By GALEN HAWES
ADA – Dr. Shirley Mixon, East Central University professor and program director, has been named chair of the executive board of the Oklahoma Women in Higher Education (OKWHE), an organization whose goals are to encourage women’s leadership in Oklahoma and beyond.
Mixon is the first ECU representative to be appointed to the OKWHE’s executive board since the organization’s founding in 2007, having first been appointed in 2010. Her three-year term as chair will continue through 2024. She has served as chair-elect for the past three years.
“My goal is to promote harmony among all our state institutions of higher education and to increase women’s confidence in the same way that this organization did for me,” said Mixon. “Through OKWHE, I recognized what I have to offer.”
Mixon is director of ECU’s Interdisciplinary Studies Program, part of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. She also teaches within the program. During her 40-plus years at ECU, Mixon has held the position of Reach Higher coordinator, department chair of Business Education and Office Technology, and Parker Ethics professor. In 2019, ECU’s Black Alumni Association honored her with its inaugural Trailblazer Award.
Among Mixon’s duties as OKWHE state chair are coordinating state events, communicating with university presidents, and attending national conferences.
“I love that I have been appointed as state chair, because it shows me that people believe in me,” said Mixon. “I hope I’m able to boost the confidence of others to help them feel empowered.”
Mixon earned her Ed.D. in Higher Education Administration with an emphasis in Business and an M.S. in Business Education from Oklahoma State University. She earned her B.S. in Business Education from Grambling State University in Louisiana.
For more information on Oklahoma Women in Higher Education, visit www.okwhe.org.
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