Governor Kevin Stitt is changing his Cabinet structure. At the same time, he’s naming a new Secretary of Education.
Stitt is eliminating the Secretary of Science and Innovation position and creating the Secretary of Operations and Government Efficiency and the Secretary of Workforce Development.
On Tuesday, Stitt issued a statement which said the change was necessary to address the state of Oklahoma’s needs.
“I’m very excited about our new cabinet structure. We are always learning more and trying to improve how we run state government and I believe our cabinet structure should reflect our state’s changing needs,” said Stitt.
State Chief Operating Officer and interim Executive Director for the Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES) John Suter has been appointed as the Operations and Government Efficiency Secretary.
“As governor, I believe in less taxes and smaller government. Creating a Secretary of Operations and Government Efficiency is a targeted effort to ensure my administration stays focused on shrinking the size of government and providing the most efficient services for the taxpayer. Within just weeks of my executive order on reducing the state vehicle fleet, we have saved taxpayers an estimated $2.8 million annually. I know there are more ways to save taxpayer money throughout state government and I look forward to taking additional action with this new cabinet position,” said Stitt.
The Governor will name a Workforce Development Secretary after receiving the Workforce Transformation Task Force’s report.
The other shakeup of the Governor’s Cabinet will be a new Secretary of Education. Stitt is nominating Oklahoma State University Professor Dr. Katherine Curry to the post. She’ll need to secure the Oklahoma Senate’s confirmation, as all the other Cabinet nominees.
“Katherine brings a wealth of experience to oversee the many different areas of education across the state, including higher education and career tech. I look forward to her leadership and service as we work towards making Oklahoma a Top Ten state in education,” said Stitt.
Curry has been on a tenure track faculty position with OSU since 2011. She taught masters and doctoral courses in the College of Education and Human Sciences.
“I’m excited to partner with Governor Stitt in his pursuit of making Oklahoma Education Top Ten,” said Dr. Curry. “Oklahoma has some of the best teachers in the nation, and I look forward to walking alongside these educators to continue creating the strongest educational ecosystem in the country.”
As for the outgoing Secretary of Education, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters seems to be on board with Curry’s appointment.
“I am excited to have Dr. Curry on our team. The governor and I are passionate about improving K-12 for all students, improving higher education, and supporting our great teachers to make Oklahoma a Top Ten state for education. We are all committed to transparency and accountability to ensure all education institutions are in line with Oklahoma values,” said Walters.
