The 7th Generation (7G) Awards are a cornerstone of our annual public health conference, recognizing the individuals whose work is making a meaningful difference in communities across our region. Each year, we are proud to honor leaders, advocates, and practitioners who exemplify excellence, innovation, and dedication in public health.
This page celebrates our past award recipients, those whose efforts continue to inspire progress, strengthen communities, and advance the vision of healthier futures for all.
Youth Leadership Award: Perkins-Tryon Hope Squad
Throughout the past four years, this group of peer-to-peer, 100% student led, mental health activists has made a change in our school district and community. While in Hope Squad, members learn from curriculum lessons on mental health awareness and suicide prevention and put them into practice in their daily lives. The Hope Squad has researched and designed presentations every year. For the past four years, they have gone into classrooms to present mental health and suicide awareness. They have also presented to the entire student body.
Community Impact Award: Jordan Hathcoat
Jordan Hathcoat is a Peer Recovery Support Specialist (PRSS) for the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma Perkins Family Clinic. As a PRSS, Jordan assists clinic patients with substance use disorders by linking them to services for treatment and recovery support. He provides resources and warm handoffs to individuals recommended for substance use services in his community. He also works with some of his clients in the wellness center using the 8 Dimensions of Wellness and promoting the importance of physical health in treatment and recovery.
Building Resiliency in Indian Country Award: Dr. Dorothy Rhodes
Dr. Dorothy Rhoades (Kiowa) Director NACCHE at OU SCC has demonstrated a profound commitment to improving cancer care and health outcomes for Native communities across the US. She is not only a practicing medical doctor at OU, but also a respected researcher devoted to developing and implementing health initiatives that better serve tribal nations nationwide. Her work consistently reflects a deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by Native communities and a steadfast commitment to addressing them with respect and integrity.
Sally Carter Award: Genomics & Ethics for Native Students Program
Genomics and Ethics for Native Students (GEN), established in 2018 at the University of Oklahoma, is a fellowship program that trains undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, and graduate students interested in the ethical, legal, and social implications of genomics research. Training activities grounded in Indigenous and community-based models of learning as a means for American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) students to directly shape the field of genomics in ways that promote Indigenous values and perspectives and committed to working with Tribal partners and Native-serving organizations to grow the field of genomics, and research. GEN trainees have traveled all over the country.
Youth Leadership Award: Carleigh Tai Flying Out
Carleigh Tai Flying Out has been an advocate for mental health and recovery throughout Oklahoma. Carleigh holds the title of All Nations Rezcovery Gourd Clan Princess which is an organization centered around Culture being used as a critical piece of Recovery. Carleigh has advocated for mental health and addressing substance use among the younger population. Carleigh has been highlighted by News Channel 4 at the First American Museum during Indigenous People’s Day for her efforts regarding Mental Health among youth. Carleigh has also spoken at key engagements such as the 988 Summit, Parades, Indigenous Mental Health Events, and local community events. Carleigh is the Vice President of the Weatherford Native American Club where she actively engages in community events involving Native American Culture and Dance.
Community Impact Award: The State Chapter of Oklahoma Missing and Murdered Indigenous People
This group of Indigenous women come from several different tribes in the United States including the Choctaw Tribe, Hualapai Tribe, Comanche Tribe, Oglala Lakota, Caddo Tribe, and Sioux Tribe. This group of women are also from a grassroots organization, meaning they give their time whole-heartedly to all tribes in the united States.
When someone goes missing they are ready to help, to give of their time away from their families to help another, these Native American women are great leaders that remind me of how our Native Women roles were in our history.
Building Resiliency in Indian Country Award: Mrs. Delores Harragarra
Mrs. Harragarra has been vital in the teaching and continuation of the Kiowa’s tribal language. Shes been part of the Kiowa’s Revitalization project for many years and as an elder. Her gentle and firm teachings allow anyone wanting to learn Kiowas to grow stronger in a sense of tribal identity and culture. She supports anyone in their educational journeys and displays strong dedication to increasing the youth’s participation as well as providing stronger bonds with the youth and elders.
Sally Carter Award: Joshua Shumak
Joshua embodies the values of this award through his commitment to advocating for tribal nations and advancing the well-being of Native communities in South Carolina.
As the State of South Carolina’s Native American Affairs Program Coordinator, Joshua has been an advocate for the tribes, leveraging his role to bridge the gap in policy between state agencies and tribal nations. His ability to foster meaningful collaboration and address systemic issues has resulted in significant progress toward inclusivity and recognition for Native communities.
In 2024, Joshua represented South Carolina’s Native tribes on the international stage, speaking at the United Nations on the challenges these communities face.
Youth Leadership Award: Ayanna Tsotaddle
Ayanna Tsotaddle is a leader among Native youth. She is proud of her culture and traditions and encourages the youth around her to be proud as well. She is an advocate for MMIP. She is part of the youth chapter in Central Oklahoma and has even served in a leadership role.
She has served as an officer for the Native American Student Association all three years in high school. She advocated and helped plan and implement Perkins Tryon’s NASA Games. Area schools NASA programs were invited to participate and compete in games and cultural activities focused on health, wellness, and prevention efforts for Native youth.
Community Impact Award: Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribal Opioid Response Project
Darien Chebahtah is the Project Director of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribal Opioid Response Project. Darien and his team are working hard to connect the Native community to a wide spectrum of harm reduction services, detox and treatment services, and peer recovery services. They are standing up against the stigma of addiction by providing resources to save lives and promote health and safety in the community.
Sally Carter Award: Tim Zientek
Tim Zientek has spent just over 20 years as the Director of Emergency Management for the Citizen Potawatomi Nation; during his time in emergency management, he has built and maintained vital relationships on the local and national level to advocate for Tribal emergency management department funding. He is a member of the Regional Advisory Council for FEMA Region VI, an instructor for the Emergency Management Institute (EMI), helped create the Tribal curriculum offered at EMI, and the chairman for the Oklahoma Inter-Tribal Emergency Management Coalition (ITEMC), which he helped found in 2004.
Youth Leadership Award: Georgia Harjo
Georgia Harjo is a member of the Mvskoke Nation and a descendant from the Seminole, Cheyenne, and Choctaw Nations. Georgia is a sophomore at Southeast High School. She came to our district in the middle of her freshman year.
Since her transfer, Georgia has been an advocate for herself as well as her Native American peers. She has taken a leadership role within her school to implement a Native American Club at Southeast High School. She saw the need and made sure it was filled. Additionally, Georgia is an exceptional student by making sure she maintains a high-grade point average. She currently holds a 3.9. She is in honors classes, extracurricular activities, and is very active in her Native Community.
Tribal Community Impact Award: The Comanche Nation Prevention and Recovery Program
Over the past the three years, the CNPRP has received over fifteen million in grant funding which has created multiple new programs (twelve distinct programs) and created many new staff positions (35). The program has been able to implement an intensive Reentry Program, targeting the highest risk offenders and addressing their criminogenic risk factors, barriers to success, and analyzing their strengths, which yielded an 81.25% success rate.
Among the new programs include Tribal Opioid Responsive, Circles of Care, Medication-Assisted Treatment, Community Opioid Intervention Pilot Project, Project Strong Life, and Tribal 988.
Building Resiliency in Indian Country Award: Dominic Bramante
Dominic Bramante has built his lifetime achievements and passions around uplifting the Native American community. He is a member of the Otoe-Missouria Tribe and resides in Fort Cobb, Oklahoma.
His devotion to seeing Native youth be empowered translated to numerous projects over many years with a special emphasis in sports and the connection it has to helping Native youth succeed. One special project he led was a youth empowerment organization called Native Armor, which was partnered with Under Armor, to bring opportunities to young indigenous athletes.
Sally Carter Legacy Award: Dr. Crystal Hernandez
Dr. Hernandez is an outstanding advocate across all age groups for people who have autism or mental health issues. Her advocacy work includes being the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) officer for the Autism Foundation of Oklahoma to working as a consultant for 3 Tribal Nations on autism and forensic mental health.
Her most recent training was “IDD Autism and Mental Health: Treating the Whole Person” for staff at the Oklahoma Forensic Center, the Tulsa Center for Behavioral Staff, and the Transition Recovery Center to ensure that all staff are aware of and sensitive to the needs of the populations they serve.
Youth Leadership Award: Savannah Slayton, Maria Walker, Mvskoke Nation Youth Council
Savannah is very passionate about education, community, and her culture. She helps encourage her peers to get all involved in their school and community as well. During her sophomore year, she started and charted a key club that is still active today. The purpose of this club is to give back and help the community. She is on Council for Native American Youth that advocates for Oklahoma City Public School students and is on the State Superintendent Student Advisory Council in addition to many other accolades. She has continued to excel academically being on the honor roll throughout her high school year.
In 2016, just one year after being an established group, Muskogee Nation Youth Council was selected as the Youth Council of the Year by the United National Indian and Tribal Youth Organization. Over the years, they have been active in their focuses on wellness, cultural connections, and intergenerational learning. In 2020, they were going into a time of transition where some of their original members were aging out and the younger youth were not quite ready to assume those leadership roles. The transition was extremely difficult because of the pandemic and how it was affecting their families and communities. They met virtually during this time and on those rare occasions in person. The focus during this time was just to provide support to each other.
Building Resiliency in Indian Country Award: Debra Buffalo Boy
Community Impact Award: Gloria Bellymule-Zuniga
Sally Carter Award: Lancer Stephens, Ph,D.
Learn more about the 7G Awards
Youth Leadership Award
The Youth Leadership Award is presented to an exceptional youth advocate ages 12 to 24, who are passionate about building resiliency and leading others to live healthier lives through education, advocacy, or example. This award recipient embodies the notion that what we do today impacts the next seven generations to come.
Tribal Community Impact Award
The Tribal Community Impact Award is presented to a community leader or organization that has developed unique community or grassroots projects that have a positive impact on the community by bolstering resiliency, health, and healing within the Native community.
Building Resiliency in Indian Country Award
The Building Resiliency in Indian Country Award is presented to a national or international Elder community leader focused on building resiliency in Indian Country through leadership, advocacy, education and/or culture. This award honors individuals that are committed to building resilience and empowering others.
Sally Carter Legacy Award
The Sally Carter Legacy Award is presented to an individual or organization who demonstrates excellence in advocacy for tribal nations and betterment of the citizens through education, trust, and collaboration with tribal nations, state, and federal organizations. This award recognizes the importance of building true collaborative partnerships between tribal nations, state, federal, and community organizations and advocacy of programs and policies which aim to improve the lives of native people.
Know Someone You’d Like to Nominate?
Visit the Call for 7G Award Nominations page for more information about the nomination process.
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