About Us
Sally’s List is a nonpartisan organization with a clear mission:
To train, support, and elect progressive women to public office in Oklahoma.
Since 2010, Sally’s List has empowered candidates to run for political office and campaign staff to incite change in Oklahoma. As a nonpartisan organization, the women of Sally’s List support community-building issues like public education, healthcare, and a strong economy. Our training programs mobilize women to make a long-lasting impact in their communities.
Sally’s List namesake, political trailblazer and advocate Sally Rae Merkle Mock, passed away in 2009. But her legacy of working diligently to empower women and improve Oklahoma communities lives on through our work.
Our record of success includes former candidates who are now serving in the Oklahoma House, Senate, Norman City Council, and on the Tulsa School Board. From our first small class of candidates, Sally’s List has grown exponentially – training, supporting, and electing women to office at the state and local levels.
Sustainability
We know that progress does not happen overnight. Changing the face of Oklahoma politics takes time and dedication, and Sally’s List is in it for the long haul.
Inclusivity
Sally’s List supports and trains women from diverse backgrounds, empowering them to create change and reshape the conversation. We foster an inclusive environment, where all have a place at the table.
Community
Progress is progress, and we celebrate all of it – from a woman’s name on a ballot to a woman’s seat in the Senate. We believe there is enough room for all of us to thrive.
Who Is Sally?
Sally was a trailblazer and an advocate for Oklahoma women.
Sally earned her J.D. from the University of Oklahoma College of Law in 1973, graduating first in her class. Her academic honors include membership in Phi Beta Kappa, the Mortar Board, Order of the Coif, Phi Delta Phi, and the Board of Editors of the Oklahoma Law Review. Upon graduation from law school, Sally served as a law clerk to Judge William J. Holloway of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. She also practiced at two Oklahoma City-based law firms before joining McAfee & Taft in 1988. She served as the first female member and as chairperson of the Oklahoma Board of Bar Examiners.
Sally was a strong advocate for the progressive issues we stand for today. She worked to advance women’s rights, serving as a board member of Planned Parenthood of Central Oklahoma, where she was recognized as Volunteer of the Year in 2007. She was also a co-founder of the Oklahoma Committee to Promote Women’s Health, a political action committee formed in 2008.
She was candid, honest, and never hesitated to express her opinion. After Sally passed away on February 14, 2009, Sara Jane Rose founded Sally’s List, naming it in honor of her friend. Although she is no longer with us, Sally continues to inspire us.
Sally’s List namesake, political trailblazer and advocate Sally Rae Merkle Mock, passed away in 2009. But her legacy of working diligently to empower women and improve Oklahoma communities lives on through our work.
Join the race for progress and equal representation in our government.
Staff Members
Shalondra Harrison
Executive Director
Board Members
Andrea Benjamin
Board PResident
Kitti Asberry
A lifelong resident of Oklahoma, Kitti is a graduate of the George Meany School of Political Science and Labor Studies, and the University of Phoenix where she holds a Bachelor of Science in Business/Management and a Master of Business Administration/Human Resources Management. In 2007 she was the first African-American elected to serve as Vice Chair of the Oklahoma State Democratic Party. Prior to being elected Vice Chair, Kitti served for 5 consecutive years as the chief executive and inspirational leader for the Oklahoma County Democratic Party. She has also served as the State Secretary for the Oklahoma Federation of Democratic Women’s Clubs and, in 2012, Kitti was inducted into the Oklahoma Federation of Democratic Women’s Clubs Hall of Fame. Currently, she is the Executive Director of the Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women, and the Co-Chair of the Oklahoma, 2020 Women on Boards, National Campaign.
Sarah Brune Edwards
Reina Mohan
Reina was born and raised in Oklahoma and is the CEO and founder of Mohan Consulting Agency, a consulting and recruitment firm specializing in top-level healthcare workers. She founded the company in 2006 after seeing inefficiencies in how larger staffing firms matched talent to available jobs. She excels at nurturing long-lasting relationships with both healthcare workers and the executive management of hospital systems. Her client companies encompass Oklahoma-based hospitals and multi-state regional systems on the West Coast.
Reina is also a highly accomplished teacher, and has enjoyed spearheading numerous classes at Francis Tuttle Technology Center in Oklahoma City since 2007. People from all over the state sign up to enjoy her cooking, and to be dazzled by her knife-cutting skills.
Reina is a role model to many younger women, including her niece, and she has been inspired by generations of powerful and accomplished women, like her mother, Sunita Sitara.
She is married to Kenny Pitts and they are parents to Leela, born in May of 2020. Her four-legged children include her two wonderful Cocker Spaniels Kokopelli and Anasazi.
Reina looks forward to working with many present and future business leaders as the president of Sally’s List.
Rena Cook
Cheena Pazzo
An innovator at heart, Cheena Pazzo, CEO of ONE 80 Consulting (a boutique marketing and public relations firm), cultivates more than 27 years of business acumen to provide a creative and disciplined approach to her work. Experienced in public relations, integrated marketing and business operations, she works with both large and small brands in the retail, start-up, corporate, education and government sectors. She is experienced in managing complex initiatives, and building, leading and supporting integrated teams. She previously served as a VP of Marketing and Communications for the nation’s largest non-profit healthcare organization where she launched national strategic directives in market, expanding online presence and growing market share through highly targeted outreach. She is also an experienced crisis communicator with a background in transition management, mergers and acquisitions and litigation communications.
Cheena is a C-Suite member and Tulsa market leader for VEST, which connects women across industries, regions and career levels to expedite the pathways and pipeline of women in positions of power. She is an area board member for the American Cancer Society, board member for Sally’s List, PR chairperson for the Oklahoma Motion Picture Alliance, a member of the Rogers State University Business Advisory Board, and serves on the Claremore Museum of History board for her hometown.
Krystal Yoseph
Shagah Zakerion
Shagah Zakerion, a lifelong Tulsan, has spent the last decade working to make her city the best it can be. She serves as Executive Director of the Lobeck Taylor Operating Foundation (LTOF). Before joining the LTFF team, Shagah was an independent consultant focusing on strategic planning, community development, and public outreach. She served as a convener, bringing people and partners together to make awesome happen. Shagah was honored as the 2016 IABC Communicator of the Year, is the youngest recipient of the 2013 Journal Record’s Achievers Under 40 and is an honoree for IonOklahoma’s 2014 30 Under 30. She serves on the board of advisors for Resonance Center for Women and the board of directors for the Khalid Jabara Foundation, Sally’s List, and Gaining Ground Literacy. As a three-time cancer survivor, Shagah is passionate about eliminating cancer and serves several organizations on that mission, including sitting on Stephenson Cancer Research Center’s Board of Advocates and Community Advisory Board.
