Wednesday, December 3, 2014
OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma Secretary of Commerce Larry V. Parman today announced plans to step down at the end of the year. Parman has served as both Secretary of Commerce and director of the Oklahoma Department of Commerce (ODOC) since October of 2013. Prior to his service at ODOC, Parman served as Oklahoma’s secretary of state.
Governor Mary Fallin praised Parman’s service and his commitment to moving Oklahoma forward.
“Larry Parman worked tirelessly in both his Cabinet-level positions for the people of Oklahoma,” said Fallin. “As secretary of state, he helped streamline operations within the agency, saving taxpayer dollars and implementing a ‘client-first’ philosophy to better serve Oklahoma businesses and individuals.
“When he took the reins at ODOC, I asked him to find creative ways to use his agency to help lift our state out of the recession and create jobs. His leadership at the Department of Commerce helped to bring in thousands of new jobs from internationally known companies like Boeing and Macy’s. The work he and his team did on behalf of Oklahoma businesses has also helped to create a better economic environment for the whole state. I wish him the best on his return to the private sector.”
In his resignation letter, Parman thanked Fallin for the opportunity to serve, calling it “an honor and a privilege.”
Deputy Director Don Hackler will serve as ODOC interim director.
More on Larry Parman
Prior to being named secretary of state, Parman served as the CEO of Parman & Easterday, an Oklahoma City estate planning, elder law and business planning firm that has served over 4,000 clients throughout the Midwest. He has also been a partner in Notch It Up Strategies LLC, a firm that offers marketing and executive development programs to business owners and C-level executives.
Parman also previously served as President of The Hawthorn Group, a public affairs firm in Alexandria, Virginia and President and CEO of Trencor, Incorporated, an Oklahoma-based financial holding firm. He is the author or co-author of multiple books on estate planning, financial planning and business, including Above the Fray: Leading Yourself, Your Business and Others During Turbulent Times.
Parman has served on the board of directors for a variety of civic and business related institutions, including the Oklahoma Council on Economic Development, the Research Institute for Economic Development and Junior Achievement of Oklahoma City, where he also served as chairman of the board for two terms. He is a current member of the Oklahoma and Missouri Bar Associations and the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys.
Parman served as a captain in the U.S. Army. He received an honorable discharge in 1978.
Parman received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia and his law degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law.
He and his wife, Darlene, have two children.