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Lieutenant Governor Jari Askins

Born and reared in Duncan, Oklahoma, Jari Askins was sworn in as Oklahoma’s 15th Lieutenant Governor in 2007, giving her the rare distinction of being involved in public service in all three branches of government. 

Askins was born on April 27, 1953 in Duncan and graduated from Duncan High School.  She received her BA in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma and earned a Juris Doctorate from the OU College of Law.  Askins served as Special District Judge for the District Court of Stephens County for eight years, from 1982-1990. During that time she became the first woman officer in the Oklahoma Judicial Conference.  In 1991, the Governor appointed her to the Pardon and Parole Board, which elected her as its first woman Chairman.  She later served as Executive Director of the Pardon and Parole Board and as Deputy General Counsel to the Governor.  These experiences helped develop criminal and juvenile justice issues as her special expertise. 

Askins was elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives in 1994 from District 50, Stephens County.  As a freshman legislator, she was named Vice-Chairman of the Criminal Justice Committee. Following re-election in 1996, she served as Chairman of the newly-created Government Operations and Agency Oversight Committee and became the first woman Assistant Majority Floor Leader. In 1998, after re-election without opposition to a third term, Askins was appointed Chairman of the Subcommittee for Judiciary and Law Enforcement Appropriations and served on the Speaker’s leadership team. She was elected to a fourth term in 2000 and was named Deputy Floor Leader, while continuing to serve on the House Speaker’s leadership team.  

Askins served in the House for twelve years, earning the position of Democratic House Leader in 2005, and becoming the first woman to lead a caucus in the Oklahoma Legislature.  She won statewide election as Lieutenant Governor in 2006, becoming the first Democratic woman to attain that position.  She was sworn in as Lieutenant Governor on January 2, 2007 to fill the unexpired term of Mary Fallin, who resigned as Lieutenant Governor to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. On January 8, 2007, Askins took the oath of office for a full four-year term.

 Lieutenant Governor Askins has received numerous awards during her career in public service. Honors include “outstanding legislator” awards from more than a dozen organizations, the Oklahoma Wildlife Federation President’s Award, the Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women Kate Barnard Award, and the “Commitment to Excellence Award” from the Oklahoma Academy.  She was inducted into the Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame in 2001. 

Askins is a Director of Arvest Bank in Duncan and a member of the Duncan Noon Lions Club, the Duncan Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Academy of State Goals, and the First Christian Church.

As Lieutenant Governor, Askins is President of the State Senate.  She also serves on numerous boards and commissions and chairs the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Commission and the Oklahoma Film and Music Advisory Commission. The Lieutenant Governor is an advocate for children and for greater efficiency in government. Governor Brad Henry has appointed her “Oklahoma’s Small Business Advocate,” tasked with providing assistance to small business owners throughout the state.   She also participates in and promotes various economic development projects and supports legislation and innovative means of providing greater hope and opportunity for Oklahoma’s citizens.