ADA, Okla. – The 2025 Oklahoma teacher of the year, Melissa Evon, will deliver East Central University’s (ECU) 2025 Marvin Stokes Lecture Thursday, Nov. 13 at 6 p.m. in the ECU Foundation Hall located inside the Chickasaw Business and Conference Center.

The event is free and open to the public.

Evon is a high school Family and Consumer Science (FCS) teacher at Elgin High School, she teaches grades 9-12.

The modern iteration of FCS curriculum, formerly known as Home Economics, takes a well-rounded, comprehensive approach in teaching essential life skills, including in critical areas such as financial literacy and career skills essential for professional and personal success.

In addition to teaching Principles of Human Services, Hospitality and Tourism and Interpersonal Studies, Evon serves as the adviser of the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) chapter at EHS.

Since 1992, she has served 27 years in education, teaching a variety of classes across a career that began with the Elgin school system but has included stints in other states while her husband served in the Air Force.

The annual Marvin Stokes Lecture, named for the ECU alumnus and highly-regarded Byng superintendent, also serves as a platform to recognize scholarship award recipients in ECU’s Education department as well as an opportunity to celebrate district teachers of the year who are ECU Alumni.

The Marvin Stokes Lectureship enhances ECU’s ability to expose students in the College of Education, and educators in the university service area, to ideas and trends on the state, national and international stages.

Funding for the event is provided by the annual earnings on funds dedicated to the Marvin Stokes Endowed Lectureship through the ECU Foundation Inc. and matched by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.

For more information, contact Alex Maxwell with ECU’s College of Education and Psychology at 580-559-5319 or by email at amaxwell@ecok.edu.

-ECU-