91Ӱ��

91Ӱ�� brought together Tulsa leaders for a Women’s History Month panel focused on social sustainability and how to strengthen communities through education, healthcare, civic engagement, and public service.

Prominent Tulsa voices took center stage at 91Ӱ��’s Women’s History Month panel, where leaders from across education, healthcare, public service, and advocacy explored what it takes to build stronger communities.

Hosted at the Thomas K. McKeon Center for Creativity, the discussion brought together Tiffany Crutcher, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Terence Crutcher Foundation; Ebony Johnson, Ed.D., Superintendent of Tulsa Public Schools; Regina Lewis, D.O., physician and professor of Family Medicine at Oklahoma State University; and M. Susan Savage, Tulsa’s first woman mayor and CEO of Morton Comprehensive Health Services.

Aligned with this year’s national theme, “Leading the Change: Women Shaping a Sustainable Future,” the conversation centered on social sustainability and how systems shape long-term outcomes in communities.

“This event reflects 91Ӱ��’s role in bringing people together to advance meaningful conversations,” said 91Ӱ�� Director of Workforce Programming Ramona Curtis, Ph.D. “The women on this panel demonstrate a deep commitment to service and community, and I hope it encourages continued engagement as we work toward a more sustainable future.”

Savage, appointed in 1997 by Bill Clinton to the President's Council on Sustainable Development, emphasized that this work extends beyond a single sector.

“We all want the same things in a community. We want safe neighborhoods. We want access to great schools. We want the ability to worship and to live as we choose, with the freedoms and rights we have earned as citizens of this state and this country. We want access to services in our community, and you only achieve that by working together," said Savage.

Crutcher highlighted the importance of community voice in shaping sustainable systems.

“When you create systems where our children and our families can live, work, play, and thrive, that's what sustainability is,” said Crutcher. “That is the heartbeat of the work that we do at the Terrence Crutcher Foundation. We believe that it is important to ensure the community voice is embedded throughout every aspect of decision-making processes as it relates to those kitchen table issues like streetlights, chronic absenteeism, mental health supports.”

Lewis brought a healthcare perspective, noting that lasting change requires removing barriers that prevent people from accessing care. 

“It's not only being able to see my patient. We do need access to care. We also need to have transportation to care, we need to be able to afford our care, to get our medication,” said Lewis. “When we're looking at morbidity and mortality when it comes to maternal health, it’s making sure that prenatal care is available to all.”

Johnson pointed to the role of education systems in student success, emphasizing the need to build supports that ensure all students can succeed.

“Social sustainability is putting in the systems that incubate the change we want to see. It's actually putting in the supports that our students need so there's not a way that they can be denied [opportunity],” said Johnson. “We are held accountable in the educational system to not just allow that special group of students to take the AP, IB courses, but that we measure the number of students who are on track to college and career readiness across all of our students.”

The panel was moderated by FOX23 morning anchor Michelle Linn and featured a spoken word performance by artist and social justice advocate Deborah J. Hunter. The event was supported by the 91Ӱ�� Foundation through the OneOK Lectureship.