Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation
Encyclopedia
The Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation is a department
of the government of Oklahoma
under the supervision of the Oklahoma Secretary of Commerce and Tourism
. The Department is responsible for regulating Oklahoma's tourism
industry and for promoting Oklahoma as a tourist destination
.
The Department is governed by the a nine-member Tourism and Recreation Commission, with the Governor appointing eight members and the Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma
serving as the ninth member and chair of the Commission. The Commission then appoints an Executive Director to administer the Department.
The Department of Tourism and Recreation was created in 1972 during the term of Governor
David Hall
.
. Under Governor Mary Fallin
, Dave Lopez
serves as the Secretary. Under the supervision of the Cabinet Secretary, the day-to-day administration of the Department is managed by an Executive Director of the Department, currently Deby Snodgrass.
. The Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma serves ex officio as the ninth member and Chair of the Commission.
As of 2011, the members of the Commission are:
appropriated $90,000 for the land on which Lake Murray is located. In the late 1930s, the United States Congress
directed the United States Army Corps of Engineers
to begin construction on several large reservoirs, primarily for flood control and water supply. In 1951, Lake Murray State Park also became the site for the first of seven state-owned resort lodges. Through the years, park, lodge, and tourism programs rested in the Planning and Resources Board, the Department of Commerce and Industry, and the Industrial Development and Park Department. In 1972 the Legislature created the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department, now made up of four divisions.
Government agency
A government or state agency is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an intelligence agency. There is a notable variety of agency types...
of the government of Oklahoma
Government of Oklahoma
The government of the US State of Oklahoma, established by the Oklahoma Constitution, is a republican democracy modeled after the Federal government of the United States. The state government has three branches: the executive, legislative, and judicial...
under the supervision of the Oklahoma Secretary of Commerce and Tourism
Oklahoma Secretary of Commerce and Tourism
The Oklahoma Secretary of Commerce and Tourism is a member of the Oklahoma Governor's Cabinet. The Secretary is appointed by the Governor, with the consent of the Oklahoma Senate, to serve at the pleasure of the Governor...
. The Department is responsible for regulating Oklahoma's tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
industry and for promoting Oklahoma as a tourist destination
Tourist destination
A tourist destination is a city, town, or other area that is dependent to a significant extent on the revenues accruing from tourism. It may contain one or more tourist attractions and possibly some "tourist traps."...
.
The Department is governed by the a nine-member Tourism and Recreation Commission, with the Governor appointing eight members and the Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma
Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma
The Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma is the second-highest executive official of the state government of Oklahoma. As first in the gubernatorial line of succession, the Lieutenant Governor becomes the new Governor of Oklahoma upon the death, resignation, or removal of the Governor...
serving as the ninth member and chair of the Commission. The Commission then appoints an Executive Director to administer the Department.
The Department of Tourism and Recreation was created in 1972 during the term of Governor
Governor of Oklahoma
The governor of the state of Oklahoma is the head of state for the state of Oklahoma, United States. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the Oklahoma executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma...
David Hall
David Hall (Oklahoma governor)
David Hall , U.S. Democratic Party politician, He served as the 20th Governor of Oklahoma from January 11, 1971 to January 13, 1975, after serving as Tulsa County District Attorney, and was previously a law professor at the University of Tulsa.- Early life :David Hall was born in Oklahoma City, and...
.
Leadership
The Department of Tourism and Recreation is led by the Secretary of Commerce and TourismOklahoma Secretary of Commerce and Tourism
The Oklahoma Secretary of Commerce and Tourism is a member of the Oklahoma Governor's Cabinet. The Secretary is appointed by the Governor, with the consent of the Oklahoma Senate, to serve at the pleasure of the Governor...
. Under Governor Mary Fallin
Mary Fallin
Mary Fallin is the 27th and current Governor of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. She was a U.S. Representative for from 2007 until 2011....
, Dave Lopez
Dave Lopez
Dave Lopez is an American telecommunications executive who is currently the Oklahoma Secretary of Commerce and Tourism under Governor of Oklahoma Mary Fallin. Governor Fallin named Lopez as Secretary on January 27, 2011.-Biography:...
serves as the Secretary. Under the supervision of the Cabinet Secretary, the day-to-day administration of the Department is managed by an Executive Director of the Department, currently Deby Snodgrass.
Members of the Commission
The Department is governed by a nine member Tourism Commission which hires the Executive Director and establishes policies for the Department. Eight members of the Commission are appointed by the Governor with the consent of the Oklahoma SenateOklahoma Senate
The Oklahoma Senate is the upper house of the two houses of the Legislature of Oklahoma, the other being the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The total number of Senators is set at 48 by the Oklahoma Constitution....
. The Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma serves ex officio as the ninth member and Chair of the Commission.
As of 2011, the members of the Commission are:
- Lieutenant Governor Todd LambTodd Lamb (politician)Todd Lamb is a Republican United States politician from Oklahoma who is currently serving as the 16th Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma, was a member of the Oklahoma Senate from 2004 to 2011. For the 52nd Oklahoma Legislature, Lamb's fellow Republican Senators elected him as their Majority Floor...
- Oklahoma City - Tony Benson - Idabel
- Jason Glidewell - Anadarko
- Trae Gray - Coalgate
- Melvin Moran - Seminole
- Amy Regan - Tulsa
- Becky Switzer - Norman
- Frank Sims - Shawnee
- T.L. Walker - Ponca City
History
The Department began in 1931 when the Oklahoma LegislatureOklahoma Legislature
The Legislature of the State of Oklahoma is the biennial meeting of the legislative branch of the government of Oklahoma. It is bicameral, comprising the Oklahoma House of Representatives and the Oklahoma Senate, with all members elected directly by the people. The House of Representatives has 101...
appropriated $90,000 for the land on which Lake Murray is located. In the late 1930s, the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
directed the United States Army Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
to begin construction on several large reservoirs, primarily for flood control and water supply. In 1951, Lake Murray State Park also became the site for the first of seven state-owned resort lodges. Through the years, park, lodge, and tourism programs rested in the Planning and Resources Board, the Department of Commerce and Industry, and the Industrial Development and Park Department. In 1972 the Legislature created the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department, now made up of four divisions.
Organization
- Cabinet Secretary
- Tourism and Recreation Commission
- Executive Director
- Administrative Services Division - central offices of the Department, coordinates the fiscal activities of the operating divisions, provides financial information, fiscal control, and payroll, personnel, purchasing, and vendor payment services. It interprets policy and procedures promulgated by the Commission
- State Parks Division - operates the state parks, lodges and golf courses under the jurisdiction and control of the Commission, researches and develops statistical information and economic development and planning assistance to the Department and to communities throughout the state, and also administers federal grant funds for outdoor recreational development
- Travel Promotion Division - formulates information and marketing plans and programs designed to attract tourists to the state and oversees the dissemination of information concerning the State's public and private attractions, lodges, parks and recreational facilities, provides assistance to cities, public and private associations and organizations in the promotion of special events of local or historical interest and in the solicitation of conferences, meetings and conventions. Maintains the official Oklahoma travel and tourism website - http://www.travelok.com.
- Oklahoma Film and Music Division- works with in-state and out-of-state music and film industry officials to promote, support and expand the music and film activity in the state of Oklahoma
- Discover Oklahoma Division - broadcasts Discover Oklahoma, a state-producted weekly television program designed to market specific Oklahoma destinations
- Oklahoma Today Magazine Division - publishes Oklahoma TodayOklahoma TodayOklahoma Today is the official magazine of the State of Oklahoma, United States, published in cooperation with the state department of tourism and recreation. It provides its readers the best of Oklahoma's people, places, travel, culture, food and outdoors in six issues a year.Oklahoma Today has...
, a state-produced magazine that covers the people, places, history, and culture of Oklahoma
- Executive Director
Staffing
The Tourism Department, with an annual budget of over $60 million, is one of the larger employers of the State. For fiscal year 2011, the Department was authorized 763 full time employees.| Division | Number of Employees |
|---|---|
| Administration | 46 |
| State Parks | 607 |
| Travel Promotion | 86 |
Major Activities
|
24 |
| Total | 763 |
Supporting Agencies
- Oklahoma Film and Music Advisory Commission
- Oklahoma Tourism Promotion Advisory Committee