The Ely S. Parker Award is the highest professional honor that AISES confers. Recipients follow the example of Ely S. Parker, a 19th-century Seneca Nation Chief who broke multiple racial barriers while establishing an enduring legacy that continues to inspire today’s Indigenous leaders.

“We take great pride in selecting Dr. Cara Cowan Watts as this year’s Ely S. Parker Award winner,” said, Gary Burnette, AISES board chair. “Cara demonstrates sustained contributions and outstanding leadership in STEM that have positively impacted thousands of Indigenous youth.”

Dr. Cowan Watts is CEO and principal owner of Tulsa Pier Drilling (TPD), a privately held small business with operations in Oklahoma and Arkansas. She built the company into an industry leader, and today TPD is one of the fastest-growing, 100 percent Native American–owned companies. TPD has a skilled workforce specializing in rough terrain, hard rock, and challenging drilling situations.

“It is an honor to receive this recognition from AISES, an organization I deeply admire. AISES helped me to embrace and develop my leadership skills as well as contributed to my personal growth,” said Cara. “AISES challenged me to set the bar high for myself and sparked my passion to serve my communities when and where that help is most needed.”

Kay Porter, who nominated Dr. Cowan Watts, came to know her when she was a Fellow in the National Science Foundation Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Bridge to the Doctorate (BD) program in Oklahoma. Dr. Cowan Watts was one of 12 fellows in the first cohort of the BD program. LSAMP Scholars are selected from a national pool of applicants, and to be chosen is a distinct honor. Porter said, “Cara has consistently been active in serving Native students in numerous capacities. From Cara’s early involvement in STEM programs to today’s activities, she has never tired of promoting AISES and other programs to help improve the lives of Native students. Cara is a professional others strive to be like and look up to.”

Dr. Cowan Watts has dedicated her life to leading by example in public service. She is a former Cherokee Nation Tribal Councilwoman (2003–2015) who helped start the Cherokee Nation National Science and Engineering Fair to boost excitement about STEM. She supported the annual Cherokee Nation STEM summer camp and the Native Explorers program at the University of Oklahoma. She was involved in bringing the AISES National American Indian Science and Engineering Fair to Oklahoma State University. To get students interested in STEM disciplines, the Cowan Watts family created an annual Excellence in Engineering Award for students in grades five–12.

Dr. Cowan Watts is a ninth-generation resident of Rogers County, Oklahoma, and a direct descendant of Old Settler Cherokee Chief John Rogers, who lived in the Cooweescoowee District of the Cherokee Nation. In her tenure as a tribal councilwoman, Dr. Cowan Watts made significant contributions to the Cherokee Nation in education, economic development, sustainability, tribal sovereignty, health care, water quality, and water rights. Today, she is active in three Cherokee organizations: Rogers County Cherokee Association, Victory Cherokee Organization, and Tulsa Cherokee Community Organization.

While earning her doctorate in biosystems engineering at Oklahoma State University in 2015, Dr. Cowan Watts prepared a dissertation on water quality standards for waters culturally significant to the Cherokee Nation. Additional academic degrees include a BS in mechanical engineering and a MS in telecommunications management from Oklahoma State University.

Currently president of the AISES Oklahoma Professional Chapter, Dr. Cowan Watts is a lifetime AISES Sequoyah Fellow and previously served on the Board of Directors (2001–05 and 2007–08). She is a member of the Tulsa Engineering Foundation, Society of Women Engineers, American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, Tau Beta Pi — The Engineering Society, Pi Tau Sigma — International Mechanical Engineering Honor Society, and the ADSC which is the International Association of Foundation Drilling.

Throughout her career Dr. Cowan Watts has been offered appointments and invited to serve on boards, deliver presentations, and contribute to scientific papers. In 2003 and 2018, she was named one of the Journal Record Fifty Making a Difference honorees in Oklahoma. In 2018, Dr. Cowan Watts accepted on behalf of Tulsa Pier Drilling an AISES Partner Service Award in the organization’s Special Service Award category.

She is also co-owner and co-manager of Sideways Cattle Company, an American beef operation and American Quarter Horse Association ranch. She is serving her second elected term on the USDA Farm Service Agency Committee for Rogers and Tulsa County. She is owner and contract consultant of Cherokee Star — a company specializing in facilitation and project management, communication planning, education, and presentation services.