Montgomery named new Lawton chamber president/CEO

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt will be asked to call a special election for the Oklahoma Senate after Sen. John Michael Montgomery accepted a job Thursday as president/CEO of the Lawton Fort Sill Chamber of Commerce.

Montgomery was formally voted into the position Thursday by the chamber’s Board of Directors, following a recommendation made minutes earlier by the chamber’s executive board. Accepting the position means Montgomery must resign the Senate seat he has held since 2018, something Montgomery said he plans to do soon. His job as chamber president/CEO begins Aug. 1.

Montgomery was one of four finalists and nine applicants who applied for the top job at the Lawton chamber, one that has been filled since June 1 by Chamber Executive Vice President Taron Epps. Epps became acting president June 1, the same day former Chamber President/CEO Krista Ratliff officially began her job as president/CEO of the FISTA Innovation Park. Epps was one of the four finalists; members of the chamber’s search committee declined to identify the other two finalists or other applicants, saying confidentiality had been part of the application process.

While the executive committee vote was unanimous, five members of the Board of Directors voted “no” on Montgomery’s selection. In discussions that took place in the midst of that vote, some board members said they had questions about the application and selection process, and wanted those questions answered before voting on the new president/CEO. Montgomery and Epps were asked to leave the room during those discussions.

Board of Directors Chairman Dustin Hilliary said the selection process had been set by chamber officials earlier this year, which included designation of a search committee tasked with analyzing information and interviewing applicants.

“At the end of the day, it came to one person,” he said, of the committee’s recommendation to the executive committee, which unanimously accepted Montgomery’s designation.

While the directors began their vote, Trent Dockstetter stopped the process by asking for discussion before a final determination was made, then asking what criteria had been used to weigh applicants. Austin Rabon, a search committee member, said one of the factors was providing “innovative ideas” about providing services to chamber members, a goal the board has identified for this year.

“We want to shift our focus to members,” Rabon said, adding Montgomery came prepared with “a lot of ideas on how to build up members” and reinvest chamber funds into those members.

Hilliary said Montgomery also is ready to help the chamber address its membership numbers, building the number of businesses in the community who join the chamber by showing them the entity provides amble services, providing a return on their investment of membership dues. Hilliary said Montgomery also is committed to the chamber, and is willing to resign from the Senate.

“We need you fully committed here,” Hilliary said, of what Montgomery was told during his interview.

Comanche Nation Chairman Mark Woommavovah said Montgomery brings benefits with him, including his connections on the state level, and “he knows how to problem-solve.”

After the meeting Montgomery said state law specifies he must submit a letter of irrevocable resignation to the governor, which will allow the governor to call the special election to fill his unexpired term as the District 32 senator. The designated time of that special election will be left to the Oklahoma Election Board, Montgomery said, adding he already has approached state officials about how the process would work. The Senate District 32 seat will remain empty until voters select a new senator, he said.

Montgomery was elected to his second four-year term in November.