Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt names a new chief of staff

Gov. Kevin Stitt has named Grayson Walker, one of his legal counselors and a member of the secretary of state's office, to be his new chief of staff.

Walker succeeds Brandon Tatum, recently named executive director of the Regional University System of Oklahoma.

"Grayson is an Oklahoma City native and has been a valued member of my policy and legal teams since 2020. I am excited to have him lead this office. He is committed to this state," Stitt said in his announcement of the appointment. "Character and culture are essential in leadership and I can’t think of a better person to help pursue our vision of being a top ten state.”

Walker was a clerk for Judge Thomas E. Prince, of the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals, before joining the Stitt administration. He earned a doctorate from the University of Oklahoma College of Law, a master’s degree from Knox Theological Seminary, and a bachelor’s degree in political science and Spanish from Southern Methodist University's Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences. Before law school, he worked as a middle school teacher, a campus minister and a research assistant in the Texas House of Representatives.