COBA kicks off its 25th anniversary in 2025 with a new Breastfeeding Champions Award Program which celebrates individuals and organizations that go above and beyond to empower breastfeeding mothers and their families.

The 2025 Public Space Award was presented to Martin Regional Library in Tulsa.  Martin Regional Library has provided free meeting space for the Tulsa City-County Health Department (TCCHD) bimonthly Community Breastfeeding Education classes for the past 18 months. The class “Amamantando a Su Bebé” is free for anyone to attend and is presented by bilingual Certified Lactation Specialist and COBA scholarship recipient Esther Gutierrez.  Martin Regional is the perfect location as it serves as Tulsa’s Hispanic Resource Center and is in the heart of Tulsa’s Hispanic community.  Accepting the award on behalf of Martin Regional Library was Carrie McClain, Chief Equity & Communications Officer with the Tulsa City-County Library.  She was accompanied by Kyla Pfannenstiel, RN, IBCLC and Esther Gutierrez from TCCHD.  We also welcomed Rep. Derrick Hildebrant who represents District 23 in Tulsa where the Martin Regional Library is located.

The 2025 Legislator Award was presented to both Senator Carri Hicks, D–Oklahoma City and Senator JoAnna Dossett, D–Tulsa. Senators Dossett and Hicks have been tireless advocates for breastfeeding families in Oklahoma. They successfully passed SB121 which provided workplace protection for milk expression for teachers and staff in Oklahoma public schools and actively seek out information on best practices related to breastfeeding and human milk to identify opportunities to improve outcomes and access to care.