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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 10, 2016
Governor Mary Fallin Announces Cabinet, Senior Staff Changes
OKLAHOMA CITY –
Governor Mary Fallin today announced a series of changes to her Cabinet and
senior staff designed to ensure continued legislative success for the next two
years while sustaining important initiatives enacted during her time in office.
“My team and I have accomplished a lot in the past six
years, and we have every intention of being as productive as possible in our
remaining two years,” said Fallin. “Each of these members of our team will
continue to do amazing work for Oklahoma just as they have throughout their
impressive careers. I thank each of them for all they have done to date and am
thrilled they are all stepping up to fill these important roles serving our
great state.”
The changes are:
-
Secretary of State and Native American Affairs Chris
Benge, a former House speaker, will become the governor’s chief of staff. He will
retain his duties as secretary of Native American Affairs.
- First Assistant Attorney General Mike Hunter, a
former legislator who served as secretary of state for former Governor Frank
Keating, will become secretary of state and special counsel to the governor.
- Chief of Staff Denise Northrup will become chief
operations officer at the Office of Management and Enterprise Services, an
agency formed in Fallin’s first term by consolidating several shared government
services to generate efficiencies.
- Deputy General Counsel Jennifer Chance, a former
Oklahoma County assistant district attorney, will become general counsel.
All changes will be effective by Nov. 1.
“With these changes plus so many new legislators next year and
new legislative leadership, Oklahomans can expect a fresh, redoubled effort
from my administration and other leaders to serve them successfully. I believe our
best days are ahead of us and that we will continue pushing an aggressive,
pro-growth agenda,” Fallin said.
Chris Benge
Chris Benge was appointed as Oklahoma’s 33rd
secretary of state by Governor Mary Fallin on Nov. 8, 2013. In his role as secretary
of state, Benge serves on the governor’s Cabinet and is responsible for 20
executive entities.
Benge was elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives
in 1998 and left office in November 2010 due to legislative term limits. He
served six years in House leadership positions, including three years as
chairman of the House Appropriations and Budget Committee, which is responsible
for negotiating and writing the state budget. Benge’s legislative service was
highlighted by his focus on ways to encourage economic development and job growth
for the citizens of Oklahoma. He was committed to funding transportation
infrastructure, addressing physician training by stabilizing the Oklahoma State
University Medical Center and promoting education initiatives. Benge steered
the effort in the Legislature to help attract an NBA franchise to the state,
which led to the beginning of the Oklahoma City Thunder. He spent his last
three years in the Legislature as speaker of the House.
After his legislative service, Benge worked in Tulsa Mayor
Dewey Bartlett’s administration as director of intergovernmental and enterprise
development. His focus was on public policy and special project development
such as river development, transportation, infrastructure needs and energy
leadership. He also concentrated on strengthening working partnerships between
Tulsa County and the surrounding communities in the region.
Benge then served as the senior vice president of government
affairs with the Tulsa Regional Chamber. As a way to increase the focus on
growing the state’s economy, he brought focus to the Oklahoma Quality Jobs
Program and the Closing Fund, which have brought numerous high-caliber jobs to
the state. He also pushed for incentives that assisted local industry growth in
aerospace and energy. Benge received recognition for his efforts to help the
state create a favorable business climate from the State Chamber of Oklahoma with
the organization’s Defender of Free
Enterprise Award for 2009. He also brought particular attention to the use
of domestic energy in the state by working to establish a set of energy goals
for Oklahoma that included increased use of natural gas for transportation. These
efforts led to his testifying before a congressional committee on the benefits
of using more natural gas for transportation purposes.
In February 2015, Fallin appointed Benge to fill the position
of Native American liaison, a position in which he works directly with the tribal
nations of the state. He works to further the relationship between the state and
tribal leadership and build on the momentum of the state and tribal nations
have developed over the last few years.
On July 1, 2015, Fallin appointed Benge to serve on the
Oklahoma F-35 Task Force. The purpose of the task force is to ensure a
successful mission change for the 138th Fighter Wing to the F-35
Lightning II, based at the Tulsa International Airport. The 138th
Fighter Wing is one of the premier combat units in the U.S. Air Force.
Benge is a member of the National Association of Secretary
of States (NASS) and vice chairman of its business services committee. He is a
lifetime member of Leadership Oklahoma, Class XXVI. Benge is also listed among
Presidential Who’s Who, 2010, served as the honorary chair of the 2013 Academy
Salute event and is a recipient of The Lifetime Achievement Award from The
Oklahoma Academy, just to name a few of the professional and civic
organizations of which he is involved and/or is a member.
A lifetime Tulsa area resident, Benge and his wife, Allison,
along with their two children, reside in the community of Berryhill. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business
administration from Oklahoma State University.
As the governor’s chief of staff, Benge will oversee all
office staff and operations while serving as a top adviser to the governor. In
addition, Benge will retain his role as the governor’s top tribal nation
liaison by filling the Cabinet position of secretary of Native American affairs.
“Chris Benge is a widely-respected consensus builder who has
been in the trenches and knows how to achieve success in the Legislature and
across the state. His temperament, experience and love for Oklahoma and public
service make him an excellent fit for this role,” Fallin said.
Mike Hunter
Mike Hunter was named Oklahoma’s first
assistant attorney general in June 2015.
He is the chief legal advisor to Attorney General Scott Pruitt and
oversees a staff of over 200 lawyers, law enforcement agents and support staff.
From 2010 to 2015, Mike was the chief
operating officer of the American Bankers Association (ABA), which represents
banks of all sizes and charters and is the champion for the nation’s $13
trillion banking industry and its 2 million employees. Hunter managed government
relations, regulatory, legal and communications activities for the ABA.
Prior
to joining ABA, Hunter was secretary of the Commissioners of the Land Office, a
$4 billion public land and investment trust in Oklahoma. From 2002 through
2009, Hunter was executive vice president and chief operating officer of the
American Council of Life Insurers, the advocacy, legal and research arm of the
life insurance industry.
Hunter
served as Oklahoma’s secretary of state under Governor Frank Keating. As
secretary of state, Hunter also served as the governor’s chief liaison to the
Legislature, the state judiciary and the state’s federal delegation.
Hunter was chief of staff to then-U.S.
Rep. J. C. Watts Jr., of Oklahoma, from 1995 to 1999. His position involved the
management of the congressman’s office in Washington, D.C., and district
offices in Oklahoma. He also served as legal counsel to Watts in his work on
the National Security Committee and the Transportation and Infrastructure
Committee.
While
in private practice as an energy and real estate lawyer, Hunter served as a
member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives for six years. In 1988, he was
one of eight lawmakers recognized by The Daily Oklahoman as “Oklahoma’s Best
Legislators.”
In
1993 and 1994, Hunter served as general counsel of the Oklahoma Corporation
Commission, the state regulatory authority for public utilities, oil and gas,
transportation and pipelines. He has also taught political science as an
adjunct professor at the University of Central Oklahoma and at the University
of Oklahoma.
Hunter
received his law degree from OU and his undergraduate degree from Oklahoma
State University. He is married to Cheryl Plaxico Hunter, and they have two
sons, Barrett and Brock.
In addition to serving as a top advisor, surrogate and
negotiator for the governor, the secretary of state is the executive branch’s
top clerical officer. The secretary of state files all official acts of the
governor, records all legislation passed by the Legislature, oversees
initiative and referendum petition processes, manages the state administrative
rules process, serves as the recordkeeper for all state business filings,
maintains public meeting notices, and performs other duties.
“Mike Hunter has done the job of secretary of state before
with great success because he gets results and has one of the best strategic
intellects of anyone I know in government,” Fallin said.
Denise Northrup
Denise Northrup has served as Governor Mary Fallin’s chief
of staff since she took office in 2011. Northrup also worked on Fallin’s staff
as lieutenant governor and was Fallin’s district office director when she
served in Congress. In addition to her staff roles, Northrup is a veteran
campaign manager, having managed Fallin’s five consecutive winning campaigns
for lieutenant governor, Congress and governor, plus other successful
campaigns.
As chief operations officer for the state Office of Management
and Enterprise Services, Northrup will assist the OMES director in managing the
daily operations of OMES while identifying statewide opportunities for
government efficiencies and agency partnerships.
“Denise Northrup has excelled at so many important tasks by
my side these past 22 years, and she will be especially effective using her
tenacity and intelligence to improve government efficiency statewide through
OMES,” Fallin said.
Jennifer Chance
Jennifer Chance has served as Governor Mary Fallin’s deputy
general counsel since 2013. Prior to that, Chance was a successful assistant
district attorney in Oklahoma County, where she served as felony team leader,
and Pottawatomie and Lincoln counties, where she handled domestic violence,
juvenile and appeals work. She also worked in private practice, focusing on tax
and commercial litigation, after completing law school. Chance holds a juris
doctorate from the University of Oklahoma School of Law and a bachelor of arts
from the University of Central Oklahoma.
As the governor’s top legal advisor, the general counsel is
responsible for thorough legal review of all legislation sent to the governor
in addition to sound legal counsel on the wide variety duties and
responsibilities assigned to the governor.
“Jennifer Chance is a highly-skilled attorney who has proven
herself more than capable of filling one of the most important roles in state
government as the governor’s general counsel,” Fallin said.
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Chris Benge |
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Mike Hunter |
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Denise Northrup |
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Jennifer Chance |
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Web: www.governor.ok.gov
Facebook: www.facebook.com/GovernorMaryFallin
Twitter: www.twitter.com/GovMaryFallin
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