Tulsa's Christy Southard: A Calling to Educate Women

By Caity Lincoln

All remarkable organizations need remarkable people behind the scenes inspiring social change in the community.

Christy Southard is executive director of the Tulsa affiliate of the Susan G. Komen organization, the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer in the world.

Many people have benefitted from Southard’s efforts to educate women about breast health and breast cancer through the Komen Tulsa organization. Her business background and her personal emotional investment in the cause help her to achieve the organization’s mission.

Southard started the position in April 2006, coming in with 26 years of professional work experience including jobs with international corporations in the areas of marketing and project management.

Southard’s goal was to retire early from corporate America and then begin a career with a non-profit organization. The opportunity to be involved in the Komen organization came along sooner than expected and proved too good to pass up. Southard feels that her corporate experience enables her to run the Tulsa affiliate as a business making decisions.

Southard takes the lead in compiling a community profile every two years to decide how to most effectively budget resources, time, and money to reach the most people in the community. The organization has almost doubled its revenue from $600,000 in 2006 to $1 million in 2009. Southard credits the steady increase every year to the passion of the amazing volunteers.

The mission of Komen Tulsa is very personal for Southard. She says it is a “passion God has given me.” It is her calling, a cause that hits close to home. She lost her grandfather and great aunt to breast cancer when she was young, and as an adult lost her mother.

She has also lost four friends to the disease, all of which combines to make her determined to create a stronger awareness among women and emphasize the importance of early detection. Southard’s determination to make a difference came in a promise to her dying friend when she recognized “I can’t fix you, but I can help your daughters.” Through community programs Tulsa Komen has increased awareness locally.

Despite the flailing economy, this year’s Race for the Cure, held Sept. 19, exceeded last year’s numbers, in both participants and dollars.

While the Susan G. Komen organization is well known the Race for the Cure every year, Southard also strengthens the Tulsa affiliate’s influence by supporting numerous community programs. The third annual Pink Sunday event will occur on October 25, which is an effort to raise awareness of the disease and to encourage early detection through faith programs associated with Tulsa area churches.

Southard is also involved in public policy and frequently makes trips to Oklahoma City and Washington, D.C. to push for research funding to ultimately find a cure for breast cancer.

The Tulsa affiliate of the Susan Komen Foundation has more information on its website.

Caity Lincoln is a TU student from Tulsa.