The Appointments Project

Policymaking begins with committed people working together to effect positive change. The purpose of the Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women’s Appointments Project is to appoint more qualified women to decision making bodies in Oklahoma. While there is no shortage of applicants for high-level appointments, there is great disparity concerning women applicants for all levels.

Through landmark studies, research have identified barriers causing women to be underrepresented in leadership positions.  Nearly 100 years after winning the right to vote, women are 52 percent of our population, but in Oklahoma, only a handful of women serve as county commissioners and a few dozen more serve as mayors. Women comprise only 11 percent of the Oklahoma Legislature, ranking us 49^th in the nation. This under-representation of women is mirrored throughout decision-making bodies on state agencies, boards, commissions, and trust authorities and among cabinet officials.

Policymaking begins with committed people working together to effect positive change. The governor, Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore  of Oklahoma will make appointments to several hundred policy-making entities. These are powerful decision-making bodies for every issue that impacts our future as a state. While there is no shortage of applicants for high-level appointments, there is great disparity concerning women applicants for all levels.

The Appointments Project (TAP) is a non-partisan effort to place more women into decision-making appointed positions within state government. TAP’s goal is to resolve the historic underrepresentation of women by identifying and providing qualified applicants for appointed positions.

TAP’s purpose is very clear: appoint more qualified women to decision-making bodies in Oklahoma. To achieve this purpose, the following three strategies will be utilized:

Establish Clear Targets: TAP will work with our appointing agents to identify and appoint qualified women at a level of population parity.

Engage Partners: Organizations and individuals financially committed to the success of TAP will be identified as coalition partners and designees placed on an executive committee to guide ongoing efforts.

Raise Awareness: TAP will raise awareness by forming a coalition of organizations and individuals committed to parity.

The ABC's is an electronic Publication of the Oklahoma Department of Libraries, Office of Public Information. Inside you will find lists of Executive Branch Officers in the state. Included in this section are the Oklahoma Elected Officials and Governor Stitt's Cabinet. Also included are the Legislative Branch, the Judicial Branch, and all of the Agencies, Boards and Commissions, as of Sept. 30, 2019.