In 2010, seeing the need to recognize the work of elected officials, the Commission established the Guardian Award. Named after the bronze statue on top of the State Capitol Building, created by former Senator Enoch Kelly Haney, the Guardian embodies the diversity within the proud and strong population of Oklahoma. Only elected individuals of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of the Oklahoma Government are eligible to receive the award.
Guardian Award Recipients
Representative Tammy West
Representative Tammy West was first elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives District 84 in 2016. Currently she serves as the Majority Leader for her party. As a legislator, she authored the Caring for Caregivers Bill giving a tax credit for expenses incurred by a family caregiver and led several legislative bills to provide for victim-centered, restorative justice deferred prosecution programs, while still promoting public safety and protecting victims. She serves on the Board of Directors for RISE, Re-entry Investment in Student Education that is the first fully licensed cosmetology school in a women’s prison, and upon release, the women who have completed the program are licensed and ready to work immediately.
Senator Brenda Stanley
Senator Brenda Stanley was first elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives District 42 in 2018. Currently she serves as Chair of the Veterans and Military Affairs Committee, In addition to this committee, she is a member of the Education, Finance, Health and Human Services, Rules, and Aeronautics and Transportation Committees. Through her committee work, she has demonstrated a strong commitment to improving the health and well-being of women through several legislative bills that include patients receive mammography report summaries, implementation of improvements in midwifery care to advance maternal and child health, and sales tax exemption for women’s veterans’ organizations. Prior to being elected to the Oklahoma State Senate in 2018, she served 40 years as a school teacher and principal.
Representative Cyndi Munson
Elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2016 to House District 85, Representative Munson, is the first Asian American woman elected to the Oklahoma Legislature. Munson has concentrated on legislative efforts to provide equal pay for equal work, strengthen the rights of survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, assist Oklahoma men and women veterans, and help Oklahomans who suffer from Alzheimer’s and dementia health issues. Representative Munson has been a strong voice for equal pay and domestic violence survivor rights.
Senator Roger Thompson
Senator Thompson was first elected to the Oklahoma State Senate in 2014. He represents Senate District 8, which includes Okmulgee and McIntosh counties, as well as portions of Okfuskee and Muskogee counties. Currently he is serving his second term as Chairman of Appropriations, where under his leadership, the committee was able to make historic investments in core government services, including Oklahoma schools. In 2022, the committee approved appropriations for the Commission’s “Not Me – Stop Human Trafficking” Initiative, the first official statewide effort to educate Oklahoma students and educators at high schools, universities, colleges and career and technology centers on how to recognize the early signs of human trafficking.
Representative Daniel Pae
In 2019, Representative Daniel Pae was elected to serve House District 6, which includes Lawton, and Fort Sill, his hometown. As a newly elected representative, he was elected by the Millennial Action Project (MAP) as one of two leaders of the bipartisan 2022 Criminal Justice Reform (CJR) Advisory Council. Since college, Pae has advocated against human trafficking. Recently he co-authored several pieces of legislation targeted at reducing and/or eliminating human trafficking in Oklahoma.
Senator Darrell Weaver
Senator Darrell Weaver was elected in 2018 to serve Senate District 24 in Cleveland County, including Moore. He is the only senator to serve as former director of a state agency, the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control. Since 2014, he has been a leader in educating Oklahomans about the realities of human trafficking. His commitment to presenting information about various forms of human trafficking and its prevalence in rural, urban, and suburban areas has drawn statewide awareness to the crime.
Rep. Regina Goodwin, D-Tulsa, 2019 Guardian Award recipient
The Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women selected state Rep. Regina Goodwin, D-Tulsa, as the 2019 Guardian Award recipient during the OCSW monthly meeting. “The Commission is honored to recognize Rep. Goodwin’s legislative work to update laws that literally shackled women,” said OCSW Chair Maria Trapp-Braly. “Goodwin’s remarkable efforts on the passage of HB 3393 was signed into law that banned the practice of shackling pregnant women in labor while in custody of the Department of corrections. The new law directed the use of the least restrictive restraints on pregnant inmates.”
Senator Kay Floyd, Senate District 42, Oklahoma County
Senator Kay Floyd has championed numerous efforts on behalf of women, children, and families, authoring legislation to provide suicide prevention assistance in Oklahoma schools and reduce domestic violence. During the 2017 session she filed legislation resulting in Governor Mary Fallin’s creation of the Oklahoma Task Force on Special Assault and Forensic Evidence to determine the number of untested rape kits throughout the state and develop recommendations for reducing the backlogs and better assisting victims. Senator Floyd received her award from Maria Trapp Braly, Chairman, Gloria Torres, Vice-chairman, and Kitti Asberry, Executive Director.
Representative Nelson has worked to write and pass legislation to address Oklahoma’s problem of abuse to minors. HB 2964 will allow minors who are victims of sexual assault to consent to a forensic medical examination. In addition, HB 2965 will enhance child abuse reporting by permitting recovery of damages, costs and fees by specified parties. Both bills are major improvements for minors in Oklahoma.
Representative Jason Dunnington has been a champion for women and families by working on HB 2929, the discriminatory wages bill, better known as equal pay for equal work.
Senator AJ Griffin, District 20, Kingfisher, Logan, Noble, and Pawnee
Senator AJ Griffin, who is a member of the Commission, was instrumental in getting legislation into law to better protect kids throughout the state from sexual predators (SB 292.)The legislation closes a legal loophole regarding “zones of safety” limiting how close registered sex offenders can live or even pass by areas where children tend to be, such as parks, daycare centers and schools. Senator AJ Griffin received her award from Chairman Lou Kohlman (right) and Executive Director Kitti Asberry (left.)
Senator David Holt, District 30, Oklahoma County
Senator Holt received the award from Chairman Lou Kohlman, for HB 2526 which requires law enforcement to ask a series of questions of victims to assess their physical danger. The questions will help the victim understand the reality of the situation and will assist the law enforcement officer as they determine the most appropriate services toward which the victim should be directed.
Representative Dan Kirby, District 75, Tulsa
Representative Kirby received the award from Chairman Adeline Yerkes for House Bill 1347, which will require hospitals and other birthing facilities to perform a pulse oximetry screening on every newborn prior to discharge from the facility.
Speaker Kris Steel who had numerous bills passed during the legislative session which improves conditions for children, accepts his award from Chairman Adeline Yerkes. HB 3135: Children; authorizing the release of certain records related to abuse or neglect, HB 2136: Children; modifying abuse and neglect, and HB 2133: Educational Improvement Act
Representative Pam Peterson is Shown accepting her award from Chairman Adeline Yerkes. Representative Peterson was instrumental in getting numerous bills passed which provided protection for victims of domestic violence. HB 1531: Sexual battery; adding certain age to definition, and HB 1892: Domestic violence and assault and battery-Modify definition.
Representative Ron Peters, District 70, Tulsa
Ron Peters has served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 2000 -2012 where he was selected to the House Leadership Team, and served as Presiding Officer. He also Chaired the Human Services Appropriations and Budget Committee and the House Energy Committee.
Last Modified on
Sep 16, 2026
