Library: News Release
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Mark Lawton Jones has been named the new Chief Coordinating Officer (CCO), Vertically Integrated Services Division (VISD). His new duties officially begin Sept. 16.
Jones is no stranger to OKDHS.He came to the agency in 2005, serving as Advocate General at the Office of Client Advocacy. Before that, Jones was Assistant Attorney General for Oklahoma, and he represented OKDHS and the Department of Rehabilitation Services in a federal class action lawsuit brought against the Hissom Memorial Center.
“I began working at the Attorney General’s office in 1993,” says Jones. “I came there to take the Hissom case and represent OKDHS. I got to know the Commissioners and the Director, and over the years I just learned a lot about OKDHS.”
In his new role as CCO, Jones will oversee the interaction and coordination of the various divisions of VISD, which include Aging Services Division (ASD), Oklahoma Child Care Services (OCCS), Oklahoma Child Support Services (OCSS), Developmental Disabilities Services Division (DDSD), and the new Office of Public Guardian (OPG).
“All of these divisions provide services to vulnerable populations,” he says. Jones knows something about people who are vulnerable. He had a stepson with cerebral palsy.
“I have developed a real interest in issues involving people with disabilities and have gained some understanding of the challenges people face when they have a family member with disabilities,” he continued. “Our son was a recipient of DDSD services. We know how important those programs are.”
Jones is married to Lynn Rambo-Jones, an attorney for the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, and he is stepfather to an adult daughter, Carrie, who works in finance at an OKDHS Child Support Office.
They are an OKDHS family who truly are family. That’s a concept Jones plans to emulate as CCO.
“I believe each division at OKDHS has very good, effective leadership,” he says. “I look forward to working with each of them as we continue to provide quality services to those most vulnerable.”
Jones holds a BA in history and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Oklahoma. He is a member of the Bar Associations of both Oklahoma and New Mexico, and he is also a member of the American Association of Public Welfare Attorneys.
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