Fallin taps tourism executive for commerce post

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Gov. Mary Fallin has named Tourism and Recreation Department Director Deby Snodgrass as the new head of the Oklahoma Department of Commerce.

Fallin announced Wednesday that she will combine two cabinet-level posts and make Snodgrass her Secretary of Commerce and Tourism.

Snodgrass will step down as executive director of the Tourism Department and be replaced with a director selected by the agency’s governing commission.

Fallin says combining the two cabinet positions makes sense since both departments have complimentary roles.

During her tenure as head of the tourism agency, Snodgrass oversaw the transfer of several state parks to non-state entities. She previously worked as an executive with Chesapeake Energy and was a founding partner of the political research firm Cole, Hargrave, Snodgrass and Associates.