(Alexandria, Va. – July 13, 2009) — Dr. Sue Lynn Sasser, executive director, Oklahoma Council on Economic Education (OCEE) and associate professor of economics at the University of Central Oklahoma, was honored at the recent American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences (AAFCS) 100th Annual Conference & Expo in Knoxville, Tennessee. Dr. Sasser was recognized with the AAFCS 2009 Friend of the Family Award for her significant contributions to financial literacy legislation, scholarly publications, and curricula, including “Making $en$e: Financial Success for Oklahoma Students,” posted on the Oklahoma State Department of Education website.

Dr. Shelly Nickols-Richardson, AAFCS president, presented the award during the Third General Session, sponsored by The Soap and Detergent Association on Saturday morning. The conference theme was Celebrating the Past, Sustaining the Future.

Established in 1984, the Friend of the Family Award recognizes national or international individuals or organizations whose work has significantly and positively shaped policies that affect the family. Past recipients of the award include former Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle and movie director and actor Rob Reiner.

“It’s an amazing and humbling honor to be recognized by an organization with the history of AAFCS. I’m very proud of our accomplishments in Oklahoma and gladly accept this award on behalf of so many who have supported our work in promoting economic and financial literacy for all Oklahomans,” said Sasser.

Nominated by the Oklahoma Association of Family & Consumer Sciences, Dr. Sasser has a long history of working with family economics education as an economics education specialist with the Federal Reserve Bank, an Extension specialist, and executive director with OCEE and has made significant contributions to financial literacy on state, national, and international levels. She is an activist and prolific scholar in the area of financial literacy with more than 40 scholarly and professional publications, as well as curricula focused on financial education and literacy. A committed professional for over 25 years, Dr. Sasser has made numerous contributions to the formation and evaluation of state policies and the development of state legislation on financial literacy.

OCEE is a 501(c)(3), not-for-profit, non-political, non-partisan, educational organization whose mission is promoting economic and personal financial literacy for all Oklahomans. Established in 1954, OCEE is affiliated with the National Council on Economic Education—a national network of state councils and university-based centers. OCEE trains teachers to teach economic concepts, free enterprise education, and basic financial management skills in grades K-12.

Founded in 1909 by Ellen Swallow Richards, the first woman graduate and professor of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), AAFCS is the only national not-for-profit organization that provides leadership and support to FCS students and professionals across multiple practice settings. FCS professionals help individuals, families, and communities make informed decisions about their well-being, relationships, and resources to achieve optimal quality of life. AAFCS’ 6,000+ members are elementary, secondary, and post-secondary educators, researchers, and administrators; Cooperative Extension educators; and other professionals in business and industry, not-for-profit organizations, and government. These professionals provide research and applied knowledge in the areas of personal finance, child development and parenting, consumer education, housing and environment, apparel and textiles, and health and nutrition. With national headquarters based in Alexandria, Va., AAFCS has 52 affiliates located across the United States and Puerto Rico.

For more information, contact Gwynn Mason at 703-706-4600, ext. 4621, 703-859-8235, or gmason@aafcs.org.