Stitt Appoints Lindel Fields After Walters' Resignation

Gov. Kevin Stitt named Lindel Fields Oklahoma state superintendent of public instruction at an event Thursday at Eisenhower International School in Tulsa. Fields, a longtime educator and CEO of Your Culture Coach who previously led Tri-County Tech, said he will prioritize reading proficiency, teacher recruitment and retention, and expanded career pathways for students. Stitt unveiled an OKSDE “turnaround team,” new education board members and named Dan Hamlin secretary of education to review contracts and implement his agenda. He urged lawmakers to place a state question before voters to change the superintendent from an elected to an appointed position so the office aligns with the governor’s policy goals. The appointment follows the resignation of Ryan Walters amid scrutiny of his tenure, including Attorney General Gentner Drummond’s request for a financial audit into Walters’ spending, and Stitt also reshuffled senior staff, moving Donelle Harder to chief of staff and naming Ben Lepak interim secretary of state after Josh Cockroft’s resignation.