In this month’s Leadership Notes, Chamber President and CEO Christy Gillenwater shares insights from the Chamber’s recent visit to Washington, D.C., highlighting key conversations and advocacy efforts on behalf of the region.
The Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Advisory Council (CJAC) has named Melissa Walton its new executive director. Walton will lead efforts to reduce incarceration and improve public safety by streamlining the county’s justice system.
The Key to Home Partnership released data from the 2025 Point-in-Time Count, showing a 2.4% increase in homelessness in Oklahoma City—a rise that is significantly smaller than the 28% increase reported from 2023 to 2024. This difference suggests recent strategies may be helping slow the rate of growth.
Oklahoma is at a disadvantage when it comes to making informed decisions on education and our future workforce. The data currently gathered by multiple state agencies within the education and workforce space is not connected, creating the inability to measure the long-term effectiveness of education programs and workforce readiness.
For several months, the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber has worked with Sen. Kristen Thompson, Rep. Mike Osburn, the State Chamber of Oklahoma, the Tulsa Regional Chamber, Select Oklahoma and other stakeholders on SB 987 to advance reforms to the state’s lead economic development agency, the Oklahoma Department of Commerce.
In this month’s Leadership Notes, Chamber President and CEO Christy Gillenwater discusses how incentive programs are essential to fueling Oklahoma City’s growth and economic development.
Oklahoma has long faced challenges in maintaining and upgrading its transportation infrastructure. However, two decades ago, the Legislature had the vision to create the Oklahoma Department of Transportation’s Eight-Year Plan, which marked the beginning of a shift toward adequately funding a safer, more efficient transportation system across the state.
In 2024, Oklahoma City saw significant advancements in advocacy across key sectors, including tourism funding, government relations and education reform, positioning the city for continued growth.
