DURANT, Okla. – Three individuals with local ties are among the “50 Women Making A Difference in Oklahoma’’ as selected by The Journal Record.

Making the list are Liz Cobb McCraw, Dean of Student Affairs at Southeastern Oklahoma State University; Amy Ford, businesswoman and regent with the Regional University System of Oklahoma Board of Regents; and Michele Campbell, with the Oklahoma Small Business Development Center.

The 50 honorees will be honored at the 2017 Journal Record Woman of the Year gala on Oct. 26 at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. The Woman of the Year will be announced during the evening program. Olympic gold medalist, author and health and fitness advocate Shannon Miller will be the keynote speaker.

McCraw, who holds two degrees from Southeastern, has served the University for 26 years, the past two as Dean of Student Affairs. In this role, she oversees residence life, student wellness, student activities, federal programs, and the President’s Leadership Class.

Prior to that, the Ardmore native served as Dean of Students and Dean of Enrollment Management. She is also very active in the Durant community, volunteering her time on a number of projects.

Ford is a partner in RedAnt, LLC, which provides comprehensive business development, management, messaging and strategic public relations consulting strategies.

In 2012, she was appointed to serve on the Oklahoma Public/Private Water Task Force. Ford also serves on the boards of directors for the The Oklahoma Academy for State Goals and the Citizens for the Protection of the Arbuckle Simpson Aquifer, as well as serving on the board of advisers for Leadership Oklahoma.

She previously served on the Oklahoma State Board of Education, the Oklahoma State Board of Career and Technology, the Oklahoma Standards Setting Steering Committee (chair), and the Southeastern Foundation Board of Directors.

Campbell, also a Southeastern graduate, is Assistant State Director for Communication, Research & Organizational Development at the Oklahoma Small Business Development Center. She is an at-large member (Youth chair-elect) of the Leadership Oklahoma board of directors executive committee.

She previously held various positions at Southeastern in the Office of the President, Continuing Education, and the TRiO program. Campbell is a native of Healdton, Oklahoma.

The 2017 event marks the 37th year for the Woman of the Year program, which spotlights female business and community leaders. Six women will be named to this year’s Circle of Excellence – an honor reserved for those being selected for the third time. They include Teri Aulph, Michelle Briggs, Michele Campbell, Teresa M. Moisant, Judy Hamilton Morse and Lisa Synar.