Stephen Allen
Governor Fallin today named Stephen Allen, of Jenks, to the Oklahoma Water Resources Board. She also reappointed board members Bob Drake, of Davis, Rudy Herrmann, of Afton, and Ford Drummond, of Bartlesville.
Allen and Drake will serve terms that expire May 14, 2021. Drummond’s term will expire May 14, 2020 and Hermann’s term will expire May 14, 2022. All require confirmation by the state Senate.
Allen, vice president and associate general counsel for ONEOK, Inc., will serve as an oil and gas production representative on the board. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma Baptist University and a doctorate law degree from Vanderbilt University School of Law.
Allen also serves on the Metro Christian Academy Board of Trustees and is an advisory trustee on the Oklahoma Baptist University Board of Trustees. He and his wife, Rachel, have two children.
Herrmann represents recreational water use interests and has been on the board for 11 years. He is a retired president and chief executive officer of Dover Resources Inc. He is currently an adjunct assistant professor at Oklahoma State University where he teaches courses pro bono in strategic planning and sustainability in industrial enterprises. He also is on the board of directors of Goodwill Industries of Tulsa and is a trustee of the Oklahoma chapter of The Nature Conservancy. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University and a master’s degree from Harvard Business School. He is married to Deborah Joan Herrmann.
Fallin appointed Drake in 2012 to the Water Resources Board to serve the remainder of an expired term. He has been reappointed and continues to represent rural residential water use.
Drake owns and operates Drake Farms, a cow/calf stocker operation on owned and leased land. He is a member and past president of both the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association. He also serves on the board of First National Bank & Trust Co. of Ardmore.
Drake earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Oklahoma. He and his late wife, Kay, have two children and three grandchildren.
Fallin also re-appointed Drummond, who has been on the board since 2006 and serves as an agriculture industry representative on the board. He is the owner and operator of a large family ranch in Osage County and a member of the BancFirst Corporation Board of Directors.
Ford and his wife, Vanessa, have three children. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University and a law degree from the University of Virginia.
“All four of these appointees bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to one of Oklahoma’s most important boards,” said Fallin. “I look forward to continuing to work with the Water Resources Board to protect one of our most valuable resources.”
