2026 Chair

Alexandra J. “Allie” Gage
Alexandra J. “Allie” Gage is an estate planning attorney with Oath Law in Tulsa. She graduated from OSU in 2013 and spent several years serving communities abroad. In 2017, Ms. Gage returned to Tulsa to start her legal career by attending the TU College of Law, graduating in just 2 1/2 years with honors while also serving as president of the Board of Advocates, supervising editor for the Tulsa Law Review and chief justice of the Student Bar Association.

After law school, Ms. Gage began a career in civil litigation at a prestigious downtown Tulsa firm before transitioning to estate planning in 2025. Ms. Gage married her law school sweetheart in 2019, and they just welcomed a baby boy earlier this year. In her free time, Ms. Gage enjoys traveling, reading and spending time with her family.

Ms. Gage joined the YLD Board of Directors in 2021 in an effort to better connect with and serve her community after the COVID-19 pandemic left its mark on Oklahoma. As a member of the Board of Directors, and now as chair-elect, Ms. Gage has enjoyed serving her community and her fellow attorneys through the various opportunities afforded by the YLD over the past four years. She looks forward to leading the YLD throughout this next year and serving for many more years to come.

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Immediate Past Chair

Taylor C. Venus

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 of being 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.

Mr. Venus has a passion for serving his local community and supporting other regional and statewide organizations. In Enid, Mr. Venus’ greatest passion is serving on the Enid Public School Foundation, while actively serving or volunteering in many other community activities. Outside his local community, he is the current chair of the OBA YLD, a member of the OBA Board of Governors and the longest tenured member of his fraternity alumni board. Outside the office, Mr. Venus enjoys spending time with his friends and family, golfing, hunting and being an armchair expert on his favorite sports teams and political views.

 

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UNCONTESTED ELECTIONS

The following persons have been nominated. They are running uncontested and will be declared elected at the OBA YLD meeting in November.

Chair-Elect

Randy G. Gordon

Randy G. Gordon joined the Shawnee law firm of Stuart & Clover PLLC in 2021 as a partner, bringing his wealth of litigation and creditors’ rights knowledge from his previous employment. He primarily practices in the areas of civil and commercial litigation and creditors’ rights. A favorite quote is, “I love the challenge and hustle that my work requires.” He remains a dedicated OSU fan, despite receiving his J.D. from his dreaded rival, OU.

Mr. Gordon has served on the Oklahoma County Bar Association Young Lawyers Division board, which has been personally and professionally enriching. He enjoys being a member of a board that serves not only the legal community but also the Oklahoma City community at large through philanthropic efforts. He also serves as the head of the community outreach committee of Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Shawnee.

He shares two sons with his partner, Breanne. They keep him busy! In his spare time, he loves trying new foods and watching college football. Go Pokes!

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District 7; Treasurer; At-Large Rural; At-Large

Clayton M. Baker

Clayton M. Baker is a partner at Davis & Thompson PLLC in Jay. Mr. Baker graduated from Midwestern State University in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and political science. He received his J.D. from the TU College of Law in 2015 with honors.

Mr. Baker and his wife, Joanna, moved to Grove in 2015 and have enjoyed raising their family on Grand Lake since. They have two beautiful daughters, Gentry and Everly. Most of their free time is spent chasing the girls or at cheer practice and football games.

Mr. Baker’s practice areas include probate, trusts and estate planning, real estate and civil litigation. Mr. Baker has represented clients throughout northeast Oklahoma and regularly practices in Delaware, Ottawa, Craig and Mayes counties. He currently serves as a municipal court judge for Bernice and as president of the Delaware County Bar Association. He is a graduate of the OBA Leadership Academy and has served on the YLD Board of Directors since 2015. Mr. Baker enjoys giving back to his community as much as he can; he serves on the Board of Directors for the Delaware County Children’s Special Advocacy Network and the Grove Rotary Club.

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District 1; At-Large; At-Large Rural

Shelby Hembree

See candidate information under “Contested Election” below.

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District 1; At-Large; At-Large Rural

Morgan Maxey

Morgan Maxey is an attorney with the multi-generational Maxey Law LLC in northeast Oklahoma. His practice focuses primarily on criminal defense and the emerging field of animal law. Mr. Maxey is a board member of the OBA Animal Law Section and the OBA Young Lawyers Division. As part of YLD, Mr. Maxey has coordinated and conducted multiple CLEs, including the upcoming CLE “Been There, Filed That,” which is specifically geared toward the young attorney practice in Oklahoma. Mr. Maxey is a graduate of the TU College of Law.

After receiving his J.D., he worked as the northwest director of early settlement mediation for the Oklahoma Administrative Office of the Courts. He is certified by the AOC as a civil, family law and child permanency mediator. Mr. Maxey subsequently worked as defense counsel for the Oklahoma Indigent Defense System (OIDS). He is a member of the Craig County and Rogers County bar associations, the Oklahoma Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the OBA Animal Law Section. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, water sports, OSU athletics and attending concerts of all genres.

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District 2; At-Large; At-Large Rural

Chloe M. Moyer

Chloe M. Moyer is a native of Idabel and a proud citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Ms. Moyer received her BBA in accounting from Northeastern State University in 2018 and her J.D. from the OCU School of Law in 2021. During her time at OCU, she participated in the American Indian Wills Clinic and was a member of multiple organizations and groups, including the Oklahoma City University Law Review, the William J. Holloway Jr. American Inn of Court and the International Legal Honor Society of Phi Delta Phi. She focused her studies on Indian law and estate planning. Her note, “An Oklahoma Tribal Employer’s Guide to Conducting Business in the Tenth Circuit,” was published in the Oklahoma City University Law Review. Upon graduation, she received a certificate in estate planning. Ms. Moyer has a general practice located in Durant, while also providing counsel to several tribal nations. She is a proud board member of the Chahta Foundation and enjoys serving her Native community.

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District 3; At-Large

Chelsi Chaffin Bonano

Chelsi Chaffin Bonano earned her J.D. from the OCU School of Law in May 2021. Ms. Bonano has experience in medical liability and health care law and spent the first three years of her career defending medical professionals, hospitals, doctors, nursing homes, retirement communities and surgery centers in medical negligence litigation. Her practice now includes representing individuals and companies in the areas of general civil litigation, including auto negligence, premises liability, contracts and bad faith.

Ms. Bonano is an active member of the Oklahoma County Bar Association, serving as vice chair on the Young Lawyers Division Board of Directors.

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District 3; At-Large

Thomas Grossnicklaus

Thomas Grossnicklaus was born in Oklahoma City and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps after graduating from Piedmont High School. He was assigned to the Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team, which was created under President Reagan after the Iranian hostage crisis. Mr. Grossnicklaus deployed with his unit to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and then to Bahrain, where they served as a quick response force to the Middle East region and as a protection crew (Raven Crew) to C-130 airplanes and highly important cargo and individuals around the region. During this deployment, he was the section leader for the Designated Marksman Unit. After the Middle East erupted following the killing of Christopher Stevens in Benghazi, Libya, his unit was activated and sent on an eight-month mission. The bulk of that time was spent recapturing and securing the American Embassy in Yemen. After this long and difficult deployment, he returned to Oklahoma and dedicated himself to serving his home state and community.

He received his bachelor’s degree in political science from OCU and worked for Congressman Steve Russell in his district office and on a successful reelection campaign. While earning his J.D. from the OCU School of Law, Mr. Grossnicklaus worked in Gov. Mary Fallin’s office as an aide and liaison to general counsel. He then served as a clerk for Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice James Winchester.

Currently, Mr. Grossnicklaus serves as an assistant attorney general in the Legal Counsel Unit. He prosecutes for the Oklahoma Funeral Board and the Workers’ Compensation Commission Compliance Department. He is also general counsel for the secretary of state, the Oklahoma Historical Society, the Oklahoma State Fire Marshal and the Oklahoma State Board of Examiners for Long Term Care Administrators. He is in the Leadership Certificate Program at the Harvard Kennedy School and plans on using these hours toward receiving a master’s degree in public administration. He is a graduate of the Leadership Oklahoma City LOYAL program, a NextGen Under 30 recipient and a member of the Oklahoma City Downtown Rotary. He also sits on multiple boards or advisory boards and is always looking to serve on other nonprofit boards.

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District 3; At-Large

Bryan Goodpasture

Bryan Goodpasture graduated from OSU in 2015 and the OU College of Law in 2019 (Go Pokes). He is currently an associate attorney at Durbin Larimore Bialick, representing clients in a wide variety of civil litigation matters. Mr. Goodpasture has the good fortune to be practicing at the firm that made him realize his interest in the legal profession through an internship during his first year of undergraduate studies. He is now looking for opportunities to get more involved with and give back to the legal community. Outside of work, you will find him golfing, watching any and all OSU sports or just hanging out with his soon-to-be wife, family or friends. You will also be sure to find him at the local piano bar, no matter what city he may be in (although none have topped Shady Keys in Tulsa).

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District 5; At-Large; At-Large Rural

Liz Stevens

Liz Stevens was born and raised in Norman. She received a bachelor’s degree in history from OU. Before attending law school, she spent several years teaching English as a second language in Russia and Rwanda.

Ms. Stevens graduated from the OU College of Law in 2019. In law school, she served as an editor for the American Indian Law Review and was the director of judge recruitment for the Board of Advocates. She received the Masterson Award for her work on the American Indian Law Review, as well as the Class of 2019 Pro Bono Award. She also received the Cindy Foley Award for her work with the OU Legal Clinic and was an Oklahoma Bar Foundation Fellow. While pursuing her J.D., she served as a judicial intern for Justice Noma D. Gurich of the Oklahoma Supreme Court, as well as an intern for the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination at the United Nations.

She currently works at the Office of the Attorney General in the Legal Counsel Unit. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling to exotic places, reading historical fiction books and playing with her dog, Bear.

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CONTESTED ELECTION

The following persons have been nominated and are running contested for the following position. Results will be announced at the YLD November meeting.

Secretary

Mary R. McCann

Mary R. McCann is a dedicated and accomplished attorney practicing in Yukon. She earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from OSU in 2018 and her J.D. from the OCU School of Law in 2021. She currently practices at Bedlam Law, where she focuses on probate and estate planning. She is passionate about helping individuals and families navigate complex legal matters with compassion and clarity.

Ms. McCann is actively involved in the OBA and serves as the District 9 representative for the YLD. She is also vice president of the Canadian County Bar Association and an executive member of the Robert J. Turner American Inn of Court. Her leadership and ongoing engagement in these professional organizations reflect her strong commitment to the legal community.

Outside of her legal work, she is an avid runner and an enthusiastic Oklahoma City Thunder fan, and she enjoys staying active in her community. Her dedication to her clients, along with her approachable nature, make her a respected member of the legal profession. She is excited to run for secretary and hopes to serve the YLD board in this capacity!

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Shelby Hembree

Shelby Hembree is an attorney at Hembree & Hembree. Ms. Hembree focuses her practice exclusively on oil and gas title matters. She also volunteers her time at Wills for Heroes, an OBA YLD program designed to provide free estate planning for first responders and veterans.