BAR BUSINESS
General Assembly
Association business begins at 10 a.m. on Friday, July 12, during the General Assembly. The program includes OBA award presentations and In Memoriam as well as updates from judicial and OBA leaders.
House of Delegates
Association business including leadership elections and consideration of resolutions takes place during the House of Delegates meeting that immediately follows the General Assembly. The House of Delegates shall be composed of one delegate or alternate from each County of the State, who shall be an active or senior member of the Bar of such County, as certified by the Executive Director at the opening of the annual meeting; providing that each County where the active or senior resident members of the Bar exceed fifty shall be entitled to one additional delegate or alternate for each additional fifty active or senior members or major fraction thereof. In the absence of the elected delegate(s), the alternate(s) shall be certified to vote in the stead of the delegate. In no event shall any County elect more than thirty (30) members to the House of Delegates.
ITEMS FOR CONSIDERATION
2024 Resolution
The following resolution will be submitted to the House of Delegates at the 120th Oklahoma Bar Association Annual Meeting at 11 a.m. Friday, July 12, 2024, at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Norman Hotel & Conference Center in Norman.
RESOLUTION WAS ADOPTED
2025 LEADERSHIP AND CANDIDATES
Board of Governors Vacancies
The deadline for submitting nominating petitions was 5 p.m. Friday, May 8, 2024.
The Board of Governors is comprised of 17 active members of the Oklahoma Bar Association. One representative is elected for each of the nine Supreme Court judicial districts, as such districts existed prior to January 1, 2020 [Order No. SCBD 4483 (2020 OK 17)], by lawyers in those respective districts plus three statewide at-large members and the Young Lawyers Division chairperson. Officers are the president, vice president, president-elect and secretary/treasurer.
For information on current board members and officers, visit the Board of Governors page.
2025 Board of Governors
Elections for contested positions will be held at the House of Delegates meeting July 12, during the 2024 OBA Annual Meeting. Terms of the present OBA officers and governors will terminate Dec. 31, 2024.
2024 President
Miles Pringle, Oklahoma City
Miles Pringle is the executive vice president and general counsel at The Bankers Bank in Oklahoma City. A native Oklahoman and third-generation attorney, Mr. Pringle is licensed to practice law in Oklahoma, Missouri and Texas. After graduating from Heritage Hall High School, he obtained his bachelor’s degrees from the University of Kansas in political science and history and his J.D. from the University of Missouri – Kansas City School of Law, where he was a member of the national moot court team. Prior to joining The Bankers Bank, he was a partner with the law firm of Pringle & Pringle.
2025 President
D. Kenyon Williams Jr., Sperry
D. Kenyon Williams Jr. is a shareholder at the Tulsa office of Hall Estill, having joined the firm in 1996. Prior to joining, Mr. Williams
served as in-house counsel for Helmerich & Payne after forming his own firm in 1977. He received his bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering from TU and his J.D. from the TU College of Law. He is licensed in Oklahoma and Arkansas and represents businesses and communities in environmental, regulatory, administrative and litigation matters.
2025 Newly Elected Board of Governors
Pursuant to Rule 3, Section 3 of the OBA bylaws, the following nominees have been deemed elected due to no other person filing for the position.
Vice President
Nominee: Richard D. White Jr., Tulsa
Richard D. White Jr. is a shareholder at the Tulsa law firm of Barber & Bartz PC. During his 40 years of practice, he has represented businesses throughout the U.S. in commercial disputes. He has also maintained a substantial family law practice. He is licensed to practice in all Oklahoma courts, the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Eastern and Western districts of Oklahoma, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois and the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Supreme Court Judicial District 4
Nominee: Benjamin J. Barker, Enid
Benjamin J. Barker is a member of the Enid law firm of Mitchell DeClerck PLLC, where he has practiced since 2013. His cases and clients span the typical “county-seat lawyer” spectrum; however, he is engaged primarily in areas related to criminal defense and family law. He graduated from Enid High School in 2006, OSU in 2010 and received his J.D. from the OU College of Law in 2013. He is admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, and he is a member of the Garfield County Bar Association, Cherokee Nation Bar Association, Oklahoma Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, Family Law Section and others.
Supreme Court Judicial District 5
Nominee: Lucas M. West, Norman
Lucas M. West is an associate attorney with Nichols Dixon PLLC in Norman. His practice encompasses a variety of legal areas, including family law, guardian ad litem work, civil litigation, estate planning and municipal law.
Mr. West grew up in Mustang and attended Texas Christian University, graduating summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in political science and psychology in 2015. He was a member of the John V. Roach Honors College and the TCU Wesley Foundation. He returned to Oklahoma to attend the OU College of Law, where he worked in the civil division of the Legal Clinic and participated in the national mock trial team. He graduated in 2018.
OBA YLD Chair
Nominee: Taylor C. Venus, Enid
Taylor C. Venus is a native of Ponca City who graduated from OSU with bachelor’s degrees in economics and finance. While attending OSU, Mr. Venus had the honor to be Pistol Pete.
Thereafter, he obtained his J.D. and MBA at OU. While in law school, he served as the articles editor for the Oil and Gas, Natural Resources and Energy Journal and as an officer or representative in multiple student groups.
Contested Elections
The elections for president-elect and member at large will be held at the House of Delegates meeting on July 12 at the 2024 OBA Annual Meeting.
President-Elect
Nominee: Kara Vincent, Tulsa
Kara Vincent, a shareholder at Barber & Bartz PC, boasts 28 years of experience as both a CPA and attorney. She holds a BBA in finance from Northeastern State University, a BBA in
accounting from Langston University and a J.D. from the TU College of Law. She primarily practices in estate and trust matters, covering
design, administration, special needs planning and litigation.
Nominee: Amber Peckio, Tulsa
ELECTED
Amber Peckio is a solo practitioner with the Amber Law Group in Tulsa. As an AV-Rated Preeminent attorney with more than 20 years of trial experience, Ms. Peckio primarily practices in litigation, insurance dispute litigation, complex family litigation and personal injury litigation. She also works extensively in the newly established cannabis law field in Oklahoma and routinely counsels Oklahoma businesses in all cannabis-related legal matters.
Member at Large
Nominee: Rhiannon K. Thoreson, Broken Arrow
Rhiannon K. Thoreson is a civil litigator for the city of Broken Arrow who defends tort, property, employment and Section 1983 claims. She earned her undergraduate degree from TU and her master’s degree from OU. She worked for several years in the social services field before receiving her J.D. from the TU College of Law. While in law school, she served as executive editor for the Tulsa Law Review, and her article was selected for publication. She earned several awards and distinctions, including graduating with highest honors, Order of the Curule chair, a certificate in health law, the Robert C. Butler Award for Excellence in Legal Scholarship and Writing and numerous CALI awards.
Nominee: Kate N. Dodoo, Oklahoma City
ELECTED
Kate N. Dodoo is an experienced attorney who leads both the Appellate Group and Immigration & Compliance Group at McAfee & Taft. With more than 18 years of legal experience in the public and private sectors, Ms. Dodoo represents businesses in appellate litigation and serves as business immigration counsel for major U.S.-based corporations and foreign-owned companies with interests in the United States. She also counsels employers on E-Verify, I-9 compliance, audits and general labor and employment matters. As a frequent author on legal topics, she has served as a guest legal columnist for The Journal Record and a contributing author to Law360, the Oklahoma Employment Law Letter, Midwest Employment Law Letter, HRLaws.com and EmployerLINC.
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