The Enid community celebrated 10 professionals Tuesday at the Enid Young Professionals’ annual 10 Under 40 Awards.
“These people are leading, volunteering, mentoring, building businesses and making Enid stronger,” said Meredith Wright, Enid Regional Development Alliance’s director of marketing and Enid Young Professionals adviser. “They’ve chosen to invest their time and talent right here in our community, and that is important.”
Recipients of the 10 Under 40 Award were:
Cristal Pryor, of No Man’s Land Foods. Among other recognitions, Pryor is secretary of Garfield County Hispanic Coalition, a member of United Way, and also is involved with Denny Price Family YMCA, YWCA Enid, Salvation Army and RSVP of Enid.
Dr. Hayley Hudson, of Reliant Direct Primary Care. She is active with Salvation Army, Junior Welfare League and the Oklahoma Osteopathic Foundation.
Joshua Conaway, of Conaway Law Firm. He serves on the Autry Educational Foundation and is a founding board member of the About Face Women’s Program.
Tristan Winkler, of Associated Therapeutic Services Counseling Agency. She assists Enid SPCA, Enid Street Outreach Services and serves as a committee member for the Garfield County Drug and Alcohol Coalition.
Bailey Ezzell, of Hedges Regional Speech and Hearing Center. Among her activities, she has been involved with United Way, JWL and the Enid Impact volleyball program.
Maria F. Palma, of Autry Technology Center. She has been involved with Garfield County Hispanic Coalition and served as secretary of the Cherokee Strip Community Foundation board, as well as a member of the grant committee.
Brock Spencer, of Northern Oklahoma Development Authority. He is a board member for Oklahoma Mobility Institute and has led and administered regional transportation programs that support mobility in Northwest Oklahoma.
Carley Smith, of GRAND Mental Health. As president of Leadership Greater Enid’s Class XXXV, she helped raise $63,000 for Loves & Fishes of Northwest Oklahoma, as well as other LGE programs.
Angela Williams, of Jiffy Trip. Among her activities, she served as the 2025 CARE Campus gala chair, raising a record-breaking $100,000 for the event. The funds help provide services to children and families facing difficult circumstances.
Jodie Bradford. Among other recognitions, she is actively dedicated to her church and serves as service committee chair for Enid Noon AMBUCS.
EYP also handed out its Social Shaker awards. Scooter Coffey was named Golden Shaker; Angel Almaraz named Cultural Collaborator; Main Street Enid named Vibrant Visionary; and Work Ready Enid named Spotlight Shaker.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Before awards were given out, Amie Haar, founder and practice leader of Emerge, Consulting in Stillwater, spoke to the packed Stride Bank Center Grand Ballroom.
She led attendees in a task where they were to write down the name of a mentor — someone present or not present. She also showed a rehearsal video from “The Greatest Showman,” a segment that demonstrated leadership through lifting each other up.
She acknowledged that sometimes it’s difficult to become a leader, especially when you believe your traits might clash with other people’s. But, sometimes it’s the community surrounding you that gives you that courage.
“So whether you are a nominee, whether you are an award winner, whether you’re somebody sitting around at the table with these individuals or are here to celebrate with today … we have the ability to be these leaders worth following, and we have to remember that we cannot, cannot, must not, do it alone,” Haar said. “Because that’s what it can look like when we’re willing to
be courageous and willing to bring others alongside us. And so we’ve got those people to reach out and pull us up or yank us out of the mud or say, ‘Come on, we’re going to grow a little bit more. I see what you’re capable of. I see what we’re capable of together. And let’s get there.’” There’s also the issue of perceived competition, Haar said, whether that be having a house, a master’s degree or a promotion at work.
“But what I think we need to think about the most, and the most consistently, is the way that we value the people around us and the way we allow others to value us, because, man, can we go further and farther and so much better together,” she said. “Because it’s not me compared to you, now it’s us and what we’re capable of.”
Written by Joe Malan and published by the Enid News & Eagle
