At the Association for Women in Communications annual Newsmaker Luncheon held at Southern Hills Country Club, Six in the Morning Anchor LeAnne Taylor, left and AWC Tulsa President Nicole Nascenzi, right, presented the annual Newsmaker awards to honorees from left, Nancy Day, Oklahoma Conference for Community and Justice executive director, Jami Fullerton, Ph.D, Oklahoma State University associate professor and nationally recognized author, and Robin Ballenger, Flintco Companies owner, and the Saidie Award for lifetime achievement to Helen Jo Hardwick, retired Resonance public relations and marketing director.

AWC Honorees Build Tulsa’s Future in Mortar and Minds

The Tulsa Chapter of Association for Women in Communications (AWC) honored four visionary women on Tuesday, May 6 for building Tulsa’s future in construction, understanding, education and quality of life.

Receiving the Saidie Award for lifetime achievement was Helen Jo Hardwick, recently retired after 20 years as director of marketing and public relations at Resonance, a program helping women and girls during life challenges. Often honored and active in numerous community groups, she was recognized by her peers for outstanding achievements in the communications fields.

Newsmaker Award winners were Robin Ballenger, owner of Flintco Companies; Nancy Day, executive director of the Oklahoma Conference for Community and Justice (OCCJ); and Jami Fullerton, PhD, associate professor of Journalism and Broadcasting at Oklahoma State University–Tulsa (OSU-Tulsa).

The Newsmaker Award, presented annually for 39 years, honors women who have been in the news in the past year and who have worked for the advancement of women. The Saidie is a lifetime achievement award for a communications professional, named for the late Saidie Adwon, a noted broadcasting pioneer.

These four visionary women received their awards at the Southern Hills Country Club during the Newsmakers Luncheon, annually a premiere Tulsa event. This year's theme, “Visionary Leaders:  Building the Future,” represented the extraordinary talents, commitment and courage of each woman in serving her community and beyond.

Click here to learn more about AWC Tulsa's 2008 Newsmakers.