At the beginning of each year, the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber’s board of directors adopts a set of comprehensive Legislative Priorities that address key issues impacting economic development. From February through May, the Chamber’s Government Relations team was intensively engaged at the State Capitol fighting for policies that strengthen Oklahoma’s business climate.
Oklahomans affected by the March 14–21 wildfires and straight-line winds have just two weeks left to apply for federal disaster assistance. The deadline to apply to FEMA is Tuesday, July 22.
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.
