Myra Evans-Manyweather is a 1981 Graduate of Martin High School. She is an author and Air Force veteran retiree born and raised in Coushatta, LA. Evans-Manyweather told the Journal, “I graduated from Martin High School. I currently work for the Department of Defense at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, TX where I reside with my husband Arthur and son AC. I just earned the Air Force Blacks in Government Meritorious Service Award, and would like to share it with friends and family back home in Coushatta.”

Here is the Air Force’s announcement of the award:

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas — Air Force officials recently named the winners for the 2017 Blacks in Government Meritorious Service Award. The award honors military members and Department of Defense civilian employees who have supported military missions or overseas contingency operations, or whose attributes best epitomize the qualities and core values of their service branch or other DOD component.

The 2017 distinguished recipients include:
Myra L. Evans-Manyweather, Support Agreement Manager Program Analyst, 502nd Air Base Wing, Joint Base San Antonio-Ft. Sam Houston, Air Education and Training Command.

Evans-Manyweather’s superb leadership and dedication to service were crucial to the management of the 502nd’s $38 million reimbursable intra-/inter-service support agreement program, terminating 47 of 69 expired and superseded agreements, consolidating 15 into five and improving currency rate by 40 percent. On- and off-duty, Evans-Manyweather lives out her personal mantra, “start where you are.” She became a published author in July 2016. In her book, Start Where You Are: My Journey from Childhood Poverty to Passionate Entrepreneur, she shares personal trials and triumphs in overcoming discrimination and eliminating barriers that hinder equal opportunities in what she refers to as “underserved communities.” Additionally, she volunteered more than 20 hours facilitating focus groups to gain actionable data from participants to help find the root cause of the tendency of former offenders to reoffend within a one-to three-year period after release.