Felice Dawson Hamilton

What makes Felice Wildly Capable?

Felice has been an incredible inspiration to me and has unselfishly been a champion for children and families in Oklahoma. She is constantly working to improve life for all whether at home or at the office. She remains so positive and sees the good in everything.” K-LI BERRY 

What makes you feel proud? 

I am proud of the training and conferences we produce for judges and other professionals in our state to help improve the processes for families experiencing the court system. I’ve worked with the juvenile court system in different capacities for more than 35 years, and I want to leave this system better than it was. I was instrumental in starting the Parent Partner program in OK County and I wrote a Parent Guardian handbook that is used in courthouses around the state to help parents familiarize themselves with the system. Finally, I am a proud mother – my son does amazing work for the University of Oklahoma as a director of one of the programs. 

What’s been the biggest obstacle in your life so far? 

Myself. I have a hard time advocating for myself in certain situations, but I have no problem speaking up for others. 

Who is the biggest influence in your life? Why? 

My mother. She is the kindest and most gentle person I know. She graduated high school and moved to the city only to work as “the help” until she was almost 80, but she never complained. She and my father raised five children but never made us feel like there wasn’t enough. She has always been supportive of my hopes and dreams and has never thrown my failures in my face. 

What’s the single biggest problem you’d like to solve in your community? 

Apathy! People in my community complain about what’s going on in our world today but very few have the courage to speak up or step out to do anything about it. There are so many decisions being made that have a negative impact on our community as a whole, but the belief is “there’s nothing we can do about it.”