Oklahoma Secretary of Commerce

The Oklahoma Secretary of Commerce is a member of the Oklahoma Governor's Cabinet. The Secretary is appointed by the Governor, with the consent of the Oklahoma Senate, to serve at the pleasure of the Governor. The Secretary serves as the chief advisor to the Governor on economic development and trade promotion.

Oklahoma Secretary of
Commerce
Great Seal of Oklahoma
Agency overview
FormedJune 6, 1986
Headquarters900 N Stiles Avenue
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Minister responsible
Child agencies
WebsiteOffice of the Secretary of Commerce

The current Secretary is Sean P. Kouplen, who was appointed by Governor Kevin Stitt in 2019.

Overview

The Secretary of Commerce was established in 1986 to provide greater oversight and coordination to the State's economic development activities. The position was established, along with the Oklahoma Governor's Cabinet, by the Executive Branch Reform Act of 1986. The Act directed the Secretary to advise the Governor on economic development policy and advise the state's economic development agencies on new policy as directed by the Governor. As such, the Secretary is responsible for directing the State's development projects to economically distressed communities in order to generate new employment, help retain existing jobs and stimulate industrial and commercial growth.

Oklahoma state law allows for Cabinet Secretaries to serve concurrently as the head of a State agency in addition to their duties as a Cabinet Secretary. Historically, the Secretary of Commerce has also served as the Director of the Oklahoma Department of Commerce. However, the current Secretary Sean P. Kouplen does not share this role, with the position Commerce Director currently filled by Brent Kisling.

The Secretary, unless filling an additional role which carries a greater salary, is entitled to annual pay of $70,000.[1] Despite this law, if the Secretary serves as the head of a state agency, the Secretary receives the higher of the two salaries.

Agencies overseen

The Secretary of Commerce oversees the following state entities:

Budget

The Secretary of Commerce oversees a budget for Fiscal Year 2020 of $372 million. The budget authorization is broken down as follows:

Agency Funding (in millions) Employees (in FTEs)
Economic Development
Department of Commerce 84.8 107
Housing Finance Agency 141.7 100
Developmental Finance Authority 1.8 5
SUBTOTAL 228.3 212
Workforce Development
Department of Labor 8.3 82
Employment Security Commission 105.2 799
SUBTOTAL 113.5 881
Professional Licensure
Professional Licensing Boards 30.5 222
SUBTOTAL 30.5 222
TOTAL $372.3 1,315

List of Secretaries
Name Took Office Left Office Governor served under
Secretary of Commerce
Dean Werries 1995 1997 Frank Keating
Ron Rosenfeld 1997 1998
Howard Barnett, Jr. 1998 1999
Russell M. Perry 2000 2001
Vacant 2001 2003
Secretary of Commerce and Tourism
Kathy Taylor 2003 2006 Brad Henry
Natalie Shirley 2007 2011
Dave Lopez 2011 2013 Mary Fallin
Secretary of Commerce
Larry Parman 2013 2014 Mary Fallin
Deby Snodgrass 2014 2015
Secretary of Commerce and Tourism
Deby Snodgrass 2015 2019 Mary Fallin
Secretary of Commerce and Workforce Development
Sean P. Kouplan 2019 Present Kevin Stitt

References
  1. Paragraph 3, Section 10.5, Title 74, Oklahoma Statutes
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