early Learning Works, and my internal weather today. It's a bit like tornadic weather. Because I'm leaving Monday for Spain, and I'm a little bit frazzled, trying to be there. It's uh about 10 days, and I'm trying to get everything ready. I see I have to pack with it and have to leave my dog ready, all her food just every day. So I'm a bit fressed. There you go. Well, safe travels. Thank you. Hi, I'm Lexi. I am on staff here at the city of Tulsa and have the honor of supporting the women's commission. Um I would say my internal weather pretty much matches our external weather today. Although I do think like the rain is quite cozy and uh looking forward to working from home with my cat on my lap this afternoon. The rain outside the window. Um hi I'm Betsy Jackson. I'm an attorney at Hull Estel, and my internal weather is about 85 degrees, partly cloudy. I like you really are weather. The reason why I this is my favorite day. If it wasn't raining, I want it to be overcast every day, but not raining. Because I can get more when it's overcast, I am rejuvenated. I love it. Cloudy, but no rain. It's of my most favorite day. How about humid? Or not human. No humidity.
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