Staff Directory
Staff and Department Directory
Bar Center Phone Number: 405-416-7000
Bar Center Physical Address: 1901 N. Lincoln Blvd., Oklahoma City, 73105
Bar Center Mailing Address: PO Box 53036, Oklahoma City, OK 73152
Note: Direct email links have been disabled to limit malicious email messages. To contact a staff member, email addresses are formatted as first name and last name initial followed by @okbar.org (e.g., FirstnameL@okbar.org). Department directors' email addresses are listed below and may be copied and pasted into the "To" box of your email message.
Office of the Executive Director
Executive Director Janet K. Johnson
OBA Bylaws, Article IV, Section 4:
(a) The Executive Director shall keep the roster of the members of the Association and of the House of Delegates entitled to vote therein. He or she shall record and be the custodian of the minutes, journal and records of the Association and of the House of Delegates and of the Board of Governors.
(b) The Executive Director shall act as Treasurer, and be the custodian of the funds of the Association. No funds shall be withdrawn except in the manner approved by the Board of Governors.
(1) The expenditures of the Association shall be in accordance with the provisions of the Rules Creating and Controlling the Oklahoma Bar Association as promulgated by the Oklahoma Supreme Court.
(2) The Executive Director shall maintain at all times a fidelity bond executed by a surety company as surety, the amount thereof and the surety to be approved by the Board of Governors.
(c) He or she shall supervise the office of the Association and its personnel and shall see that the work of the Association is properly performed. He or she shall also perform such other duties as the House of Delegates, the Board of Governors or the President of the Association may direct.
Rules Creating and Controlling the OBA, Article VI, Section 4:
The Executive Director shall perform such duties and services as may
be required by these Rules or the Bylaws and as may be directed by the Board of Governors or the President of the Association. He shall also keep a complete and accurate list of the members of the Association; notify delinquent members and certify the names of delinquent members to the Supreme Court as required by these Rules; certify to the Supreme Court records and other matters as provided by these rules.
Executive Director: Janet K. Johnson
Executive Assistant: Mark Schneidewent
Administration and Membership Departments
The responsibilities of the Administration and Membership departments are multifaceted, including:
- Maintaining and updating the member roster
- Invoicing for senior and nonmember Oklahoma Bar Journal subscriptions
- Processing requests for certificates of good standing
- Assisting committees and sections with member communications
- Maintaining reports for all committees and sections
- Scheduling meetings, both at the bar center and via BlueJeans
- Planning and coordination of the Annual Meeting
- Managing the Legal Intern Program
- Finances and human resources
- Maintaining bar center facilities
Director of Administration: Chris D. Brumit
Membership Records Coordinator: Tracy Sanders
Bookkeeper: Roberta Yarbrough
Bar Center Receptionist: LaRica Krischel
Administrative Assistant / Legal Intern Coordinator: Debra Jenkins
Building Engineer: Durrel (Doc) Lattimore
Out-of-state Compliance Coordinator (part of General Counsel): Benjamin (Ben) Douglas
Communications Department
The Communications Department has responsibility for member communications and public relations, including:
- Publishing the Oklahoma Bar Journal, including working with the Board of Editors, editing and proofreading articles approved for publishing, managing all advertisements with design support for sections and committees, as well as copywriting and editing information for news stories and the FYI and Bench & Bar Briefs sections
- Managing and monitoring social media
- Issuing news releases and expediting information requests from the news media
- Contributing design work, photos, videos, stories and information for www.okbar.org
- Designing and compiling the Annual Meeting program and House of Delegates book, as well as providing marketing and design support for the website and all marketing materials
- Publishing the semimonthly eNews member newsletters, as well as special email messaging for projects and events
- Working with sections to publish short law articles related to the section’s focus
- Working with the Law Day Committee to conduct statewide contests for Oklahoma students, support county Law Day chairpersons, coordinate and promote the statewide Ask A Lawyer day of free legal advice, produce the Ask A Lawyer TV program with OETA (Oklahoma’s PBS affiliate) and implement marketing strategies to ensure the public can take full advantage of the Law Day activities and resources
- Assisting the Communications Committee in its projects, including the publication of 15 legal-topic brochures distributed free as a community service to individuals, libraries and nonprofits
- Assisting additional committees, including Awards, Disaster Response and Relief, Diversity, Lawyers Helping Lawyers Assistance Program and Law-Related Education, and the Young Lawyers Division
Director of Communications: Lori Rasmussen
Assistant Director of Communications: Emily Hart
Senior Communication Specialist: Lauren Rimmer
Communications Specialist: Hailey Boyd
Continuing Legal Education Department
Department Phone Number: 405-416-7029 | View all CLE programs
The CLE Department is the state’s leading continuing legal education provider. The staff works to provide relevant programs to meet members’ needs. To suggest programs, contact Director of Educational Programs Gigi McCormick at 405-416-7028. Department services include:
- Developing and producing in-person seminars and live webcasts and offering on-demand webcasts, encores and audio seminars
- Offering recent seminar publications in print or electronic format and creating electronic forms to assist members in various practice areas
- Developing and producing CLE at the Annual Meeting and Solo & Small Firm Conference
- Assisting the Women in Law, Diversity and Professionalism committees with conferences, as well as coordinating with sections in the planning of section co-sponsored seminars
- Planning and coordination of the Leadership Academy
- Producing MYOBACLE digital catalog of programs
- Providing online CLE registration and access to materials through MyOKBar, and timely application of attendance MCLE credit for OBA/CLE programs
Director of Educational Programs: Gigi McCormick
Online Manager: Ben Stokes
Registrar: Renee Montgomery
Production Specialist: Gary Berger
Professional Assistant: Allison Beahan
Office of the Ethics Counsel
Department Phone Number: 405-416-7055 | View Ethics Counsel opinions and information
- Answering ethics questions from members
- Researching and writing ethics materials for the website, seminars and the Oklahoma Bar Journal, as well as presenting OBA/CLE programs on the topics of ethics and professionalism
- Acting as a liaison to the Bench and Bar, Professionalism and Lawyers Helping Lawyers Assistance Program committees and the Legal Ethics Advisory Panel
- Monitoring the Diversion Program and teaching related classes
Ethics Counsel: Richard Stevens
Office of the General Counsel
Department Phone Number: 405-416-7007 | View General Counsel information
The Office of the General
Counsel is charged with the responsibility of:
- Reviewing and investigating allegations of lawyer misconduct or incapacity
- Reviewing and investigating allegations of the unauthorized practice of law
- Prosecuting violations of the Oklahoma Rules of Professional Conduct
- Administering the Clients’ Security Fund
- Reviewing and investigating petitions for reinstatement
In addition to these enumerated duties, the Office of the General Counsel:
- Serves as liaison to the Board of Governors advising the governing group on legal matters
- Processes and approves the registration for attorneys from other jurisdictions
- Administers the trust account overdraft notification program
- Processes requests for certificates of good standing
General Counsel: Gina L. Hendryx
First Assistant General Counsel: Loraine Dillinder Farabow
Assistant General Counsel: Tracy Pierce Nester
Assistant General Counsel: Jana Harris
Assistant General Counsel: Katie Ogden
Assistant General Counsel: Stephen Sullins
Litigation Paralegal: Jaycee Moseley
Legal Assistant: Melody Florence
Intake Coordinator: Barbara Acosta
Investigator: Taylor Anderson
Investigator: Krystal Willis
Investigator: Rhonda Langley
Investigator: Les Arnold
Investigator: Brian Martin
Out-of-state Compliance Coordinator: Benjamin (Ben) Douglas
Processes out-of-state attorney registration applications.
Information Technology Department
The Information Technology Department’s functions are mostly of an internal nature; however, services directly benefiting members include:
- Web application development and maintenance
- Providing technology, computer and audio/visual support to staff and for events, including CLE programming, Annual Meeting and Solo & Small Firm Conference
- Supporting and troubleshooting CLE and event registration solutions
- Updating and maintaining website information
- Development of association management system and database
- Network security and management of internal and externally accessible servers
- Monitoring of evolving technologies for both member services and staff departments
- Upkeep and maintenance of MyOKBar member services and directory website
- Maintaining the Oklahoma Find A Lawyer website referral service
IT Director: Robbin Watson
Technology Specialist: Matt Gayle
Business Analyst / Developer: Cheryl Corey
Management Assistance Program (MAP)
Department Phone Number: 405-416-7008 | View MAP information and articles
The Management Assistance Program helps members with the business side of practice. Department duties include:
- Providing free over-the-phone information about management and technology issues, free 45-minute consultations at the bar center for those setting up a new practice or who have an issue not comfortably handled over the telephone and onsite law office “Health Checks”
- Maintaining the lending library, making law practice management and technology books available to borrow
- Updating the Practice Management Advice MyOKBar Community
- Writing Jim Calloway’s Law Practice Tips Blog and “Law Practice Tips” Oklahoma Bar Journal column featuring regular tips and advice
- Presenting OBA/CLE and assisting with Diversion Program presentations, and making presentations to local bars or other organized lawyer groups
- Providing office “health check” consultations in the lawyer’s office addressing a wide range of management issues
- Maintaining the “Starting a Law Practice Web Directory” and producing the Opening Your Law Practice program, a free one-day program to assist attorneys setting up new practices
- Working with the Solo & Small Firm Planning Committee to coordinate the Solo & Small Firm Conference
Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) Department
Department Phone Number: 405-416-7009 | View MCLE records and information
Mandatory Continuing Legal Education, a program adopted by the Oklahoma Supreme Court in 1986, establishes minimum requirements for continuing legal education for Oklahoma lawyers. The program is administered by the Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Commission that has general supervisory authority over the rules and may adopt regulations consistent with the rules. The Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Department is the regulatory office concerned with the accreditation of all continuing legal education programs and the compliance by all members with the MCLE requirement. Often confused with the CLE Department, the MCLE Department does not present CLE seminars. Member services include:
- Reviews more than 14,000 seminars for accreditation
- Maintains a record of the Oklahoma approved seminars attended by members
- Processes annual reports of compliance
- Responds to requests for clarification of the Rules of the Oklahoma Supreme Court for Mandatory Continuing Legal Education
MCLE Administrator: Beverly Petry Lewis
MCLE Assistant Administrator: Laura Willis
MCLE Operations Associate: Cassie Brickman
Oklahoma Lawyers for America's Heroes Program
Department Phone Number: 405-416-7086 | Visit program website
Heroes Program Coordinator: TBD