Jari Askins
Lieutenant Governor, Oklahoma 

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 state government. Askins 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.  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 and served 12 years. In her last term, she earned the position of Democratic House Leader, becoming the first woman to lead a caucus in the Oklahoma Legislature.  She won statewide election as Lieutenant Governor in November 2006, becoming the first Democratic woman to attain that position.