Oklahoma Ethics Commission

Staff

	Marilyn Hughes, Executive Director, has served the constitutional Oklahoma Ethics Commission in this capacity since its inception in July, 1991. She served both its statutory predecessors in the same position from May, 1987, through July, 1991. Hughes has been a member of the Oklahoma Bar Association since 1976. She is also a member of the Council on Governmental Ethics Laws [“COGEL”], an international association of government ethics regulators. In 1994 she received an Outstanding Service Award from The Law & You Foundation and was chosen to participate in the International Conference on Ethics in Government by the United States Office of Government Ethics. In 1996 and 1997 Hughes was chosen to prepare and present the Ethics Update on Legislation and Litigation in the United States and Canada for the 18th and 19th annual conferences of COGEL. She served on the Steering Committee of COGEL from 2000-2003 and as Publications Chair in 2000-2001. She served as President-Elect of COGEL in 2001-2002 and President in 2002-2003. Hughes was awarded the Susan J. Farrell Memorial Distinguished Career in Public Policy award by the University of Tulsa College of Law in 2000. She was recognized in 2002 by the Oklahomans for Campaign Finance Reform for her 15 years of distinguished service to the Ethics Commission. She and her staff were awarded the 2007 First Amendment Award by the Society of Professional Journalists. Hughes teaches approximately 10 seminars per year to various state agencies and political groups including, but not limited to, the members and employees of the Governor’s office, the Senate, the Office of State Finance, Cabinet Secretaries, the Secretary of State, and the Oklahoma Department of Health. She is available to teach employees of any state agency upon request. A native of Duncan, Oklahoma, Hughes received her Juris Doctorate from Tulsa University and her Bachelor of Arts in English from Oklahoma State University in Stillwater.
	General Counsel Rebecca Adams was appointed as the first attorney of the constitutional Ethics Commission in September, 1991. She was promoted to General Counsel in July, 1993. Adams was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She was educated in the Sand Springs Public Schools. She graduated with Associate Of Arts and Bachelor Of Arts Degrees from Stephens College, Columbia, Missouri. Her major was Latin and Ancient Greek. She is a graduate of Southern Methodist University School Of Law. She was engaged in the private practice of law in Tulsa and Sand Springs with a specialty in appeals before the Oklahoma Court Of Criminal Appeals, the Oklahoma Supreme Court and United States Court Of Appeals, Tenth Circuit. Adams is the chief prosecutor for the Commission and handles the agency's litigation. She represents the Commission in assessment proceedings. Adams drafts the agency's ethics interpretations (similar to advisory opinions) and advises the Commission and the public on the Rules and the Act. She educates the public on ethics laws, drafts press releases and communicates with the media on the agency's behalf.
	Principal Assistant Patti Bryant was employed by the Ethics Commission as Executive Secretary in March, 1988. She was promoted to Principal Assistant in July, 1991. Bryant received her Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from the University of Oklahoma in May, 1975, with a minor in Accounting. She was previously employed by ANSON Corporation and CMI Corporation. Bryant's duties with the Ethics Commission include budgeting, bookkeeping, financial reporting, accounts payable, accounts receivable, purchasing, state treasury deposits, personnel matters, employee insurance, late fee assessments, commission meeting preparation and minutes, tracking of report deadlines, assistant to Executive Director and General Counsel and assists agency clients with viewing and copying files.
	Information Systems Network Administrator Charles Knight comes to us after serving 25 years in the United States Air Force as an Information Management Superintendent for a unit of over 400 people. He deployed to locations in support of Operations Desert Storm, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom. Knight served in various capacities throughout his career, gaining experience and knowledge with each job. He has earned an Associate Degree in Management and another Associate Degree in Administrative Management from the Air Force. Upon completion of his service, Knight moved back to Oklahoma City. He has lived here for 9 of his 25 years in the Air Force. His duties for the Commission include assisting with electronic filing for state candidates, tracking both state and county campaigns, and keeping the information systems for the Commission up and running. Investigator/Auditor R. Darey Roberts was born in Texas, reared in Oklahoma and graduated from Dibble, Oklahoma High School. He served with the 45th Infantry Division Oklahoma National Guard for eight years obtaining the rank of Captain in the Finance Corps. Roberts attended night school at Oklahoma City University where he graduated in 1971 with a bachelor's degree in accounting. In 1971 he accepted an appointment as Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, serving 21 years before retiring in 1992. Following his U.S. government service, Roberts was an Investigator for three years for the Oklahoma Attorney General in the Workers' Compensation Fraud Unit. He has been employed by the Ethics Commission as an Investigator/Auditor since April, 1998.
	Administrative Technician Merlyn Rios was born and raised in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. She moved to the United States in January 1997. Rios graduated form the American Intercontinental University in January 2006 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology concentrating in Computer Science and later obtained a Master’s Degree concentrating in Internet Security. Rios previously worked at the Human Rights Commission in Customer Service, afterward moving to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission in the IT division. She served as a Consultant for the IT Division of SandRidge Energy, as well. Rios joined the Commission as Administrative Assistance in November 2007. Her duties include document production and management; sorting and filing; answering phones, taking messages and disseminating information; and opening, sorting, distributing, collecting and delivering mail. She also enters and retrieves information using a personal computer or other data processing equipment, proofs previously entered data and makes routine corrections. Information Systems Applications Specialist Janice A. Gafford was born in Natchez, Louisiana. She graduated from the University of Dominguez Hills in Carson, California in June 1981 with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration and a concentration in Information Systems. She moved to Oklahoma City from La Palma, California in July 1996. While in California she received most of her professional experience from Rockwell International (currently Boeing) as a Functional Computer Systems Analyst in the Finance Department until her lay-off due to the major downsizing in March 1992. Shortly after moving to Oklahoma, Gafford hired on with the State of Oklahoma-Department of Environmental Quality, Water Quality Division. She was employed there as an Administrative Technician. Gafford began working for the Ethics Commission on November 20, 2000. Her current duties include: Creating databases, generating reports, processing forms and copying database files. Designs and develops databases, database structures, updates files; indexes and screens formats for on-line processing. Assists with testing and evaluating the use of technical manuals and publications for OCRS, oral and written communications and system compliance with state and federal statutes and agency policy.