Everybody Loves Jari: Fallin, Dorman Applaud Askins Appointment
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 18, 2014
Governor Mary Fallin Applauds Selection of Jari Askins as Interim Head of Pardon and Parole Board
OKLAHOMA CITY – Governor Mary Fallin today applauded the selection of former Lieutenant Governor Jari Askins as interim executive director of the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board.
“Jari Askins is a dedicated and universally respected public servant with a keen knowledge of pardon and parole issues,” said Fallin. “Having served in all three branches of government – including as former chairman of the Pardon and Parole Board – she brings a unique perspective and unparalleled experience to the position. I know she will serve the state well as interim executive director.”
Askins, a native of Duncan, served as Oklahoma’s 15th lieutenant governor in 2007. She passed up seeking re-election to run for governor. Askins lost to Fallin in the November 2010 general election.
Askins served as a Stephens County special district judge for eight years, from 1982-1990. In 1991, she was appointed to the Pardon and Parole Board, which elected her as its first female chairman. She later served as executive director of the Pardon and Parole Board.
She was elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives in 1994 and served for 12 years, serving her last two-year term as Democratic leader.
# # #
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 18, 2014
Rep. Dorman Applauds naming of Askins as Interim Executive Director of Pardon and Parole Board
OKLAHOMA CITY – A longtime public servant has been named interim executive director of the state’s pardon and parole board, which pleases state Rep. Joe Dorman.
Jari Askins, former lieutenant governor and state representative, has been named to the post after a vote of the Pardon and Parole Board this morning. A native of Duncan, Askins has a long career in public service. After earning her Juris Doctorate from the University of Oklahoma, she began working in Stephens County District Court, before accepting her first appointment with the Pardon and Parole Board in 1991. Three years later, Askins won a seat in the state House of Representatives, serving in that body for 12 years, closing out her time there as Democratic House Leader in 2005-2006. From 2007-2011, she served as the state’s lieutenant governor.
“I couldn’t be more proud of this decision by the state Pardon and Parole Board,” said Dorman, D-Rush Springs. “Jari has been a mentor to me for a long time now. When I was first starting out on the House staff, I was able to see Jari in action and learn a lot about how to be a good public servant. I saw that even closer and more directly when I was able to serve alongside her in the House as a state representative. A lot of my views on public service come from the approaches and ideals Jari carried with her as a House member and as lieutenant governor.”
Dorman said her previous service to the board will be of benefit to both her and the board.
“The fact she already served this agency for three years will allow her to immediately get to work on repairing what is wrong with our state’s pardon and parole process. As a previous executive director to that board, she will be able to quickly decipher what is in need of immediate addressing and move from there to make the board as efficient and effective as it can be.
“I couldn’t be more thrilled for Jari to have this opportunity and I know she’ll work hard for the state of Oklahoma, as she has done her entire adult life.”
Askins’ term as interim executive director is slated to begin Sept. 2.
-30-