Ponca City Passport Earns State Recognition with Redbud Merit Award
Leadership Ponca City Class 38 honored at the Oklahoma Conference on Tourism
By Kelsey Wagner / Editor-in-Chief
The Ponca City Passport 2025 — the community engagement project created by Leadership Ponca City Class 38 — has earned a Redbud Merit Award for Best Brochure or Publication ($10,000 or less) from the Oklahoma Conference on Tourism. The award recognizes outstanding work in tourism promotion across the state.
The passport program, launched in partnership with the Ponca City Chamber of Commerce and supported by the Ponca City Tourism Bureau, invited residents and visitors to explore local businesses, landmarks, and nonprofits across six categories — from history and arts to community service and outdoor adventure. Designed and produced entirely by the 23 members of Class 38, the brochure served as both a community guide and a celebration of everything that makes Ponca City a destination worth exploring.
“It is such an honor for Leadership Ponca City Class 38 to be recognized at the state level with a Redbud Award for the Ponca City Passport project,” said class member Angela Rickman. “As a class, we knew this project was something special, and we are incredibly proud that the hard work, creativity, and collaboration behind it had such a meaningful impact in our community and beyond.”
The vision behind Ponca City Passport 2025 was brought to life by the 23 dedicated members of Leadership Ponca City Class 38:
Alex Penny – Equity Bank
Andrew Coufal – Chenoweth Eye Centers
Angela Rickman – The Lost Gent Barbershop
Bailey Kelly – City of Ponca City
Bien Wells – The Myers Agency
Carson Combest – Ponca City Fire Department
Derion Schieber – Farm House Kids Co. & Harvest Hall
Heather Smith – Pioneer Technology Center
Jake Kriech – Winterrowd Talley Architects
Jerod Helling – RCB Bank
Jordan Jackson-Gross – Individual Investor
Kailye Anderson – First National Bank of Oklahoma
Kayla Murphy – Evans & Associates
Laina Smith – Speak Now Productions
Mark Bean – Dearing House Child Advocacy Center
Morgan Didlake – Spencer and Lindsay Grace
Paige Johns – Boomer Tire & Alignment
Rebecca Crosby – Custom Mechanical Equipment
Rob Davis – 8th District Attorney of Oklahoma
Sam Lionelli – Combat Syndicate
Steven Yinger – Ponca City Police Department
Trey Cassity – Alliant Insurance Services
Victoria Devinney – Phillips 66
Lt. Governor Pinnel and Blackburn, executive director of the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department, presented the Redbud Merit Award to Ponca City representatives at the Oklahoma Conference on Tourism. Accepting on behalf of Leadership Ponca City Class 38 were Trantham, tourism coordinator; Brakey, tourism chair; Arrott, chamber CEO; and Herman, chamber vice president.
“A Redbud State Tourism Award shines a spotlight on the creativity, hard work, and community spirit that help Oklahoma towns tell their story to visitors from across the region and beyond,” he said. “The Ponca Passport, earning a Redbud Merit Award for Best Brochure, reflects the collaboration and pride that continue to make Ponca City a standout destination in Oklahoma tourism,” said Zach Trantham.
The Redbud Awards are presented annually by the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department to recognize excellence in tourism promotion throughout the state.
The story of the Ponca City Passport Project was featured in the May 2025 issue of Ponca City Monthly magazine. Read the original story about the Ponca City Passport 2025 project here.