Palomar Board Chair Wins Nation's Highest Honor for Service to Crime Victims

OKLAHOMA CITY – Palomar Board Chair and Oklahoma Secretary of Public Safety Tricia Everest has been selected for the Volunteer for Victims Award by the Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime.  The coveted award is given to individuals whose vision, leadership and actions on behalf of crime victims has made a significant difference in the lives and community around them.  

“The Volunteer for Victims award is the highest award you can receive in the field of criminal justice for victims – we are so proud the Justice Department is recognizing Tricia’s compassionate service and unwavering dedication to the families of Oklahoma,” said Palomar CEO Kim Garrett. “There would be no Palomar without the passion, drive and expertise of Tricia Everest. Her energy and heart for survivors is visible every day. She has already made a profound impact on countless Oklahoma lives. Palomar is the name of a special knot that is an unbreakable tie that binds in healing and embraces those in crisis – Tricia is the embodiment of that image.” 

“Our family justice center in Oklahoma City – Palomar – is the kind of ambitious project that might have taken many years, but with Tricia Everest as its champion, it happened quickly, efficiently, and effectively,” said Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt.  “As a result of Tricia’s passion and effort, lives were literally saved and will be for decades to come.  The fact that she does all of this as a volunteer is all the more remarkable.  We are blessed by Tricia’s passion for our city.”

“Through her passionate and unwavering advocacy for victims of domestic violence, Tricia’s service is a tremendous asset to our Oklahoma communities,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Robert Troester. “Her pioneering vision for Palomar set a new standard for local coordinated efforts to combat domestic violence, hold abusers accountable, and provide wholistic support for victims of abuse.  It is a privilege to partner with Tricia and witness her influential passion for improving the safety and quality of our communities.” 

“Tricia Everest is an exemplar of the best of the best of the private sector standing for people who are often without a voice, said Cathy Keating. “Her passion to positively impact the lives of victims of crime is being felt across the country.”

Everest is a fourth generation Oklahoman appointed in 2021 as Governor Stitt’s Secretary of Public Safety. She has served as the Palomar Family Justice Center Board Chair since its founding in 2015, often volunteering over thirty hours a week to the cause. She worked as assistant attorney general for Oklahoma from 2004 to 2010. Everest is an Oklahoma City native who garnered her law degree from the University of Oklahoma School of Law and an Honorary Doctorate in Humanities from Oklahoma City University after earning her bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University. She currently is a Trustee of E.L. and Thelma Gaylord Foundation and Chair of Inasmuch Foundation’s Advisory Committee.