Doerflinger names Chief Operating Officer and Director of Human Resources

Oklahoma State Department of Health Interim Commissioner Preston Doerflinger announced Friday that he is naming Kim Bailey as Chief Operating Officer and Margot Barnes as Director of Human Resources.

“As we work to regain the public’s trust, it is important that we place highly qualified people with strong personal values and ethics in leadership roles at this agency,” said Doerflinger. “Both Kim and Margot have an impeccable public service record and will be a tremendous resource for us as we move forward. I am grateful that they have decided to join our team.”

Bailey has held positions as assistant attorney general and general counsel for the Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Commission prior to becoming executive director of the OWCC in 2015. She has been with the OWCC since February 2014. She began her legal career at McAfee and Taft, specializing in employee benefits and employment law. She obtained her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Oklahoma and her bachelor of science, finance and international management degree from Georgetown University.

Barnes has more than 20 years of experience in human resources with the State of Oklahoma and private sector. Barnes holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and three HR certifications with the Human Resource Certification Institute, the Society for Human Resource Management and the International Public Management Association for Human Resources. Over the past 15 years, she has served as an administrator for classification and compensation, and unemployment insurance benefits for the Oklahoma Department of Human Services.

Bailey will join the OSDH on Dec. 20 and Barnes will start immediately.