Honoring 2027 Aspire Award Recipient Carrie Williams 

Sunbeam is proud to honor Carrie Williams with the 2027 Aspire Award in recognition of her visionary leadership, generous spirit, and longstanding commitment to strengthening children, families, and communities throughout Oklahoma.  

Carrie Williams exemplifies the spirit of Sunbeam Family Services’ Aspire Award through her visionary leadership, tireless advocacy, and unwavering commitment to ensuring that every child and family has the opportunity to thrive. 

Throughout her career, Carrie has been a driving force for positive change in Oklahoma’s early childhood system. As Executive Director of the Oklahoma Partnership for School Readiness (OPSR), she led efforts that strengthened supports for children, families, educators, and communities across the state. Under her leadership, OPSR advanced partnerships, expanded access to resources, and helped build a stronger, more connected prenatal-to-age-five system for Oklahoma families.  

One of Carrie’s most significant accomplishments was her leadership of the Oklahoma Clearinghouse for Early Childhood Success. Through the Clearinghouse, she helped create and expand a statewide resource that connects families, providers, policymakers, and community organizations with innovative, evidence-based practices and supports that improve outcomes for young children. During her tenure, the Clearinghouse funded more than $9 million in projects through public-private partnerships, helping scale solutions that promote healthy development, school readiness, family well-being, and community success. 

Carrie has also been a passionate advocate for Oklahoma’s early childhood workforce. Through her leadership of the Strong Start program, she championed child care assistance for early childhood educators, recognizing that supporting those who care for and educate young children is essential to building a high-quality early learning system. Her efforts have helped reduce barriers for educators while strengthening workforce stability throughout the state. 

Her commitment to children and families is also reflected in her support of early literacy initiatives, including helping bring Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library under OPSR’s leadership. Through this work, more Oklahoma children have gained access to books and opportunities to develop a love of reading from an early age, laying the foundation for lifelong learning and success. 

Carrie’s leadership extends beyond individual programs. She has consistently demonstrated the ability to bring together government agencies, nonprofit organizations, philanthropic partners, educators, and community leaders around a shared vision for children. She helped lead collaborative efforts that secured approximately $36 million in federal funding to strengthen Oklahoma’s early childhood system, creating opportunities for innovation, alignment, and long-term impact. 

Sunbeam Family Services has also benefited directly from Carrie’s leadership and partnership. Through OPSR, she has supported professional development and training opportunities for educators and caregivers across Oklahoma, including investments that expanded access to Conscious Discipline training and other initiatives that strengthen social-emotional development, relationship-based care, and positive outcomes for children.