The Women's and Gender Studies Program is pleased to announce that it has seated a Board of Advisors.

The Board of Advisors is a select group of friends who support the Women's and Gender Studies Program and its mission.The purpose of the Board of Advisors is to provide advice and support to the program and to facilitate a connection between the program and the Oklahoma community.

Members of the Board of Advisors:

MG LaRita Aragon became the first woman to hold the rank of brigadier of the Oklahoma Army National Guard and the first female commander of the Air National Guard. After a distinguished career, including several tours overseas, Gen. Aragon retired and returned to her first career, in education, where she served as Director of Advanced Programs at the University of Oklahoma College of Continuing Education. She was recently inducted into the Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame.

Donna Alexander Spring is Director of Sales at Critical Technologies. She has been a high school math teacher in the classroom, and an advocate for education outside the classroom. Graduate of OU, Spring is on the Board of ARISE, a non-profit single mother support organization. She has served on the OKC Rotary, Kiwanis. Jr. League, and organized the OKC Arts Fundraiser. Spring is a current CASA volunteer and has worked for a female political  candidate as well as founding a women's organization in Edmond dedicated to arts, service and education.

Laura Boyd, Ph.D is a Virginia native and graduate of Duke University, Dr. Boyd operates a policy and consulting firm and also serves as an assistant adjunct professor at the University of Oklahoma. A licensed marital and family therapist, Boyd served in the state House from 1993 through 1998. That year, she became the first woman in Oklahoma history to win a major political party's nomination for governor. As the Democratic nominee, Boyd pulled in almost 41 percent of the vote against Gov. Frank Keating. While in the Legislature, Boyd was the author of legislation establishing the College Savings Plan and the "Ryan Luke Act," which contained several new protections for child abuse victims, including training for judges in all new aspects of abuse and related issues, among new measures.

Nikki Jones Edwards graduated from OU law school in 1997 and is a partner in Mullins, Hirsch and Edwards. She was actively involved in Positive Tomorrows, a school for homeless children and belongs to several organizations and committees for both community and legal causes.

Jeanne Flanigan was involved in the WS Program from its inception. She founded the Women's Studies Student Association, which hosted the first statewide conference on domestic violence, held ERA rallies, and was a presence in advocacy for women on campus. Flanigan received her BFA in Design from the OU School of Art, and went on to be the Curator of Education at the Oklahoma Museum of Art in Nichols Hills, and then the Director of Individual Artists of Oklahoma. She owned Flanigan's Costumes in downtown Norman for 12 years, and was the founder and director of the Norman Mardi Gras Parade for 9 years. She currently works for gay and lesbian rights, and serves on the boards of Herland Sister Resources and the Oklahoma Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus.

Mary Melon was named publisher of the The Journal Record Publishing Co. in September, 2001, and named president and publisher in 2006. She serves on the Board of Leadership Oklahoma, where she just completed her term as Chair of the Board. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Central Oklahoma United Way, the Oklahoma Health Center, and the Oklahoma City National Memorial. Mrs. Melon was awarded the 2008 "Embrace Award" by the YWCA, for embracing YWCA's mission of empowering and eliminating racism. She has recently been appointed by Oklahoma City Mayor Mich Cornett to serve as the first woman on the Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority and the Oklahoma City Urban Redevelopment Authority.

Becky Patten is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma and of Chicago Law School. She has practiced law in Norman for over thirty years and has been involved in local political activities for longer than that, including work in campaigns for candidates supporting the Equal Rights Amendment and reproductive choice. She has served on the boards of the Oklahoma Civil Liberties Union, Planned Parenthood of Central Oklahoma, Juvenile Services, Inc. (now Center for Children and Families) and coached youth softball for many years.

Doug Sterk graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1995 with a Bachelors and Masters of Accountancy. He started his career with Arthur Andersen in Oklahoma City performing attestation work and subsequently worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers in Dallas in the transaction services group working on mergers and acquisitions. After leaving public accounting, Sterk was the controller for Medley Material Handling Company, and is currently the Vice President of Finance for Simons Petroleum, Inc.m one of the largest fuel and lubricant distributors in the United States. He sits on the Board of Advisors to the JC Penney Leadership Program at the University of Oklahoma. 

Jean Warner earned a Ph.D in Political Science from the university of Oklahoma and is currently chair of the newly re-energized Oklahoma Women's Coalition, a statewide organization which advocates for women and girls. (We are grateful that she takes WGS interns at the Coalition, where they learn at the source how to organize effectively, network, raise money, create a big event at the capitol, follow legislation affecting women and girls and determine the best roots for advocacy.) She authors the Oklahoma Women's Network website and writes the Network's blog. Jean was a co-founder of the N.E.W Leadership program at OU's Carl Albert Center, and is on the Advisory Committee of the Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women. In addition she leads mission teams to central Kenya.

Clint Williams is the Executive Director of The Xenia Institute, a community engagement organization that fosters dialogue and skills of communication among various segments of the Norman community. In addition to his work with the Women's and Gender Studies Program, Williams is also a commissioner for the Norman Human Rights Commission and sits on the steering committee of the Norman Justice Alliance. Holding degrees in religious studies and music from the University of Oklahoma, Williams is an avid church musician, serving in music leadership positions in two Norman churches. Additionally, Williams is the national secretary of the Sinfonia Educational Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, a national society of men and music

We are very grateful to our advisory board members for agreeing to take time out of their busy lives to help us move the program forward and become a dynamic force in the community and state as well as on campus.