The Seminole Chamber of Commerce recognized Jacqi Dill as their “Person Of The Year” as the highlight of their annual Chamber of Commerce Banquet Tuesday evening, February 24.

The annual banquet event, held at the Kelly Haney Center, included a number of other recognitions preceding this year’s keynote speaker, Ray McQuistion. The highly anticipated announcement of this year’s Person of the Year is the traditional dramatic conclusion of the annual event.

The award was presented by Chamber Board member Shelly Pouge, who is a past Chamber Chairperson and was last year’s Person of the Year.

Pouge explained that Jacqi is a Bowlegs High School graduate and her love for art was instilled at an early age by her grandmother, a trained artist who encouraged creativity and expressing an appreciation for beauty.

Jacqi’s mother, Terri Robertson, explains her mother, Thelma Arnold, was a well known amateur artist who the Gusher Days Art Festival judges moved to the professional division after she consistently won first place each year. She also painted the portrait of some of the Seminole State College Presidents, with Dr. Utterback being the last.

Pouge stated that, following the birth of Jacqi’s son, she had a renewed and deeply personal purpose to help make her community the best it could be — a place where her son, and other children, could grow up surrounded by opportunity, inspiration, and pride. In 2015 Jacqi was contacted by a local civic leader and entrusted with the then defunct Seminole Arts Council’s key to a post office box and their checkbook to a bank account with no funds.

Rather than seeing an empty account, Jacqi saw potential, and she committed herself to rebuilding and reimagining what the arts could mean for Seminole, and set to work reviving the Seminole Arts Council.

In 2021 Jacqi joined and graduated from the Leadership Seminole Class. The next year she expanded her knowledge and statewide connections by graduating from the Oklahoma Leadership Arts, which every other year equips 30 individuals from across the state to become leaders and advocates in their community. This training includes several weeks of two day sessions in various communities throughout the state.

In 2023 Jacqi founded the Seminole Mural Initiative, beginning with the “Hope Comes to Rise” mural created by Oklahoma artist Kortny Miller (aka “Red Dirt Rosie”). This work of public art is located at 111 W. Broadway on the west-facing wall of Farmer’s Insurance.

Several other murals have since brightened the community, the most recent being the huge “Come Together” on the south wall of the donut shop at 419 N. Milt Phillip pointed by renowned Oklahoma artist Rick Sinnett (aka “Mothman Studios”).

In 2024 Jacqi was instrumental in establishing the Seminole Art Center, providing a large, permanent space dedicated to creativity, education, and cultural enrichment in the Seminole community.

Pouge concluded her introduction sharing that Jacqi is currently a student at Seminole State College, where she is studying business marketing to strengthen her ability to grow and sustain arts initiatives in her community.

“Through determination, vision, and a belief in the power of art to transform places and people, she continues to play a vital role in shaping the cultural future of Seminole,” Pouge stated. “Please help me welcome tonight’s Citizen of the Year Jacqi Dill.” The crowd rose to their feet and the room filled with cheers and applause.

As the surprised recipient made her way to the stage to accept her award, a group of over a dozen people, including family, friends, artists and other important people in her life that had been hiding backstage entered the room to join the recognition and celebration of a community treasure.

Jacqi first expressed her surprise and apologized for her “ugly crying” in front of everyone.

“I’m really thrilled to have this,” she began. “It’s been a labor of love. It’s not always been good times, there’s been bad times, and hard times, but at the end of all that it’s been worth it.”

Updating her current status, Jacki stated she is back in school working on her marketing degree so she can start her own agency and help local artists make money in the community and become economic contributors.

“I’m going to have to step back from the Arts Council,” she continued, “but you know, somebody close to me, my boss, Gary Kleiman, once told me the first rule to running a non-profit is finding your replacement.” Jacqi concluded by expressing her hope everyone will continue to support the Arts Council and the arts, stressing how important it is for the community to have a good understanding of what arts and culture are.