In addition to her roles as Co-Founder, CEO, Chairwoman, and long-standing Adopt-A-Scholar sponsor of The Simon Estes Educational Foundation, Inc., Ms. Reed has served her community as a board volunteer of the Tulsa Ballet Theatre, Tulsa Opera, Tulsa Urban League, YWCA, Tulsa Performing Arts Center, At Risk Child Abuse Prevention Program, and Operation Aware of Oklahoma. She is an alumna of Leadership Tulsa and former recipient of the Harwelden Award and Community Service Award from Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Society.
“I graduated from high school at age15 and went on to pursue a nursing degree and earned my Registered Nurse license in St. Louis, Missouri. After marrying I moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, and upon becoming a parent, I was often struck by the myriad of difficulties experienced by high school students in their desire to attend college. Over the years, their struggles provoked a yearning in my heart to help ease some of the limitations brought on by those financial constraints.
In 1983, I met Simon Estes and asked for his celebrity status in the formation of an organization to assist local graduating seniors to attain their dreams of higher education. Armed with Simon’s immediate willingness to join me in this effort, we organized a student assembly at McLain High School where students were invited to speak freely about the barriers preventing their prospects for attending college.
This encounter prompted me to convene a meeting of community leaders who shared my belief in the importance of education. Together we formed The Simon Estes Educational Foundation, Inc., which comprised an all-volunteer, cross-strata Board of Directors to guide the operation of the organization.”
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