Oklahoma
Oklahoma Gov. Stitt appoints familiar faces to top state roles: Here’s who they are
The Oklahoman top headlines of the week for Sept. 12, 2025
Here’s a one-minute recap of the all the news you may have missed this week.
Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt has named a trio of new appointees to his administration, saying the private-sector picks will help him end his second term with a focus on business.
Stitt tapped consultant Donelle Harder as the next secretary of state, restaurant franchiser David Ostrowe as chief operating officer and communications executive Dustin Hilliary as his senior adviser.
All three are familiar faces around Stitt’s office. Harder and Ostrowe previously worked for the governor, and Stitt appointed Hilliary in 2022 to a nine-year term as a state regent.
Since Stitt was elected in 2018 as a political newcomer, he has styled himself as a business-friendly governor. Unlike most governors who rise up through the state Capitol, Stitt built his career in financial services as the founder of Gateway Mortgage, now known as Gateway First Bank.
“We successfully launched this administration by bringing a fresh set of eyes from Oklahoma’s business community, and we will finish the same way,” Stitt said in an announcement about his new appointees on Thursday, Sept. 11.
As governor, Stitt has championed tax cuts and the creation of new state courts to handle business lawsuits — a system that is being challenged as unconstitutional. In his State of the State address in February, Stitt declared he had made Oklahoma a Top 10 state for businesses.
He is term limited and will leave office in January 2027.
It is unclear when or if Stitt’s new appointees will be required to step away from controlling or managing their private-sector interests, a move Stitt made when he became governor.
Hilliary is a co-owner of Lawton-based Hilliary Communications, a telephone and broadband service provider that has more than 15,000 customers in Oklahoma, Texas and Iowa. Ostrowe is the president and CEO of O&M Restaurant Group, an Oklahoma City company that operates Taco Bell franchises. Harder has clients through her public relations and consulting work.
All three have donated to Stitt’s campaigns in the past, records show. Hilliary donated $9,000, and Ostrowe donated $8,300. Harder, who has also worked for Stitt’s campaign, donated $1,000.
Abegail Cave, the communications director for the governor’s office, would not say whether the appointees would be required to step away from their non-government work. She also would not say how much each of Stitt’s new appointees will be paid.
Cave also did not answer a question asking whether Ostrowe will oversee the Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services in addition to his role as chief operating officer. His predecessor, Rick Rose, held both roles at the same time before he told Stitt on Sept. 3 that he would resign.
Harder will replace former legislator Josh Cockroft as the secretary of state, meaning her appointment is subject to approval by the Senate. Cockroft’s resignation will take effect Oct. 1.
In a news release, Senate Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, expressed support for Harder’s appointment. As the chamber’s most powerful Republican, he has the power to block Stitt’s appointees from receiving a confirmation vote. Paxton also said he supported Hilliary’s hiring.
Harder, Ostrowe and Hilliary did not respond to requests for comment by publication. In statements issued by the governor’s office, all three said they were honored to join Stitt’s office.
David Ostrowe
Ostrowe will start immediately in his new role as chief operating officer, Stitt said.
He was Stitt’s secretary of digital transformation and administration from January 2019 to September 2021, when he oversaw 54 agencies, boards and commissions. Before that, Ostrowe chaired the Oklahoma Lottery board of trustees.
“In Gov. Stitt’s first administration, we worked with passion to deliver digital transformation and make government more efficient and transparent,” Ostrowe said in a statement. “I am honored to return as COO to help finish that mission and continue advancing good government for all Oklahomans.”
Minco Oklahoma bus crash: Hundreds gather to pray for softball team
“We just say God, please heal. We pray that you would heal physical wounds.We pray that you would heal emotional wounds.”
Donelle Harder
Harder will begin as secretary of state Oct. 1.
She has worked closely with Stitt throughout his political career. She began as a member of his campaign team and served as his spokeswoman. She went on to serve as a top adviser to the governor and deputy secretary of state during Stitt’s first term.
Harder is now a senior vice president at Pinkston, a public relations and marketing firm that she helped found. It has an office in Oklahoma City, where she leads accounts in financial services, higher education, energy and other sectors. Harder has also worked as a vice president of the Oklahoma Oil and Gas Association and a spokesperson for the late Republican U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe.
“I look forward to sharpening our strategic approach and ensuring this administration remains effective and focused on delivering good government for the people of Oklahoma,” Harder said in a statement.
Dustin Hilliary
In his new role as senior adviser to Stitt, Hilliary will be the governor’s top negotiator with legislators and other elected officials. The governor’s office did not say when Hilliary would start.
The governor’s announcement described Hilliary as “a third-generation entrepreneur who helped grow his family’s broadband, media and telecommunications enterprise, bringing critical infrastructure and trusted journalism to rural Oklahoma.”
Hilliary publishes the weekly Southwest Ledger, which covers business news and other issues in Lawton and southwest Oklahoma. Hilliary Communications is also planning to buy the Lawton Constitution.
In a statement issued by the governor’s office, Hilliary said he would help Stitt “advance policies with the Legislature that put our state on a strong path today and for future generations.”
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA. (KOKH) — An investigative audit into the Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Authority; it’s something the Oklahoma County Board of Commissioners is considering.
Fox 25 has been covering issues with the Oklahoma County Detention Center for years, from failed inspections to staffing issues and missed paychecks.
The issues had members of the Jail Trust recommending last June they undergo a performance review. Now, in a letter recently issued, county commissioners are asking State Auditor Cindy Byrd to look into the county Criminal Justice Authority, also known as the jail trust. But whether it’s tied to those ongoing issues remains unclear.
“I really wouldn’t know. I wouldn’t know where to begin with that. I just wouldn’t even want to speculate, honestly,” said Commissioner Myles Davidson.
Commissioner Davidson told FOX 25 if the audit were to happen, it wouldn’t be cheap.
“To go into a budget that we’re extremely tight on, and start adding hundreds of thousands of dollars, and time, these audits don’t happen overnight. I don’t know that we would have an answer to any question we could possibly ask before the budgetary cycle is over,” said Davidson.
Davidson said that cycle ends June 1. Instead, he’s suggesting they look into existing audits to see if there’s any useful information there first.
“I would simply say that we need to look at the audits that have been submitted already to the state auditor that the jail trust has already paid for, and then if we have questions about those, we need to bring in that auditing agency and question them. We do have the authority to do that,” Davidsons said.
However, Davidson isn’t sure they have the authority to request this audit.
“When it comes to statute, we have to have it lined out, expressly in statute that we have this authority, and every county commissioner across the state has to abide by that,” he said.
Davidson said they’ll be meeting Monday to find out whether or not they do have the authority to request this audit. He told FOX 25 the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s office reached out to folks with Cindy Byrd’s office and was told the audit would cost $100,000, adding that she’s so swamped that she can’t do it this calendar year.
FOX 25 also reached out to Jason Lowe’s office but they said they have no comment.
OKLAHOMA CITY (KSWO) — Oklahoma lawmakers have voted to honor country music artist and Oklahoma native Toby Keith.
House Concurrent Resolution 1019 recognizes Keith’s lasting impact on music and proposes renaming a planned turnpike in his memory.
The concurrent resolution was authored by Rep. Jason Blair, R-Morgan, and Sen. Lisa Standridge, R-Norman.
The planned route will extend from Interstate 44 east to Interstate 35, then continue east and north to I-40 at the Kickapoo Turnpike.
Copyright 2026 KSWO. All rights reserved.
Governor Kevin Stitt has said he wants the State Superintendent of Education to be a governor-elected position instead of an elected one. Political analyst Scott Mitchell examines what this would mean for the state.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt is urging lawmakers to send a state question to voters that would make the state superintendent an appointed position, as he named Lindel Fields of Tulsa to the role and announced a turnaround team to help implement his education agenda.
Is the State Superintendent an elected role?
Yes, the State Superintendent of Education is still an elected role. Elections are scheduled for Nov. 3, 2026.
Cons of making the superintendent an appointed position
Mitchell said making this position appointed could cause distrust among some Oklahomans
“Over the years, we’ve seen that capture of regulatory sort of is easy to do when you have term limits, then lobbies become more powerful, and they have all the history. It’s very complicated.
He also said if the position were to be elected, they would likely have the same agenda as the governor.
“Yes, and I think the governor would be absolutely saying, ‘Yes, they’re going to do what I want them to do.’”
Changing how the superintendent is chosen changes what the founding fathers set.
“Voters are going to have to say yay or nay if it gets to them, is whether or not we want to change the way that the founding fathers set up the way that we make sure that power is not concentrated in Oklahoma,” he said.
Is Ryan Walters’ term the reason Stitt wants to make this position appointed?
Mitchell said he believes the former State Superintendent played a role in the government wanting to appoint this position.
During his time as superintendent, Walters was known to have multiple controversies. He resigned in 2025, allowing Stitt to appoint Lindel Fields.
“His impact on this, even though he’s gone, is certainly evident,” said Mitchell. “Walters left midstream, right? And so the governor had a chance to appoint someone. Well, it wasn’t just an appointment; it was chaos before and relative calm and competency after. And that has given the governor an opening for people to see with their own eyes. Yeah, you can put somebody in, we’re talking about Lindel Fields, that appears to get up every day, not trying to find some, get a click on social media, but rather to do his job. And across the board, for the most part, this guy’s getting thumbs up.
Stitt said electing Fields has already given him some leverage since he has been well perceived so far.
“That allows a governor to say, Look, I’ve got some standing, some leverage to go to the voters and say, let’s put expertise as the main reason that a person’s there, not because they were able to win an election because they had some sort of populist or dramatic ideas.”
Who is running for Oklahoma State Superintendent?
Republican Ballot
- Sen. Adam Pugh
- John Cox
- Rep. Toni Hasenbeck
- Ana Landsaw
Democrat Ballot
- Craig Mcvay
- Jennettie Marshall
Independent
To learn more about each candidate, click here.
A full breakdown of candidates in the 2026 Oklahoma State Superintendent race, including party affiliation, background and key education priorities.
‘Trump’s not enough. And he knows he’s not enough’: California governor Gavin Newsom on populism, ‘purity tests’ and whether he’ll run for the presidency
Two-alarm fire damages hotel in Estes Park, 1 person taken to a Colorado hospital
Man shot, critically injured by police in Hartford; mayor says there will be a ‘full review’
Delaware history in News Journal March 1-7: Fire rescue, power rate jump
Golf roundup: Austin Smotherman plays ‘boring, simple’ to expand lead in Florida
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Indiana Members Credit Union announced as new anchor tenant at Bottleworks District
ICE blasts Washington mayor over directive restricting immigration enforcement
Did the EU bypass Hungary’s veto on Ukraine’s €90 billion loan?
How the federal government is painting immigrants as criminals on social media
Where Iran’s ballistic missiles can reach — and how close they are to the US
Has India’s influence in Afghanistan grown under the Taliban?
-
World2 days agoExclusive: DeepSeek withholds latest AI model from US chipmakers including Nvidia, sources say
-
Massachusetts3 days agoMother and daughter injured in Taunton house explosion
-
Montana1 week ago2026 MHSA Montana Wrestling State Championship Brackets And Results – FloWrestling
-
Louisiana5 days agoWildfire near Gum Swamp Road in Livingston Parish now under control; more than 200 acres burned
-
Denver, CO2 days ago10 acres charred, 5 injured in Thornton grass fire, evacuation orders lifted
-
Technology7 days agoYouTube TV billing scam emails are hitting inboxes
-
Technology7 days agoStellantis is in a crisis of its own making
-
Politics7 days agoOpenAI didn’t contact police despite employees flagging mass shooter’s concerning chatbot interactions: REPORT