LOFT oversight committee hires executive director

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency Oversight Committee on Friday selected Mike Jackson of Oklahoma City as executive director of the office.

The hire was recommended by House Speaker Charles McCall and Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat.

“The Legislature is incredibly focused on ensuring transparency and accountability in the expenditure of taxpayer dollars and LOFT will greatly aid in our efforts,” said Speaker McCall, R-Atoka. “As a former legislator, Mike Jackson understands how our government works – and sometimes doesn’t work – and knows the right questions to ask as we track the expenditure of taxpayer dollars and institute metrics to measure the effectiveness of state programs and services.”

Jackson served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 2004 to 2014 and most recently served as executive vice president of government and political affairs at the State Chamber of Oklahoma. He is a graduate of Oklahoma State University.

“LOFT will provide the public and the Legislature with objective data and will be a game-changer in our efforts to provide increased oversight and accountability in how our tax dollars are spent,” said Pro Tem Treat, R-Oklahoma City. “Having served in the Legislature, Mike has a familiarity with state government and can lead the LOFT team to dig into the numbers, and his private-sector experience will help him manage the small LOFT team efficiently and effectively.”

LOFT was created by legislation authored by McCall and Treat in 2019. LOFT was created to serve as an independent office to provide the Legislature and the public with objective data on agency budgets and programs. LOFT is overseen by bipartisan committee of Senate and House members. The Senate president pro tem and the House speaker each name a co-chair and the members of the oversight committee.

“I look forward to working with the Oversight Committee and legislative leaders to ensure Oklahomans’ hard-earned tax dollars are used effectively and efficiently,” Jackson said.

In the Legislature, Jackson held a number of leadership roles, including Speaker Pro Tempore of the House. His accomplishments included major improvements to legislative and agency administrative processes, economic development, and tax policy. Prior to his legislative career, he succeeded in business sales and marketing roles in the private sector after serving as a U.S. Senate field representative for northwestern Oklahoma. He is a native of Enid.