The Oklahoma Charter School Hall of Fame recognizes individuals whose vision, courage, leadership, service and enduring influence have helped establish, strengthen, protect or advance Oklahoma’s public charter school community.
This is a legacy honor and not an annual performance award or recognition based solely on title, position or years of service. Hall of Fame inductees should have made contributions of exceptional and lasting significance to charter schools, the students and families they serve, or the public policies and institutions that make charter education possible in Oklahoma.
An ideal nominee may be:
- A charter school founder, educator, administrator or governing-board leader;
- An elected official or policymaker who championed, enacted, implemented, strengthened, or defended charter-school policy;
- A pioneer who helped establish Oklahoma’s first charter schools or build the early charter-school community;
- An attorney, advocate, authorizer, researcher, philanthropist or community leader whose work materially advanced charter education;
- An individual who introduced an important innovation, created opportunities for students or strengthened accountability and public confidence; or
- Someone whose mentorship, advocacy or leadership inspired others and left an enduring legacy within Oklahoma charter education.
For induction in 2026 to the Hall of Fame, nominations are especially encouraged for individuals who played pivotal roles in the creation, passage, implementation or defense of the Oklahoma Charter Schools Act in 1999, as well as the educators, founders and community leaders who transformed the law’s promise into functioning public schools for Oklahoma students.
The strongest nominations will identify specific actions, decisions, accomplishments and challenges; explain their importance to Oklahoma charter education; and demonstrate how the nominee’s influence continues to be felt. Longevity alone does not establish Hall of Fame merit. Conversely, a singular action or period of service may merit induction when its historical significance and lasting consequences are extraordinary.
ELIGIBILITY
To be considered, a nominee must:
- Be an individual, living or deceased;
- Have a meaningful connection to Oklahoma and Oklahoma public charter education;
- Have made contributions extending beyond ordinary or expected performance of the nominee’s professional or public duties—or have performed those duties in an exceptionally consequential manner;
- Have demonstrated a record consistent with the integrity and public trust associated with the Hall of Fame; and
- Have contributions that can be reasonably documented or independently corroborated.
Nominees are not required to have worked directly for a charter school. Elected officials, public officials, attorneys, advocates, philanthropists, researchers, authorizers and other contributors are eligible.
Self-nominations are not accepted. Family members may submit nominations, but nominations from family members should include at least one independent reference who can verify the nominee’s contributions.
Current elected or public officials may be nominated. Selection shall be based solely on the individual’s established charter-specific record and shall not constitute an endorsement of a political party, current candidacy or broader political platform.
To be considered, nominations must:
· Be submitted no later than September 15, 2026
· Include the required sections and information outlined IN THIS PDF
· Emailed to Shelly Hickman, shelly.hickman@scsb.ok.gov.
Nominations will be acknowledged as received and will be considered by an independent selection committee. Honorees and their nominators will be informed the first week of October and announced at the annual Oklahoma Charter Schools Conference on November 5, 2026.
