Tricia L. Everest

Tricia L. Everest | Volunteer for Victims Award
Palomar: Oklahoma City's Family Justice Center
Nichols Hills, Oklahoma

Tricia Everest has helped transform the service community in Oklahoma City through her leadership, vision, and ability to get other leaders to the table to create change. She has a long history of philanthropy and public service. She has worked with community leaders in the fields of criminal justice, mental health, and the arts to stop abuse against women, prevent over-incarceration, and create pathways for children to overcome trauma and adverse childhood experiences. Her focus is on providing men and women the tools to walk new paths for their children absent of abuse, poor health, poverty, incarceration, or addiction. 

Ms. Everest was the Oklahoma Assistant Attorney General, where she worked to help victims of crimes. She was also Chair of the Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Authority, and provided oversight of finances and operations of the jail. She is the founding chair of Palomar, Oklahoma City’s Family Justice Center, which removes barriers for abuse victims to access the services they need, as well as the founding chair of ReMerge, which diverts mothers from prison and empowers women to build healthy foundations for themselves and their children. She voluntarily serves as a Trustee of the E.L. and Thelma Gaylord Foundation, Chair of the Inasmuch Foundation’s Advisory Committee, and Chair of the Oklahoma County Jail Trust. Her other philanthropic endeavors include Chair of Allied Arts, past-Chair of YMCA, and service on numerous nonprofit boards. 

Ms. Everest was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 2019 for her leadership of hope-inspiring initiatives for people to build stronger lives after victimization. She serves as a role model to Oklahoma City University Meinders School of Business students, providing them inspiration and encouragement as they pursue their roles as the next generation of business and community leaders. 

In March 2020, Governor Kevin Stitt announced that he was appointing Ms. Everest to be the Secretary of Public Safety (this appointment is pending Oklahoma State Senate confirmation as of the drafting of this biography), in part for her work on behalf of crime victims. 

Her tireless work as a champion for Palomar makes Ms. Everest most deserving of the Volunteer for Victims Award. For her service and dedication, Ms. Everest has been named Volunteer of the Year by the YMCA and YWCA (2012), Compassionate Citizen of the Year by the Oklahoma Foundation for the Disabled (2016), and has received the John F. Kennedy Community Service Award from the Santa Fe Family Life Center (2018), and the John and Berta Faye Rex Community Builder Award from United Way of Central Oklahoma (2019).