OKPOLICY.ORG
A relatively large class of 24 new members with a wide variation of backgrounds will join the House of Representatives for the next legislature. They’ll be going to work soon.
Chris White, R-Broken Bow, will replace District 1 Rep. Eddy Dempsey R-Valliant. White is a former McCurtain County commissioner and technology business owner.
Scotty Stokes, R-Collinsville, will replace District 9 Rep. Mark Lepak, R-Claremore. Stokes is a former Tulsa Fire Captain/Paramedic and Director of Emergency Management for Rogers County. He is founder and director of Oklahoma Firefighters Burn Camp supporting child burn survivors who suffered major disfiguring and debilitating injuries.
David Nelson, R-Morris, will replace District 16 Rep. Scott Fettgater, R-Okmulgee. A retired Army Ranger and Blackhawk pilot, Nelson returned to his hometown of Morris after retiring. He has since worked in the oil and gas industry and previously owned the Morris Tag Agency.
Michael Brittingham, R-Moyers, will replace District 19 Rep. J.J. Humphrey, R-Lane. Brittingham is a former UPS driver, grocery store, laundromat and storage facility owner, and long-time Pushmataha County commissioner.
Leah Longest, R-Shawnee, replaces Rep. Dell Kerbs, R-Shawnee, in District 26. Longest has owned and operated Shawnee Beauty College, training beauticians for nearly 20 years. She also owns Shawnee Beauty Supply and was appointed to the Oklahoma State Board of Cosmetology by Gov. Kevin Stitt in 2021.
Spencer Grace, R-Ponca City will replace District 37 Rep. Ken Luttrell, R-Ponca City. Grace is a retired Game Warden who with his wife, Lindsay, founded a non-profit and raised over $140,000 for rare disease research and special needs families.
Madison Bolay, R-Perry, will represent District 38 replacing Rep. John Pfeiffer, R-Orlando. Bolay is a fifth-generation farmer in Noble County and a graduate of Perry High School and Oklahoma State University.
Kinsley Jordan, R-Enid will replace Rep. Chad Caldwell, R-Enid, in District 40. Jordan graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy and moved to Enid as a student pilot at Vance Air Force Base. He served 15 years in the U.S. Air Force, including multiple combat missions in Afghanistan and Iraq flying the E-3 Sentry (AWACS). He later worked as an instructor pilot at Vance AFB and as a chief strategist at the Pentagon for the Air Force’s Strategic Studies Group. He currently serves as a major in the Air Force Reserve.
Toby Thompson, R-Mustang, replaces District 47 Rep. Brian Hill, R-Mustang. Thompson taught and coached at Putnam City West for three years and has served on the Mustang School Board since 2023. He worked on oil drilling rigs for 15 years after an earlier career in sales. He is also a real estate investor and co-owner of Okie Storage Solutions.
Cole Stevens, R-Blanchard replaces District 51 Rep. Brad Boles, R-Marlow. Stevens played baseball at OU then began working in the family business, Stevens Trucking, which is a nationwide fleet of 400 trucks diversified in almost every sector of the economy.
Heath Kufahl, R-Del City, will replace District 54 Rep. Kevin West, R-Moore. Kufahl graduated from OBU and taught and coached in OKC area high schools over 25 years, with over 500 career volleyball wins and four state titles. He is now the National Sales Director and part owner of Echo, a technology company focused on real-time video and replays.
Kathy Suttles, D-Lawton, replaces District 64 Rep. Rande Worthen, R-Lawton. During her 10 years in the U.S. Army, Suttles trained as a Russian linguist and interrogator. She has spent the past 25 years helping homebuyers purchase homes as a mortgage professional.
Sam Mitchell, R-Fletcher, replaces District 65 Rep. Toni Hasenbeck, R-Elgin. He and his family run Mitchell Cattle Co. LLC, a multigenerational cattle business specializing in cow-calf, yearling, and replacement breeding programs. For three decades, the family has also managed a cattle starting yard that processes thousands of head each year.
Former Rep. Sheila Dills, R-Tulsa, replaces District 69 Rep. Mark Tedford, R-Tulsa. Dills attended OSU on a golf scholarship and later built a career in real estate investing and small business including owning a retail home design business. She was elected to HD 69 in 2018 but left after one term to concentrate on family after the death of her husband, Joey.
Joe Watkins, D-Tulsa, will replace District 75 Rep. T.J. Marti, R-Broken Arrow. Watkins started working at QuikTrip while in high school and advanced to management, then to a corporate IT Specialist. In 2021, he decided to return to his roots by revitalizing Wood Dimensions Co., his father’s former woodworking business. Watkins co-founded From Heart to Hand Outreach, a program where he personally collects and delivers essential supplies to Tulsans living on the streets. He also serves on the leadership team of the Forum for Real Economic Emancipation (F.R.E.E), a non-profit group focused on economic opportunity and community development.
Kristina Gabriel, D-Tulsa, replaces former Dist. 77 Rep. John Waldron, R-Tulsa. Gabriel holds a Master of Science in Forensic Investigation and a graduate certificate in Public Health from Oklahoma State University, a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Fort Lewis College, and an Associate of Arts from Tulsa Community College. A Cherokee citizen, she has published peer-reviewed research on Indigenous health. Her work has been supported by national institutions including the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Troy Talley, R-Edmond, will replace Dist. 81 Rep. Mike Osburn, R-Edmond. Talley graduated from UCO (then Central State) with a business degree and was a member of three UCO national champion wrestling teams. His career has been in the tech and telecommunication sectors in central Oklahoma. He currently works as a Senior Account Manager for Chickasaw Telecom.
Dalton Gau, D-Edmond replaces Dist. 83 Rep. Eric Roberts, R-Oklahoma City. Gau is a 26-year-old OU graduate and recent law school graduate from OCU law school. He has worked with Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma House of Representatives.
Jeffrey Perez, D-Bethany, defeated Dist. 84 Rep. Tammy West, R-Oklahoma City. Raised in an immigrant household, Perez earned a BA in Political Science from OSU. He served in a congressional office as recipient of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute internship program. He has worked as a paralegal and legal assistant helping attorneys prepare cases and assisting clients.
Former Rep. Chelsey Branham, D-Oklahoma City, replaces Rep. Cyndi Munson, D-Oklahoma City, in District 85. Branham served one term previously in the House as representative for HD 83. She is currently an executive consultant and associate professor.
Roberto Seda, R-Oklahoma City, replaces Rep. Chris Kannady, R-Oklahoma City, in District 91. Originally from Puerto Rico and raised in Lawton, Seda earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from OSU, a master’s degree from UCO, and a Juris Doctor from OU College of Law. Before entering law, he spent years managing manufacturing and operations at General Motors and Spirit AeroSystems. He founded Seda Law Firm PLLC, where he focuses on probate and estate planning.
Tegan Malone, D-Midwest City, defeated District 95 Rep. Max Wolfley, R-Oklahoma City. An OU graduate, Malone taught elementary school before moving into nonprofit work. She and her husband, Ryan, own a small business in Midwest City that helps companies navigate complex government regulations and supports their growth and success.
Hershel Brown, D-Oklahoma City fills the Dist. 99 seat left vacant with the resignation of Rep. A.J. Pittman, D-Oklahoma City. Brown earned a Bachelor of Science in Zoology from the University of Oklahoma followed by his medical degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. He completed a competitive emergency medicine residency at Emory University in Atlanta, later practicing there before continuing his career in Texas at Harris Methodist Hospital and UT Southwestern Medical Center–Parkland, where he served as a Clinical Assistant Professor. He serves as an attending physician and educator at OU Health, dedicating over 30 years to caring for patients and mentoring future doctors.
Chaunte Gilmore, D-Oklahoma City, defeated District 100 Rep. Marilyn Stark, R-Bethany. A Putnam City High School graduate, Gilmore earned an associate degree in physical therapy from Oklahoma City Community College, a bachelor’s degree in allied health from Oklahoma State University, and an MBA focused on healthcare administration from Mid-America Christian University. She currently practices as a physical therapist assistant.
