City, YWCA Announce 2026 Pinnacle Awards Winners

City, YWCA Announce 2026 Pinnacle Awards Winners

12/4/2025

The City of Tulsa, in partnership with YWCA Tulsa, is proud to announce the honorees for the 2026 Pinnacle Awards, a celebration of women whose leadership, service, and impact uplift the Tulsa community. A special press conference will be held on January 13th at 10:00 AM at City Hall, where Mayor Nichols will recognize this year's honorees and highlight their extraordinary contributions.

The 2026 Pinnacle Awards Celebration will take place on Friday, March 27, 2026, at 6 p.m. at the Marriott Tulsa Hotel Southern Hills, 1902 East 71st Street, Tulsa, OK, 74136.

Since 1987, the Pinnacle Awards have honored women whose professional achievements and community service reflect a deep commitment to empowerment, equity, and excellence. This year's honorees join more than 250 trailblazing women recognized over nearly four decades.

"I want to congratulate Tulsa's newest Pinnacle Award honorees, including our very own Amanda Swope," Mayor Nichols said. "These outstanding women are driving real progress in Tulsa through their leadership, dedication, and service. Their work strengthens our community, expands opportunity, and inspires all of us to do more for one another. I'm grateful for their contributions and I'm proud to join YWCA Tulsa in celebrating everything they have and will achieve."

2026 Pinnacle Awards Honorees

Anna C. Roth Legacy Award - Maybelle Wallace
Maybelle Wallace has devoted her life to preserving and advancing Tulsa's Black arts and community history, notably through her long-standing leadership at Theatre North - Tulsa's primary African American theatre company since 1981. Her work has elevated African American stories, nurtured community celebration, and helped safeguard Greenwood's heritage through festivals and landmark theatre productions. A lifelong Tulsan born in 1929 with deep roots in the Greenwood-Black Wall Street legacy, she combines cultural leadership, historical memory and creative activism to leave a profound mark."

Corporate Champion - Girl Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma, Inc.
Girl Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma is a women-led organization dedicated to building courage, confidence, and character in girls while modeling those same values within its own workplace. With women represented across 100 percent of the C-suite and nearly the entire staff and board, GSEOK creates meaningful pathways for women to lead, grow, and shape the future of the organization. Through a culture grounded in empowerment, equity, and belonging, they support thousands of girls and women each year, strengthening both the workforce of today and the leaders of tomorrow.

Community Service - Amanda Swope
Amanda Swope is a lifelong champion of equity and community whose career spans nonprofit leadership, tribal governance, and public service. She began her career as a Development Director for Tulsa social service organizations before joining the Muscogee Nation as a Self-Governance Analyst and later serving as the Nation's first Director of Tribal Juvenile Justice, work that led to her election to the Oklahoma Legislature and now her service as the City of Tulsa's first Director of Tribal Policy and Partnerships. A descendant of the Osage Nation, a citizen of the Muscogee Nation, and an active community volunteer, she blends policy expertise, civic engagement, and cultural stewardship to drive systems-level change for Tulsa."

Corporate Business - Lewana Dailey
Lewana Dailey is a nationally recognized leadership expert whose career spans executive consulting, workforce development, and transformational coaching. As Director of Workforce Development at the Tulsa Health Department and a former Senior Consultant with Korn Ferry, she has strengthened organizational culture, developed talent pipelines, and guided Fortune 500 companies and nonprofits toward measurable success. A published author, ICF Certified Coach, and sought-after speaker, Lewana has built a powerful personal brand centered on igniting potential, empowering leaders, and transforming organizations.

Education - Dr. Leigh Goodson
Dr. Leigh Goodson is a transformational leader in higher education, serving as President and CEO of Tulsa Community College since 2014 and guiding Oklahoma's third-largest college in its mission to expand access and student success. Under her leadership, TCC has launched Oklahoma's first early college high school program, earned national recognition for student achievement and equity, and secured major investments that strengthen pathways from college to career. Through her work on local, state, and national boards-including her role as Chair of the American Association of Community Colleges-Dr. Goodson continues to advance educational equity, empower women and families, and elevate opportunities for students across Tulsa and beyond.

Health & Wellness - Kimberly Hill-Crowell
Kimberly Hill-Crowell is a leader in Tulsa's health and wellness landscape, known for expanding access to mental health and addiction recovery services for some of the community's most vulnerable populations. Through her work with GRAND, Tulsa Public Schools, the YMCA of Greater Tulsa, Teens Excelling Beyond, and numerous community coalitions, she has built innovative partnerships that strengthen prevention, treatment, and long-term support for youth, families, and underserved adults. Her leadership has created life-changing impact across Tulsa, from embedding mental health providers in schools to championing urgent recovery services and harm-reduction initiatives that save lives.

Rising Star - Justice Jones
Justice Jones is an emerging leader whose work bridges housing, higher education, and community wellbeing. As Manager of Housing Programs for the Tulsa Higher Education Consortium, she helps young adults experiencing homelessness secure stable housing and pursue college pathways. A Cherokee woman committed to systems-level change, she blends research, advocacy, and person-centered leadership to build opportunity and amplify underrepresented voices.

For More Information

Visit https://www.ywcatulsa.org/pinnacle-awards

About the Pinnacle Awards
The Pinnacle Awards were established in 1987 by the Mayor's Commission on the Status of Women (now the Tulsa Women's Commission) to celebrate the leadership and contributions of women to the City of Tulsa. Since 2015, the event has been co-hosted by YWCA Tulsa, recognizing women whose work aligns with their mission of eliminating racism, empowering women, and advancing social justice.

About YWCA TulsaYWCA Tulsa is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. Through inclusion and empowerment, we address race and gender disparities in wellness, wealth and education. YWCA Tulsa supports nearly 400,000 women, children and people of color in the Tulsa area through our four hallmark programs: health and wellness, immigrant and refugee services, racial justice and women's empowerment. For more information on YWCA Tulsa, visit https://www.ywcatulsa.org. YWCA Tulsa is a Partner Agency of the Tulsa Area United Way.