Wanda Jo Evaige
Wanda Jo Evaige, is passionate in her advocacy of rural issues such as housing and job creation, whether with other local government officials or before the Oklahoma legislature or U.S. Congress. She has used her 26 years of service as a Councilmember, Vice Mayor and Mayor of her hometown of Frederick as a springboard for service and advocacy of rural issues. She is a pioneer among local government officials in southwest Oklahoma, as the first female, minority Mayor of Frederick. Council members first elected her as Vice Mayor from April 1985 to 1987 and again in 2007, a position she continues to hold. She served as Mayor from 1987 to 1989.
Beginning in June 1990, she first served on the board of trustees for the Association of South Central Oklahoma Governments as the minority representative for Tillman, Cotton, and Jefferson Counties. Since she remained on the Frederick city council after serving as mayor, she was eligible to serve as the Tillman County mayoral representative to ASCOG. The mayors of all communities in the county have unanimously elected her to that position for the past 17 consecutive years. At ASCOG she also served nine years on the executive committee during which time she became the first female president of the 39-member board.