OCCC President Mautra Staley Jones wins 2026 Kate Barnard Award

Dr. Mautra Staley Jones, president of Oklahoma City Community College, received the 2026 Kate Barnard Award from the Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women at the Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame ceremony on Oct. 16 in Oklahoma City. The honor recognizes women leaders in public service and highlights Jones’ role as the college’s first woman and first person of color to serve as president.

Why it matters: - The Kate Barnard Award spotlights women whose public service has expanded opportunity for others in Oklahoma. - Jones’ recognition adds another statewide honor to a presidency defined by access, workforce training and leadership firsts. - The award reinforces OCCC’s visibility as a major education and workforce institution in Oklahoma.

What happened: - Dr. Mautra Staley Jones received the 2026 Kate Barnard Award from the Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women. - OCSW presented the award during the Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony and awards presentation on Oct. 16. - The ceremony took place at the Skirvin Hilton Hotel in downtown Oklahoma City. - The 2026 award also recognized Vice Chief Justice Dana Kuehn of the Oklahoma Supreme Court.

The details: - The Kate Barnard Award honors Oklahoma women with exceptional leadership in public service and work that has expanded opportunities for others. - The award is named for Kate Barnard, who became the first woman in the U.S. elected to statewide office in 1907. - Barnard served as Oklahoma’s first commissioner of charities and corrections and pushed reforms on child labor, compulsory education, prison conditions and protections for vulnerable children. - OCSW established the award in 1998 to recognize women who made a significant difference in Oklahoma as elected or appointed salaried public officials. - Jones said receiving the award was an honor and called Barnard a trailblazer for education and children’s rights. - Jones became OCCC’s 11th president on March 1, 2022. - Jones was the first woman and first person of color to lead OCCC. - Jones also became the first African American woman in Oklahoma to lead a higher education institution that is not a historically Black college or university. - OCCC serves more than 23,000 learners annually under Jones’ leadership. - More than half of OCCC students are first-generation and Pell Grant eligible. - OCCC awards more than 20,000 industry-aligned credentials tied to workforce opportunities. - OCCC offers 87 degree and certificate programs and more than 80 micro-credentials. - OCCC’s online division was named among the nation’s top online colleges by Newsweek. - Forbes Advisor ranked OCCC’s Psychology program among the Top 10 online associate degree programs in the United States. - MovieMaker Magazine ranked OCCC’s Gray Frederickson Digital Cinema Program among the Top 30 film schools in North America. - The National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security designated OCCC as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense. - OCCC established the National Center of Excellence for Artificial Intelligence and Workforce Development, powered by Amazon Web Services. - Jones serves as a trustee for the Higher Learning Commission and as a board director for BancFirst and BancFirst Corporation. - Jones is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. and Rotary Club International. - Jones has been inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, Oklahoma Hispanic Hall of Fame and Oklahoma African American Educators Hall of Fame. - Jones will be inducted into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame later this fall. - Jones is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma, University of Phoenix and Vanderbilt University.

Between the lines: - The award ties Jones’ leadership at OCCC to a broader Oklahoma tradition of public service and institutional change. - The recognition also reflects how community colleges are being judged on access, workforce readiness and social mobility, not just enrollment numbers. - The mix of honors, board roles and institutional rankings suggests Jones has built influence well beyond campus leadership.

What's next: - Jones is set for another honor later this fall with induction into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame. - OCCC will continue leaning on workforce development and micro-credentials as key parts of its mission. - The college’s national recognition in online education, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence likely strengthens its recruiting and partnership profile.

The bottom line: - Jones’ latest award underscores both her personal historic milestones and OCCC’s growing role as a statewide engine for access, credentials and workforce advancement.