Four ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ women will be recognized for their service to the community during a luncheon todayApril 17 as new members of The Societies of ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ City University.
The 36th annual Awards of Excellence luncheon will honor Penny McCaleb, Sherri Lance, Lori Blumenthal and Jacque Fiegel as new members of the distinguished organization.
βMembers of the Societies of ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ City University have a reputation for their tireless and selfless work to improve our community,β said ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ President Ken Evans. βThis exceptional group of leaders are role models to our students, and changemakers within our network of alumni and friends. We are proud to work with them and congratulate each on their well-deserved honor.β
About the honorees:
Penny McCaleb, Dulaney-Browne Library Society Award
McCaleb is a regular volunteer in the community and a member of several boards including the ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ City Museum of Art, ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ City Philharmonic, the Junior League and the YWCA. She has been honored as a βLadies in the Newsβ sponsored by ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ Hospitality, the Lee B. Brawner Literary Voices Award, and was the Panhellenic Kappa Alpha Theta of the Year in 2023.
McCaleb formerly taught high school English after earning an undergrad and graduate degree in the subject. She was appointed to the ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ County Metropolitan Library Commission, serving as chair for eight years during the planning and completion of the Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library. She serves as liaison to the Library Endowment Trust and has chaired its βLiterary Voicesβ fundraiser.
Sherri Lance, Kirkpatrick-Petree Music and Performing Arts Society Award
Lance has been recognized as a distinguished professional in the gaming and corporate sectors. Her list of volunteer service has included the United Way of Central ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½, for which she was chair of the board from 2021 to 2023 and is currently chair of its Strategic Growth Committee.
She played a pivotal role in the ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ Association on Problem Gambling and Gaming, serving as president, treasurer and secretary on the board. She also serves on the INTEGRIS Health System board, specifically focused on the safety, quality, strategy and investment committees at the stateβs largest health care system. She teaches Sunday school at her church, Central Church Fellowship of Believers in Sulphur, ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½.
Lori Blumenthal, Norick-Hulsey Gallery Society Award
Blumenthal joined the Junior League in 1993, a year after moving to ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ City, becoming active in many community placements including chair of the annual Mistletoe Market and serving on the executive committee. She developed a passion for helping at-risk youth, becoming a CASA Advocate where she became a champion for the individualized best interests of children in foster care. During her 20-year career with CASA, she has served 15 sibling sets totaling 58 children.
She also became a founding member of the Citizens for Children and Families, which spearheaded new initiatives improving outcomes for children in foster care.
Blumenthal was honored by the National CASA Association as the 2016 Board Member of the Year and received the Shirley Shanker Volunteer Award from the ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ Center for Nonprofit VISIONS 2020. She served as president of the Jewish Federation of Greater ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ City from 2015-2019.
Jacque Fiegel, ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ City University Distinguished Philanthropist Award
Fiegel serves as chair of the Central ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ Area for Prosperity Bank. Her banking career spans 47 years.
A graduate of Leadership OKC, she also serves as a member of the board for Jack Henry & Associates, a technology provider serving community and regional financial institutions. She has previously served on the ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ City Branch Board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and as a board member of the ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ Bankerβs Association. She is a past president of the Economic Club of ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½. She was recognized as one of the U.S. Banker 25 Most Powerful Women in Banking and was twice named as one of the 25 Women to Watch.
Fiegelβs non-profit experience includes serving as board chair of the YWCA of ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ City, former co-chair of the American Heart Associationβs ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ City Go Red for Women and as a former board member of Canterbury Choral Society. She is currently a member of the Finance Advisory Group for the Alpha Phi Foundation.
Fiegel was a recipient of the ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ City University Servant Leader Award, Alpha Phi Panhellenic Woman of the Year and Journal Record Circle of Excellence as part of the Woman of the Yearβs 50 Making A Difference. She is a recipient of the Pilot Award by ΒιΆΉ΄«Γ½ Business Ethics for ethical leadership and received recognition from Alpha Phi International for excellence and success in her business field.
