Published: March 29, 2008 10:56 pm         

Fowler honored by state board

Longtime Enid Public Schools Board of Education member Willa Jo Fowler was honored as an “extraordinary public servant” by Okla-homa State School Board Association (OSSBA) in its March-April issue of Okla-homa School Board Journal.”

Fowler has been a member of the Enid school board since 1975 and has 35 years of experience as an early childhood educator. She engineered Okla-homa Parents as Teachers (OPAT), a parent education and family support program serving families and children through pregnancy until the child enters kindergarten.

“OPAT is flourishing,” Fowler told the Oklahoma School Board Journal. “It’s helping parents find their way through those difficult early years.”

Fowler has served on the OSSBA Board of Directors and was chair of the Government Relations Committee, working to ensure legislation was passed which would benefit children. She was recognized with the Distinguished Service Award in 2007 at the OSSBA/CCOSA Conference, an honor given to one school board throughout the state each year. She also was named to the All State School Board in 1993.

Additional achievements by Fowler include being a Pillar of the Plains finalist for the News & Eagle and its Making a Di-fference initiative partners. Other honors include Woman of the Year in 1989, Woman of Achievement in Education in 1991, Phillips University Dis-tinguished Alumni in 1995, Kingfisher High School Hall of Fame in 1997, Garfield County Child Friendly Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003, Enid Public Schools Foun-dation Hall of Fame in 2004, Phi Kappa Delta Edu-cator Award in 2004 and Enid Educa-tion Association Friend of Education in 2005.