Thursday, September 1, 2011
OKLAHOMA CITY – Oscar Jackson, who has served since June 1991 as Administrator of the Oklahoma Office of Personnel Management and Cabinet Secretary of Human Resources and Administration, today announced his state government retirement, effective November 1, 2011. Jackson was initially appointed by Governor David Walters, and was subsequently reappointed by Governors Frank Keating, Brad Henry, and in January of this year by Governor Mary Fallin. Jackson’s nearly forty-one years of state service also included assignments with The University of Oklahoma and the Department of Human Services.
In reflecting on his state government career, Jackson stated, “I am deeply indebted to Governors Fallin, Henry, Keating and Walters for providing me the opportunity to serve state government and the people of Oklahoma. It has been an honor and privilege to work together with thousands of dedicated state employees over the years who continue to make a difference under challenging circumstances in the lives of the people of Oklahoma and individuals pursuing state service careers.”
Governor Fallin said that Jackson was a dedicated public servant who will be missed.
“No one has been a better representative for Oklahoma’s public employees over the years than Oscar Jackson,” Fallin said. “I appreciate his service, as I know many others do, and I wish him the best as he moves on to other opportunities.”
Jackson is a past president of the National Association of State Personnel Executives (NASPE), and received the NASPE “Eugene H. Rooney Award for Leadership in State Human Resources Management”; and he is a past president of the International Public Management Association for Human Resources (IPMA-HR), which recently granted him IPMA-HR Honorary Life Membership. Jackson was awarded the “National Public Service Award” from the National Academy for Public Administration and the American Society for Public Administration, and was elected to the inaugural University of Oklahoma College of Education Hall of Fame.
Secretary of Finance and Revenue and Office of State Finance Director Preston Doerflinger will announce the new OPM administrator before November 1. Jackson will not be replaced on Governor Fallin’s cabinet. Doerflinger will absorb his cabinet duties.