OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Tulsa Women's Commission Meeting - August 7, 2026

City Council — Friday, August 7, 2026
BodyTulsa, Oklahoma
SessionCity Council
DateFriday, August 7, 2026
StatusNEW · FILED
Video Record
0:00 / 4:00:02
Transcript — Verbatim
7:52

All right.

7:53

Let's go ahead and get started.

7:56

Um we are having some tech challenges, so we may or may not have a slide deck, but nevertheless, we persist because we're powerful women and that's what we do.

8:08

Um I wanted to get credit for your amazing slide deck.

8:14

Oh no, I think they got it.

8:15

All good.

8:16

Um, so we'll go ahead and call the meeting to order.

8:20

Um, the first item.

8:22

Well, let's actually the well, let's go around because we've got guests here with us, and just quickly say um your name and what you love most about the back to school season.

8:35

So I'll kick us off.

8:36

I'm Laura Latta, and my favorite part of the back to school season, uh, shopping, tax free weekend.

8:44

Uh, my name is Desiree Edwards.

8:47

Um, and my bat my favorite thing about back to school weekend is uh the shopping.

8:52

Because not only do my kiddos get, you know, new stuff, but it's free for everything.

8:58

So yeah, new kids, new shoes like everybody gets new stuff.

9:01

So yeah, my favorite.

9:03

Meg Myers Morgan.

9:05

Favorite thing about back to school shopping, is my girls each designate like their theme for their like back to school supplies, and it's just cute to watch that.

9:13

Um, that Dr.

9:15

Lava said your best thing about back to school, and you and Desiree immediately tried to shop back to school shopping.

9:22

Yeah.

9:24

Yes.

9:24

We like it.

9:25

I have a one-track mine.

9:28

And the and the academics of it all.

9:30

Right?

9:31

The learning.

9:33

Um, so I used to be a teacher, and my favorite thing about back to school was setting up my classroom every year.

9:41

So I'm enjoying watching friends who are teachers have their you know, wish lists of setting up classrooms.

9:47

Yes.

9:48

I'm Ashley Bro Riv, and I am most excited, I guess.

9:51

My son's starting P3, so it's my first like school experience with his kids.

9:56

Um, so I'm excited to see him in his little uniform.

10:02

That's amazing.

10:04

I'm Jackie DuPont.

10:05

I'm with the Kretz Family Foundation.

10:08

I was also a former teacher, so I love the energy, like a good newness of school starting.

10:13

But to your point, my I have a little one at Eisenhower that wears a uniform, and she has like the cutest little dresses with the plaid and all of it.

10:21

And so I'll go to uniforms as well.

10:23

That's cute.

10:24

I am Marcia Bruno Todd.

10:26

And I have two favorite things about back to school.

10:30

Number one, whether I have children or not, I love school supplies.

10:34

Yeah.

10:36

I'll just buy this.

10:38

Just for funsies.

10:39

The colors I do.

10:40

Just the colors of pens and the post its tabs.

10:47

I really love school supplies.

10:50

And then the other thing is I love hearing this.

11:02

Like this is new year new me.

11:04

I'm gonna do this.

11:05

You know, the kind of goals my my son when he first started middle school went by his middle name because it's his middle school persona.

11:12

Like he's like, this is and there's a new hairstyle, and I think it's just pretty cool that excitement.

11:17

I love that.

11:19

So my favorite thing isn't my husband who's a teacher.

11:22

I love I love teachers because of course I'm thinking, oh my husband, 34th year, so excited about his classroom, and he got new desk for his students this year, and he's so excited.

11:35

So I love teachers who are underpaid, underappreciated, that still enthusiastically go forward and do these great rooms and do all this great enthusiasm for their kids.

11:47

And she's Mary Quinn Cooper.

11:48

Absolutely.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Historic Preservation███████████████████19%
Community Engagement██████████████14%
Public Safety██████████10%
Public Health█████5%
Child Care████4%
Water And Wastewater Management████4%
Animal Welfare████4%
Solid Waste Management████4%
Parks and Recreation███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Tulsa Women's Commission Meeting - August 7, 2026

The Women's Commission met on August 7, 2026, at 6:00 PM to discuss ongoing committee work, approve meeting minutes, vote on a liaison role, and hear updates on safety, housing, health, and community belonging initiatives. The meeting featured introductions around favorite back-to-school themes and included several guest attendees.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Meeting Minutes: A motion to approve the minutes was made by Meg Myers Morgan and seconded by Kate Neary. The motion carried unanimously with no opposition or abstentions.

Discussion Items

  • Chair and Vice Chair Report (Laura Latta): Recruitment for the Pinnacle Awards planning and nomination committees was announced. Jackie DuPont, Meg Myers Morgan, and Kate Neary volunteered for nomination; Ashley Bro Riv volunteered for planning. The Pinnacle Awards are expected to be held in March (tentatively April 2, 2027, based on past records), with Debbie Reynolds serving as chair.
  • Vote on Human Rights Commission Liaison: Marcia Bruno Todd was nominated and unanimously approved to serve as the commission's liaison to the Human Rights Commission.
  • Personal Safety Committee (Meg Myers Morgan, Betsy Jackson): The committee has met two to three times and invited City Councilor Carol Bush. They are planning a March Tulsa Women's Safety Month campaign featuring self-defense classes, safety tips, and a potential proclamation from the mayor. Discussion included balancing victim safety messaging with perpetrator accountability, and leveraging existing resources like YWCA and TPD classes.
  • Housing and Economic Security Committee: The committee has recruited members with lived experience, including individuals who have been unhoused, entrepreneurs, and clinicians. They are finalizing the group before setting a meeting cadence.
  • Health and Emotional Safety Committee (Kate Neary): A “Donate and Dash” event for the Family Safety Center is scheduled for October 3, 2026. Volunteer shifts run from 7:00 AM to 2:00 PM, with public drop-off from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Tours of the facility will be offered every 30 minutes. The city may provide a representative to speak at 10:00 AM. An Amazon wish list for donations is being finalized.
  • Community Safety and Belonging Committee (Jackie DuPont): A draft survey was presented to assess how women connect across Tulsa, covering sense of belonging, current opportunities, barriers, and gaps. Feedback was requested by August 28, 2026, with the committee meeting on that date at Pony Coffee at 9:00 AM. The vote on the survey was deferred to the September meeting to incorporate feedback on language, translation, and use of a validated belonging scale.
  • Systems Rights and Institutional Safety Committee (Desiree Edwards): Two initiatives were discussed: (1) Investigating the backlog in rape cases by meeting with the Director of Public Safety to determine if the backlog is in testing, investigation, or prosecution. (2) Proposing a community screening of the documentary "No Country for Mothers" at Circle Cinema (capacity 200) followed by a panel on child care. The committee will organize a smaller screening first to gauge interest.
  • Announcement: Commissioner Laura Latta announced her appointment as the first director of the Office of Children, Youth and Families, effective November 1, 2026.

Key Outcomes

  • Meeting minutes approved unanimously.
  • Marcia Bruno Todd appointed as Human Rights Commission liaison (unanimous vote).
  • Pinnacle Awards committees: Jackie DuPont, Meg Myers Morgan, and Kate Neary for nominations; Ashley Bro Riv for planning.
  • Survey draft from Community Safety and Belonging committee to be revised based on feedback and brought back for a vote in September.
  • Motion to adjourn passed unanimously.

Meeting Transcript

All right. Let's go ahead and get started. Um we are having some tech challenges, so we may or may not have a slide deck, but nevertheless, we persist because we're powerful women and that's what we do. Um I wanted to get credit for your amazing slide deck. Oh no, I think they got it. All good. Um, so we'll go ahead and call the meeting to order. Um, the first item. Well, let's actually the well, let's go around because we've got guests here with us, and just quickly say um your name and what you love most about the back to school season. So I'll kick us off. I'm Laura Latta, and my favorite part of the back to school season, uh, shopping, tax free weekend. Uh, my name is Desiree Edwards. Um, and my bat my favorite thing about back to school weekend is uh the shopping. Because not only do my kiddos get, you know, new stuff, but it's free for everything. So yeah, new kids, new shoes like everybody gets new stuff. So yeah, my favorite. Meg Myers Morgan. Favorite thing about back to school shopping, is my girls each designate like their theme for their like back to school supplies, and it's just cute to watch that. Um, that Dr. Lava said your best thing about back to school, and you and Desiree immediately tried to shop back to school shopping. Yeah. Yes. We like it. I have a one-track mine. And the and the academics of it all. Right? The learning. Um, so I used to be a teacher, and my favorite thing about back to school was setting up my classroom every year. So I'm enjoying watching friends who are teachers have their you know, wish lists of setting up classrooms. Yes. I'm Ashley Bro Riv, and I am most excited, I guess. My son's starting P3, so it's my first like school experience with his kids. Um, so I'm excited to see him in his little uniform. That's amazing. I'm Jackie DuPont. I'm with the Kretz Family Foundation. I was also a former teacher, so I love the energy, like a good newness of school starting. But to your point, my I have a little one at Eisenhower that wears a uniform, and she has like the cutest little dresses with the plaid and all of it. And so I'll go to uniforms as well. That's cute. I am Marcia Bruno Todd. And I have two favorite things about back to school. Number one, whether I have children or not, I love school supplies. Yeah. I'll just buy this. Just for funsies. The colors I do. Just the colors of pens and the post its tabs. I really love school supplies. And then the other thing is I love hearing this.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com