Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt has named a trio of new appointees to his administration, saying the private-sector picks will help him end his second term with a focus on business.
Stitt tapped consultant Donelle Harder as the next secretary of state, restaurant franchiser David Ostrowe as chief operating officer and communications executive Dustin Hilliary as his senior adviser.
All three are familiar faces around Stitt’s office. Harder and Ostrowe previously worked for the governor, and Stitt appointed Hilliary in 2022 to a nine-year term as a state regent.
Since Stitt was elected in 2018 as a political newcomer, he has styled himself as a business-friendly governor. Unlike most governors who rise up through the state Capitol, Stitt built his career in financial services as the founder of Gateway Mortgage, now known as Gateway First Bank.
“We successfully launched this administration by bringing a fresh set of eyes from Oklahoma’s business community, and we will finish the same way,” Stitt said in an announcement about his new appointees on Thursday, Sept. 11.
As governor, Stitt has championed tax cuts and the creation of new state courts to handle business lawsuits — a system that is being challenged as unconstitutional. In his State of the State address in February, Stitt declared he had made Oklahoma a Top 10 state for businesses.
He is term limited and will leave office in January 2027.
It is unclear when or if Stitt’s new appointees will be required to step away from controlling or managing their private-sector interests, a move Stitt made when he became governor.
Hilliary is a co-owner of Lawton-based Hilliary Communications, a telephone and broadband service provider that has more than 15,000 customers in Oklahoma, Texas and Iowa. Ostrowe is the president and CEO of O&M Restaurant Group, an Oklahoma City company that operates Taco Bell franchises. Harder has clients through her public relations and consulting work.
All three have donated to Stitt’s campaigns in the past, records show. Hilliary donated $9,000, and Ostrowe donated $8,300. Harder, who has also worked for Stitt’s campaign, donated $1,000.
Abegail Cave, the communications director for the governor’s office, would not say whether the appointees would be required to step away from their non-government work. She also would not say how much each of Stitt’s new appointees will be paid.
Cave also did not answer a question asking whether Ostrowe will oversee the Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services in addition to his role as chief operating officer. His predecessor, Rick Rose, held both roles at the same time before he told Stitt on Sept. 3 that he would resign.
Harder will replace former legislator Josh Cockroft as the secretary of state, meaning her appointment is subject to approval by the Senate. Cockroft’s resignation will take effect Oct. 1.
In a news release, Senate Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, expressed support for Harder’s appointment. As the chamber’s most powerful Republican, he has the power to block Stitt’s appointees from receiving a confirmation vote. Paxton also said he supported Hilliary’s hiring.
Harder, Ostrowe and Hilliary did not respond to requests for comment by publication. In statements issued by the governor’s office, all three said they were honored to join Stitt’s office.
David Ostrowe
Ostrowe will start immediately in his new role as chief operating officer, Stitt said.
He was Stitt’s secretary of digital transformation and administration from January 2019 to September 2021, when he oversaw 54 agencies, boards and commissions. Before that, Ostrowe chaired the Oklahoma Lottery board of trustees.
“In Gov. Stitt’s first administration, we worked with passion to deliver digital transformation and make government more efficient and transparent,” Ostrowe said in a statement. “I am honored to return as COO to help finish that mission and continue advancing good government for all Oklahomans.”
Gov. Kevin Stitt named David Ostrowe as his chief operating officer.
Ostrowe in office ‘Run fast and don’t break any laws’: Cabinet secretary rushing to upgrade state government
Donelle Harder
Harder will begin as secretary of state Oct. 1.
She has worked closely with Stitt throughout his political career. She began as a member of his campaign team and served as his spokeswoman. She went on to serve as a top adviser to the governor and deputy secretary of state during Stitt’s first term.
Harder is now a senior vice president at Pinkston, a public relations and marketing firm that she helped found. It has an office in Oklahoma City, where she leads accounts in financial services, higher education, energy and other sectors. Harder has also worked as a vice president of the Oklahoma Oil and Gas Association and a spokesperson for the late Republican U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe.
“I look forward to sharpening our strategic approach and ensuring this administration remains effective and focused on delivering good government for the people of Oklahoma,” Harder said in a statement.
Oklahoma Children Dying from Gunfire Oklahoma children die more often from gunshot wounds than in other states. Why?
Dustin Hilliary
In his new role as senior adviser to Stitt, Hilliary will be the governor’s top negotiator with legislators and other elected officials. The governor’s office did not say when Hilliary would start.
The governor’s announcement described Hilliary as “a third-generation entrepreneur who helped grow his family’s broadband, media and telecommunications enterprise, bringing critical infrastructure and trusted journalism to rural Oklahoma.”
Hillary Communications Co-CEO Dustin Hilliary points to a family portrait inside the company’s headquarters in Lawton. Gov. Kevin Stitt named Hilliary as his senior adviser.
Hilliary publishes the weekly Southwest Ledger, which covers business news and other issues in Lawton and southwest Oklahoma. Hilliary Communications is also planning to buy the Lawton Constitution.
In a statement issued by the governor’s office, Hilliary said he would help Stitt “advance policies with the Legislature that put our state on a strong path today and for future generations.”
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Stitt says 3 new advisers will help him end term with business focus