Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Commission 

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120 North Robinson Avenue, Suite 600 Oklahoma City, OK 73105	www.otrd.state.ok.us www.travelok.com
Telephone:  405-230-8300	Fax: 405-230-8500

Commission Membership and Duties

The Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Commission consists of 8 members appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate.  Commission members serve 6 year terms and serve at the pleasure of the Governor.  No two Commissioners can be from the same county and a Commissioner must be appointed from each Congressional district. The Lieutenant Governor serves as an ex-officio voting member of the Commission.  The Governor appoints the Chair, Vice-chair and Secretary of the Commission.

The Commission appoints and sets the salary of the Executive Director of the Tourism and Recreation Department (Department), who serves at the pleasure of the Commission.

Briefly, the statutory duties of the Commission are to:

• Conserve and protect  parkland;
• Oversee the state's lodges and golf courses;
• Promote tourism;
• Assist in promotion of events of local or historical interest;
• Educate the public on Oklahoma; and
• Function in an advisory capacity to various entities on matters pertaining to tourism and recreation.

 

Name	District	Term Expires
Jerry Dow	1	July 1, 2009
Melvin Moran, Vice-Chair	At Large	July , 2010
Joe Harwood	2	July 1, 2010
Frank Sims	5	July 1, 2007
James Schlimpert	At Large	July 1, 2008
Rebecca Switzer (Secretary)	4	July 1, 2011
T.L. Walker	3
Lieutenant Governor Jari Askins, Chair, Ex Officio

 

Jerry Dow, Chief Marketing Officer and Sr. Vice-President of Marketing, Vanguard Car Rental USA, Inc. - Tulsa, OK: Jerry Dow serves as Chief Marketing Officer and Sr. Vice-President of Marketing of Vanguard Car Rental USA, Inc., in Tulsa.  Previously, he was Managing Director of Worldwide Advertising and Promotions for United Airlines in Chicago.  He also worked as Sr. Manager of Product Marketing for Pella Corporation and as an advertising executive for Leo Burnett Company.  Dow holds a B.S. in Journalism from Oklahoma State University and an M.S. in Advertising from Northwestern University.  He is originally from Perry, OK.

 

Joe Harwood, President of Arrowhead Investment & Development Co. - Ketchum, OK: Joe Harwood owns Arrowhead Investment & Development Co., in Ketchum, OK.  A graduate of Kansas State University, he returned home to Oklahoma near Grand Lake O' the Cherokees in 1972.  Mr. Harwood is active in the Grand Lake Association, the Marina Operators Association of America and is a founding member of the Oklahoma Marina Association.  One of his properties, the Arrowhead Yacht Club, is a registered American Yacht Club.

 

T.L. Walker, Executive Director of the Institute for Tribal Government - Ponca City, OK: T.L. Walker is a native of the south-central Kansas area and has lived in Ponca City since 1988. From 1990 to 1998 she was employed by the City of Ponca City at the Marland Estate. She became active with the Standing Bear Foundation as a volunteer in 1994 and was hired as their full-time executive director in 1998. T.L. is currently the chairman of the Ponca City Tourism Bureau. She is a past president of Ponca City Rotary and is currently serving as assistant governor for Rotary District 5750. She is the current president of the Citizen's Police Academy Alumni Association, and serves on the Community Advisory Council for ConocoPhillips, the Ponca City Centennial Committee, the Oklahoma Outdoor Drama Association, and was a member of the Vision 2020 Task Force.

 

Melvin Moran, Commission Vice-Chair and Owner of Moran Oil Enterprises - Seminole, OK: Melvin Moran has served on 6 different state boards and commissions, appointed by 6 consecutive governors, most recently serving on the Oklahoma Arts Council.  He is the former mayor of Seminole, manages 2 oil and gas companies, served on the initial board of BancFirst and continues to serve on its board.  He and his wife founded the Jasmine Moran Children's Museum in Seminole and he was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1997. 

 

Jim Schlimpert, Owner Garage Storage Cabinets, LLC - Stillwater, OK: Jim Schlimpert owns Garage Storage Cabinets, LLC, in Stillwater, OK.  He has served on the Stillwater Chamber of Commerce, United Way, Education Foundation, the first class of Leadership Stillwater and the second class of Leadership Oklahoma.  He also served six years on the Stillwater Convention and Visitors Bureau Board, the last three as chairman.

    

Becky Switzer, Owner of Switzer Talent Agency - Norman, OK: Becky Switzer is the owner of Switzer Talent Agency in Norman, OK.  She served as head women's gymnastics coach for the University of Oklahoma for 18 years and currently works with the University's athletic department's marketing promotions and licensing office.  She is married to former OU football coach Barry Switzer.

 

Frank Sims, Publisher of Oklahoma City's Key Magazine - Oklahoma City, OK: Frank Sims is the publisher of Oklahoma City's Key Magazine, a comprehensive visitor's guide to central Oklahoma.  He previously served as the executive director of the Bricktown Association. 

 

Tourism and Recreation Department The Tourism and Recreation Department (Department) is organized into four divisions: Administration; Oklahoma Today Magazine; Parks, Resorts & Golf; and Travel & Tourism.

Administration This division coordinates the fiscal activities of the operating divisions, provides financial information, fiscal control, and payroll, personnel, purchasing, and vendor payment services. It interprets policy and procedures promulgated by the Commission. Its Information Technology section operates the Department's central computer system and network.

"Oklahoma Today" Magazine "Oklahoma Today" covers the people, places, history, and culture of this state in a way designed to inform and educate Oklahomans and non-Oklahomans alike. Oklahoma Today is a general interest consumer magazine that focuses on the art, culture, history, people and places of our great state. The magazine has been published continuously by the State of Oklahoma since 1956. Regular issues of the magazine have a paid circulation of approximately 45,000 and an estimated readership of approximately 154,000. Special issues have a substantially larger readership. Since 1991, Oklahoma Today has been named Magazine of the Year by the International Regional Magazine Association four times. Oklahoma Today recently received the Wilbur Award for magazines with specialized circulation and the Editorial Excellence Award in the regional category.

Parks, Resorts and Golf The Parks, Resorts, and Golf (Parks) division is responsible for operating state parks, lodges and golf courses under the jurisdiction and control of the Commission. The duties of the Parks division also include contracting with firms that operate leased concessions such as marinas. The research and development section of the Parks division provides statistical research and analysis, economic development and planning assistance to the Department and to communities throughout the state. This division also administers federal grant funds for outdoor recreational development.

Travel and Tourism The Travel and Tourism (Travel) division is responsible for the formulation of information and marketing plans and programs designed to attract tourists to the state and the dissemination of information concerning the State's public and private attractions, lodges, parks and recreational facilities. This division also assists municipalities, public and private associations and organizations in the promotion of special events of local or historical interest and in the solicitation of conferences, meetings and conventions. In addition the Film Office works with in-state and out-of-state music and film industry officials to promote, support and expand the music and film activity in the state of Oklahoma.