I am so, so proud to call Ardmore my home! As a college graduate, I could have moved to multiple metro areas with job offers. However, I chose a job that brought me back to my home area and I have never regretted my decision!

My daughter, Tory Townley, is the Pre-K through 5th Grade Music Teacher at Plainview Elementary. We are both graduates of Oklahoma State University!

Why are you the best candidate for the job?

My heart and passion is to see Southern Oklahoma, its people and businesses succeed! I want us to be prosperous! It is my goal to make sure we get the best services and economic development opportunities we can for our area. Over $90 million in infrastructure dollars to our area alone!!! THAT should speak volumes!!!

I feel our Legislature has worked diligently the last six years to increase our education budget, strengthen our law-enforcement, increase spending to mental health, made valiant effort to eliminate the DDSD waiting list for services, and increase funding to our nursing homes.

Describe your professional background?

My mom, Rozella Pevehouse, and I owned/managed The Living Word Bible Book and Gift Store for 22 years. We built precious relationships there. During that time I was also a contractor of the US Dept of Labor with Experience Works, Inc for 13 years. I served on the Governor’s Workforce Council under Gov Mary Fallon and Southern Workforce Board. I spent a year and a half as a Deputy County Clerk for Carter County.

Bottom line: I have experience being a job creator and working with others for the betterment of our state!

Carter County has been hit hard by the impending loss of Michelin. As a State Rep., what will you do to ensure economic recovery?

We have exciting things happening here in the Southern Oklahoma area! Yes! These losses hurt and they hurt deeply! We are losing good families, and good jobs, to other parts of the country. However, our Ardmore Airpark is already seeing wonderful growth happening! We’re going to be breaking ground next week on exciting new developments starting there.

I have every confidence that our Development Authority is going to be seeking the best companies to come into the Michelin building as soon as it’s available and ready to lease.

We are already working on matching grants with the state and Chickasaw Nation to assist Ardmore at the Airpark to finish out several infrastructure projects.

What do you feel needs to take place in the legislature to ensure stronger schools in the district?

We still need to look at our testing situation and teaching to the test! I am not an educator and I don’t pretend to understand all of the challenges. I just know there’s a better way to prepare these kids. Standardized Testing is not the only way to judge if a child knows the information they have learned.

I would also like to see both chambers agree to some kind of a bill to bring back some of our retired educators to address our teacher shortage. We had a bill pass in the House this past session that I honestly felt was wonderful.

What do you feel the state needs to focus on in the 2025 Legislative Session?

A lot depends on what happens in the presidential election and with the economy between now and February. But with our state surplus, as long as things look stable, we will probably be looking at further economic development / infrastructure capital projects. In the last few years our Legislature implemented the Legacy Capital Fund so that we can self-fund projects because bond rates are so high yet we are sitting on a nice surplus!!! We are blessed!!!

We will also look at continued support for education, law enforcement, roads & bridges, and continuing needs in addressing mental health challenges, etc.

I would love to see our Legislature fully fund one of my favorite pieces of legislation, Imagination Library, which brings books to our children birth to four years old. This would give them an increased opportunity to learn to read at an early age and bonding time with their parents.