OKLAHOMA CITY – Gov. Kevin Stitt appointed Jeffrey Cartmell to be executive director of the Office of Juvenile Affairs.
Cartmell succeeds Rachel Holt, who last month was named executive director of the United Way of Central Oklahoma.
Before assuming his current role as counselor to the Secretary of State in 2021, Cartmell served as deputy general counsel under Stitt for two years and was a deputy general counsel to former Gov. Mary Fallin in 2012-14. Previously he also served as director and counsel of the State’s Gaming Compliance Unit.
Between 2017 and 2019, Cartmell worked in the private sector as an associate attorney after serving two years as a division director within the state Office of Management and Enterprise Services.
Cartmell earned a bachelor’s degree in English writing in 2009, and his law degree in 2012, from the University of Oklahoma. He became an adjunct professor of law at OU in 2021, teaching a seminar course on government law.
His appointment is effective Oct. 21, and he will serve pending Senate confirmation in the 2024 legislative session.
Cartmell filed for the state Senate District 30 seat in 2018 but was defeated in the Republican primary.
“Jeffrey is an unwavering proponent of justice with a deep understanding of the complexities facing our youth,” Stitt said.
On its website, the OJA says it “collaborates with youth, families, and community partners to create pathways for success through prevention and treatment for all Oklahoma youth.”
Holt, a Philadelphia native, graduated cum laude from George Washington University with a major in criminal justice, and received her law degree from the University of Oklahoma.
Afterward, she became an Oklahoma County assistant district attorney, where she served in the juvenile division prosecuting juvenile delinquents and youthful offenders and assisting with deprived matters.
Holt, wife of Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, was appointed interim executive director by the OJA’s governing board in 2020, and a year later she was confirmed by the state Senate to be the agency’s chief executive officer.