Pioneer Spirit

Talk about a Busy Lady! We had a chance at Yo Ladies to interview a very influential leader, mother, mentor, creative genius, and all around amazing woman. Andrea Chancellor is a Down-Home lady with Up Town Charm & Style. She is a woman that exudes confidence and some one all ladies could take a few lessons from. Andrea is the Manager of, Corporate Communications, for a Tulsa-based utility called Public Service Company of Oklahoma. She started at PSO in 1989 and currently serves on the PSO Executive Leadership Team. She holds a bachelor of science degree in secondary education from Oklahoma State University and boasts years of career experience you couldn't put a price tag on.

Andrea came from a smaller town in Oklahoma, yet in her 20s, found herself in Washington DC. Her husband's job took her there, but she took it from there and ran with it. She turned the opportunity into a career/life changing experience. She was a reporter for several small newsletters and eventually ended up holding press credentials to cover Congress and the White House. Andrea said, "I interviewed a political activist from South Africa; and, later, in another job, represented my company during a White House news conference!"

The Girl Scouts organization has been a big part of Andrea's life. As an adult Girl Scout, she has talked with members of Congress about issues affecting young women in the world. She is also a member of the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame Board and has orchestrated news conferences for music icons like Carrie Underwood. Andrea has had a lifetime full of amazing opportunities that probably would make some journalists jealous.

Her career experience and writing expertise has launched her towards a new passion. She is currently preparing to write her first book! She has been studying her grandmother's diaries full of 60 years of history. The diaries will take center stage as Andrea writes about her grandmother's life as an Oklahoma Pioneer Woman. You can visit her Facebook Page, Ione: Oklahoma Pioneer Woman, to read some fascinating bits from the diaries. The excerpts from the diaries will literally walk you through Oklahoma History.The stories range from Ione being a doctor and nurse; living through two World Wars, the Dust Bowl, Spanish influenza, dreaded whopping cough, stock market crash, and life on the prairie as a new state grew.

Andrea is a woman who gives back to her community. She has more than 2 dozen awards for community relations and public relations projects for corporations and nonprofits. She is a member of Leadership Oklahoma and, in 2001, was named Public Relations Professional of the Year by the Tulsa Public Relations Society of America. Andrea is a mover and a shaker and a wonderful role model for women everywhere.

Fast 5 Q & A's With Andrea:

April: Who is your modern day She-ro and why?
Andrea:Does modern day include the past 100 years? If so, it's Ione. She went off to school before statehood, away from her parents as an only child, to become a doctor and a nurse, when other gals were sitting in the swing with the boys. She doctored soldiers when they came to town during the war; she raised girls and had her last one when she was 50; she grew practically a field of iris (and some of those plants still grow today in my yard); she collected keepsakes over the years and created a collection of more than 30 scrapbooks, called by one writer as the most extensive collection of history of the times; and she made her own Christmas cards out of wrapping paper when times were tough. She was a strong lady, at a time when ladies were more worried about Paris clothing styles. I could go on and on.

April: What are your interests?
Andrea: Helping my hometown grow by being active in community activities.

April: What organizations are near and dear to your heart?
Andrea: Girl Scouts and the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame. Girl Scouting is all about leadership and I used my Girl Scouting experiences to build out a career later in life that has provided many opportunities.

April: What is your current passion/mission?
Andrea: My current passion remains fund-raising and building public awareness and appreciation for the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame, which is based in hometown Muskogee. Also, I 'm studying my grandmother's 60 years of diaries, preparing to write a book about her life. She is on Facebook, Ione: Oklahoma Pioneer Woman, telling stories from the diaries about being a doctor and nurse; living through two World Wars, the Dust Bowl, Spanish influenza, dreaded whopping cough, stock market crash, and life on prairie as a new state grew.

April: What three characteristics do you feel have helped you climb the career ladder?
Andrea: Building partnerships with others; looking beyond today and into tomorrow; always remembering where I came from and how it got me where I am today.