Council committee hears statement from appointee to Tulsa Women’s Commission

Tenille (Taniel) Bent appeared before the City of Tulsa public works committee after her appointment to the Tulsa Women’s Commission to fill a seat representing Council District 9, term through May 31, 2028.

Bent described her background and ties to the Tulsa area, saying she moved to the city as a child from Jamaica, was raised in Broken Arrow and holds degrees from the University of Tulsa, the University of Oklahoma Schusterman program and Oklahoma State University, where she is completing a doctorate. “I am invested,” Bent said, noting she has had opportunities to leave but stayed in Tulsa.

Bent told committee members she wants the commission to address economic empowerment, mental health and trauma and the needs of women in midlife. “As a woman who is maturing…there’s often an ability for us to be erased, silenced, minimized, not seen,” she said, adding that she is focusing on “women in midlife” and gaps in services for those roughly between ages 50 and 65.

Committee members and commissioners encouraged proactive policy suggestions from the commission, including work on the needs of older women. One commissioner noted the Family Safety Center had raised concerns earlier in the meeting about senior women who are hard to house when they need emergency services; another committee member said the commission can do deeper policy work and return recommendations to the council.

The committee’s chair said the appointment would be formally recognized at the council meeting on Oct. 22 at 5 p.m.; no formal vote or roll-call on the appointment was recorded in the committee transcript reviewed for this article.

Bent thanked the committee and noted she looked forward to serving on the Tulsa Women’s Commission.