Governor Stitt Names John Suter State Chief Operating Officer, Interim Director of OMES

Today Governor Stitt named John Suter as the state’s Chief Operating Officer and interim director of the Office of Management & Enterprise Services. Suter replaces former COO and OMES Director Steven Harpe, who was announced as the new Director of the Department of Corrections earlier today.

“I am thrilled to have John serve Oklahoma as the chief operating officer and continue to build on the momentum of Oklahoma’s state agencies’ alignment and transformation,” said Governor Stitt. “I look forward to working with John and using his years of professional experience to enhance our state agencies to provide best in class services to Oklahomans.”

Suter boasts 31 years of experience in management, including serving in senior leadership roles with a focus on profitability, productivity, and efficiency. Most recently, he served as the COO and interim CEO of Sandridge Energy during his last four years with the company. He also previously served as vice president of operations for American Energy. Suter has a proven track record of executing extensive cost cutting measures and efficiency improvements through continual rightsizing of personnel and simplification of corporate infrastructure.

“I am honored to work with Governor Stitt and utilize nearly four decades of professional experience in management and leadership to optimize efficiency in state government,” said Suter. “I look forward to serving my fellow Oklahomans in this new role.”

Suter is an engaged member of the Oklahoma City community and enjoys participating in various charitable organizations. He serves as the chairman of the board of Jesus House, a non-profit focused on addiction recovery and feeding the homeless in Oklahoma City.

The governor’s appointment order of Suter can be read here.