Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence

Our 2026 Academic Awards Celebration Digital Memory Book is now available! It's filled with photos from the event and info on all our honorees.

View or download: https://bit.ly/4ftPWwC

Congratulations to The Chickasaw Nation Gov. Bill Anoatubby on his retirement!

Gov. Anoatubby is a longtime OFE trustee, and we are deeply grateful for his support and guidance through the years.

It has been a blessing and my great honor to serve the citizens of the Chickasaw Nation as Governor. After much prayer, thought and discussion with my family, I have decided it is time to retire and entrust leadership to a new generation of dedicated and capable leaders. I will, therefore, resign as Governor, effective at noon on June 26, 2026, and invoke Article XV, Section I of the Chickasaw Nation Constitution, whereby Lt. Governor Chris Anoatubby “shall immediately become Governor for the remainder of the unexpired term.”

This moment is bittersweet as I reflect on a lifetime of service to this mighty tribal nation. However, I have full confidence in the servant leaders, currently elected, appointed and employed to continue the momentum we have forged together and stay true to our mission, to enhance the overall quality of life of the Chickasaw people.

The strength of the Chickasaw Nation lives and breathes within every Chickasaw. Chikasha poya – we are Chickasaw, and united, we will continue to thrive.

God bless you and the Chickasaw Nation.

This year marked the launch of OFE's Roots & Wings Society, an initiative created to bring together public education advocates in support of our nonprofit.

Through annual giving circles and legacy commitments, society members provide the roots that sustain us today and the wings that empower it to soar into the future.

Want to join us in elevating public education? Reach out to our team about becoming a Roots & Wings member today.

Incredible adventures await for our Fund for Teachers fellows! Jennifer Addison and Sarah Rhodes of Union Public Schools - Tulsa, OK are going on an immersive road trip to historic sites related to America's 250th birthday.

We are so excited for the Fund for Teachers adventures of Elmore City-Pernell School District educators Catherine Johnson and Tina Casey!

The duo plan to research across England, Scotland and France the lives of William Shakespeare and other literary giants to highlight how great authors shape cultures across centuries and demonstrate to their students that curiosity, scholarship and ambition can take them anywhere.

Elmore City-Pernell educators receive Fund for Teachers Fellowships OKLAHOMA CITY —Elmore City-Pernell teachers Tina Casey and Catherine Johnson are among 14 Oklahoma educators who will embark on self-designed professional development experiences this summer after receiving fellowships from Fund for Teachers.

Congratulations to Katheleen Guzman, 2014 recipient of OFE's Medal for Excellence in Research University Teaching, on being named interim dean of the University of Arkansas School of Law.

We’re excited to share that Katheleen Guzman has been appointed to serve as School of Law Interim Dean, effective July 1.

Guzman earned a Bachelor of Arts with honors from the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences and a J.D. with highest honors from the University of Arkansas School of Law.

She has been a member of the University of Oklahoma College of Law faculty since 1993 and served as OU’s law school dean from 2019-2024.

We look forward to welcoming her back home to Fayetteville!

Read the full story: https://news.uark.edu/articles/82363/distinguished-alumna-returns-to-university-of-arkansas-to-serve-as-interim-school-of-law-dean

Every year, OFE recognizes three Oklahoma public school foundations as winners of our Outstanding Program Awards, which celebrate innovative programs sponsored or administered by public school foundations.

We honor each foundation at the Academic Awards Celebration and with a visit to their school for a check presentation.

Let's hear it one more time for the three 2026 honorees:
🟠 Fort Gibson Education Foundation
🟠 Moore Public Schools Foundation
🟠 Education Foundation of Muskogee