About Oklahoma Humanities
The Power of the Humanities
At Oklahoma Humanities, we use the humanities — history, literature, ethics and culture — to inspire fresh thinking, promote civic engagement and strengthen our democracy.
To strengthen communities by helping Oklahomans learn about the human experience, understand new perspectives, and participate knowledgeably in civic life.
The humanities help us understand what it means to be human — and to benefit from the experience, research, and ideas of both leading scholars and everyday citizens. The academic disciplines of the humanities include such fields of learning as history, language, literature, film studies, art history and criticism, archaeology, jurisprudence, ethics, and philosophy.
Our programming, grants, and partnerships engage people across the state. On average, each year, Oklahoma Humanities:
On average, each year, Oklahoma Humanities:
- Grants over $250,000 to nonprofit organizations
- Leverages $7 in local support for every federal dollar granted
- Serves over 150,000 people through our grant program
- Supports 250 reading and discussion programs through Let’s Talk About It
- Reaches 3,000 Let’s Talk About It participants
- Distributes 24,000 free copies of Oklahoma Humanities magazine
Our History
Oklahoma Humanities is the nonprofit state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), one of two independent agencies created in 1965 when President Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities Act into law, affirming the country’s investment in the arts and humanities at a time when science dominated American initiative.
In 1971, we joined five other states in an NEH pilot program that established a grassroots network to ensure federal funding reached communities most at need. The pilot was so successful that 56 state and jurisdictional humanities councils arose across the country.
For more than fifty years later, we shepherded funds from the nation’s capital directly to Oklahoma neighborhoods, annually awarding over $250,000 in federal grants to cultural organizations at the local level—places like your favorite library, the county historical society, large and small museums, and more—in rural areas as well as urban.
We also connected Oklahomans in all 77 counties to the humanities through our free programs: the curious reader to our dynamic book club, Let’s Talk About It; the teacher to accessible and engaging content in Oklahoma Humanities magazine; and the small-town resident to the Smithsonian through Museum on Main Street.
Unfortunately, due to the sudden termination of our federal funding in April 2025, we have had to dramatically reduce the scope of our programming and staff.
We are proud to have a legacy of responsible federal grant management, equitable funding distribution, engaging public programs, and support for humanities scholarship.
Learn more about our history through the Oklahoma Humanities at 50 Years Oral History Collection at Oklahoma State University's Edmond Low Library that includes a series of interviews that examine and preserve our organization's history, work, and impact on the humanities in Oklahoma. This project was developed by OH and interviews were conducted by interns recruited from the History Departments at Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma, with oversight from the Oklahoma Oral History Research Program.
Our Board of Trustees
Sarah Milligan, Chair, Executive Committee Member
Oklahoma State University, Stillwater
Dr. Elizabeth Bass, Vice-Chair | Secretary, Executive Committee Member
Norman
Jennifer Stevenson, Treasurer, Executive Committee Member
NBC Bank, Oklahoma City
Dr. Tonnia Anderson
University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, Chickasha
Jennie Buchanan, Governor Appointed Member
Altus
Shar Carter
Langston University
Suzette V. Chang
Oklahoma City
Dr. Kalenda Eaton
University of Oklahoma, Norman
Dr. Shawn Holliday
Northwestern Oklahoma State University, Alva
Marcy Jarrett
Midwest City
Dr. Shun Kiang
The University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond
Quraysh Ali Lansana
Tulsa
Judie Matthews
Oklahoma City
Christopher Murphy
Northeastern State University, Tahlequah
Francine Parchcorn
Chickasaw Nation
Erin Peters, Governor Appointed Member
Tulsa
Dr. Alyssa Provencio
University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond
Uzma Saleemi, Governor Appointed Member
Edmond
Lynne Schonacher, Governor Appointed Member
Arcadia
Dr. Amanda Smith
Southwestern Oklahoma State University, Weatherford
Dr. Stacy Takacs
Oklahoma State University, Stillwater
Dr. Rebekah Wagenbach
Oklahoma Panhandle State University, Goodwell
Dr. Moira Watson
Hall-Estill, Oklahoma City
Laura Watts, Governor Appointed Member
Oklahoma City
Upcoming Board
Meeting Dates
Board of Trustees Nominations
OH is governed by a 24-member Board of Trustees, comprised of private citizens, academic scholars, and Governor’s appointees. Nominations to the Board of Trustees are accepted on a year-round basis and must be submitted via our online application.
Complete the Board of Trustees Nomination Packet
Nominations received by May 31 of each year will be considered for open Board positions as of the following November 1 or for unexpected vacancies. Trustees are appointed for a 3-year term with re-nomination possible for a second 3-year term.
To nominate someone other than yourself, please email Executive Director Caroline Lowery with the person's name and email address. We will contact them directly to complete the nomination process.
Our Staff
RAYNE MCKINNEY
Program Officer: Let's Talk About It and Museum on Main Street
rayne@okhumanities.org
KIMBERLY ROBLIN
Editor, Oklahoma Humanities Magazine | Director of Communications
kimberly@okhumanities.org
Recognition and Awards
2025
Oklaoma Library Association
Winner | Citizen’s Recognition Award: Let's Talk About It
2023
2023 Society of Professional Journalists Awards, Oklahoma Pro Chapter
First Place | General Writing: "Vampires, Aliens, and Zombies—Oh My!" By Dr. Leeda Copley
Third Place | General Writing: "The Days of Eleanor Roosevelt" By Danny Heitman
Second Place | Outstanding Publication: Spring/Summer 2022
2023 Great Plains Journalism Awards
Finalist | Magazine Feature Writing: "The Shorthand of Thomas Jefferson" By Kimberly Roblin
Finalist | Publication of the Year: Oklahoma Humanities staff and graphic designer Anne Richardson
2022
2022 Society of Professional Journalists Awards, Oklahoma Pro Chapter
First Place | General Writing: "Breaking Down Barriers" By David Levy
Second Place | Best PR Publication Cover: Spring/Summer HOPE
2022 Great Plains Journalism Awards
Winner | Best Feature Photo: Mike Klemme
Finalist | Column Writing: "The Editor's Desk" By Carla Walker
Finalist | Magazine Feature Writing: "Reflections on a Beleaguered Symbol" By Tonnia Anderson
Finalist | Reader Service Page Design: "Crossroads: Change in Rural America" Anne Richardson
Finalist | Magazine of the Year: Oklahoma Humanities staff
Federation of State Humanities Councils
Winner | Helen and Martin Schwartz Prize: “Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commemoration Initiative"
2021
2021 Great Plains Journalism Awards
Finalist | News Writing: “Ask a Journalist” By Andy Rieger, Cindy Elliott Allen, David Craig, Susan Ellerbach, Rich Lenz, Dick Pryor
Finalist | Column Writing: “The Editor’s Desk” By Carla Walker
Finalist | Food Feature Writing: “How Food Connects Us to Home” By Ayelet Tsabari
Finalist | Readers Service Writing: “Popcorn, Politics, and the Press” By Kimberly Roblin
Finalist | Arts & Culture Writing: “Hardship, Hope, and Home: Dorothea Lange, Documenting Oklahoma’s Dust Bowl Refugees” By Kimberly Roblin
Finalist | Magazine Page Design, Profile: “Hardship, Hope, and Home: Dorothea Lange, Documenting Oklahoma’s Dust Bowl Refugees” Anne Richardson & Carla Walker
Finalist | Magazine Page Design, Profile: “Mapping Woody Guthrie” Anne Richardson, Sara Bowersock, Carla Walker
Finalist | Magazine Page Design, Reader Service: “Popcorn, Politics, and the Press,” Anne Richardson & Carla Walker
Finalist | Magazine Design Portfolio: Anne Richardson
2021 Society of Professional Journalists Awards, Oklahoma Pro Chapter
First Place | General Writing: “Hardship, Hope, and Home: Dorothea Lange, Documenting Oklahoma's Dust Bowl Refugees” By Kimberly Roblin
Third Place | General Writing: "Learning from the Past, Acting for the Future" By Ben Alpers
First Place | Best PR Publication Cover: Spring/Summer "Home"
Second Place | Best PR Publication Cover: Fall/Winter "Citizen 2020"
First Place | Best PR Publication: Spring/Summer "Home"
Second Place | Best PR Publication: Fall/Winter "Citizen 2020"
2020
2020 Great Plains Journalism Awards
Finalist | Magazine Page Design
2020 Society of Professional Journalists Awards, Oklahoma Pro Chapter
First Place | General Writing: “Losing Time—And Finding It” By Kimberly Roblin
Third Place | General Writing: “Poetic Justice” By Julie Ann Ward
Second Place | Best PR Publication Cover: Spring/Summer “Justice”
Third Place | Best PR Publication Cover: Fall/Winter “Time”
Second Place | Best PR Publication: Fall/Winter “Time”
Third Place | Best PR Publication: Spring/Summer “Justice”
2019
2019 Society of Professional Journalists Awards, Oklahoma Pro Chapter
First Place | General Writing: “Democracy and the Informed Citizen” Interview with Carl Bernstein by Dick Pryor
Second Place | General Writing: “Fake News: How Did We Get Here?” By Shad Satterthwaite
Third Place | General Writing: “Tasting the World: In Praise of Culinary Curiosity” By Pamela Chew
First Place | Best PR Publication Cover: Fall/Winter 2018 “Curiosity”
Third Place | Best PR Publication Cover: Spring/Summer 2018 “Truth”
Second Place | Best PR Publication: Spring/Summer 2018 “Truth”
Third Place | Best PR Publication: Fall/Winter 2018 “Curiosity”
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