Niko Pravikoff and William Battle | United Nations Information Center, Washington D.C.
The 2025 Oklahoma City Global Citizen Awards Gala, hosted by the UN Association of Oklahoma City and the Happy World Foundation, was more than just an evening of recognition, it was a reflection of how local leadership and individual stories can be representative of global ideals. Held at Oklahoma City Community College’s Visual and Performing Arts Center, the event brought together a wide spectrum of honorees whose work spans from Indigenous rights advocacy to education engagement, echoing the values continuously voiced and backed by the United Nations.
From Iranian-American brothers Mohammed and Jalal Farzaneh, who originally immigrated to OKC as students during the era of the 1979 Iranian Revolution and went on to build one of Oklahoma’s largest homebuilding companies, to Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., who has increased the minimum wage and secured the largest language investment to expand cultural preservation– this event truly highlighted the intersection of the values shared between the United States and the United Nations.
Additional awardees further demonstrated how individuals rooted in Oklahoma can have a considerable impact aligned with ideals promoted far beyond their own state borders. Dr. Mautra Staley Jones, an advocate for equitable access to higher education, continues to inspire young learners through her leadership in academia. Phil and Cathy Busey were honored for their philanthropic initiatives that support Native American communities, youth development, and inclusive economic opportunity. Kari Watkins, President and CEO of the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, was recognized for her commitment to fostering awareness of the tragic consequences of terrorism through historical remembrance– an issue that the United Nations and the United States both continue to prioritize to this day.
The variety of awardees was also matched with the diversity seen in the crowd of this year's OKC Global Citizen Awards Gala. The Washington D.C. United Nations Information Center’s Director Will Davis served as the keynote speaker and representative of the United Nations for this event “It was a real pleasure to see the support for international cooperation amongst the vibrant Oklahoma City community from academia to the private sector to philanthropy, it was an inspiration for those of us who work for the UN,” he said.
