OKLAHOMA CITY – Jordan Russell has been appointed chairman of the Workers’ Compensation Commission, replacing Commissioner Mark Liotta.
Liotta, a Tulsan, resigned as chairman earlier this month but announced his intention to serve out the remainder of his term, which expires Aug. 25, in order to offer support to the new chairman. Liotta’s successor on the WCC will be Republican former state legislator Scott Biggs, who begins a six-year term on Aug. 26.
Russell and Liotta both were appointed to the WCC by former Gov. Mary Fallin. Russell was re-appointed to the agency by Gov. Kevin Stitt, to a term that expires in 2025.
Russell is an attorney who joined the commission after serving three legislative sessions as policy director and counsel to former Oklahoma Speaker of the House Jeff Hickman. Prior to his time at the State Capitol, Russell had a successful law practice in the downtown Oklahoma City office of Gungoll, Jackson, Box & Devoll.
Russell also previously worked as a legislative assistant to Oklahoma U.S. Congressman Frank Lucas in his Washington, D.C., office, where he worked on issues involving health care, labor, Social Security and disability.
Russell and his wife, Jessica, live in Oklahoma City. They have three children and attend their kids’ school and sporting events at Crossings Christian School; they also attend Oklahoma State University football and basketball games as a family.
A fourth-generation native of Freedom, Okla., Russell also spends time hunting, fishing, and working on his family’s cattle ranch in rural Woods County.
Duties of the WCC chairman are: to organize, direct and develop the administrative work of the administrative law judges, including but not limited to docketing, clerical, technical and financial work and establishment of hours of operation; to employ administrative staff for the commission, within budgetary limitation; and such other duties and responsibilities authorized by law or as the commission may prescribe.
Oklahoma’s workers’ compensation system was reformed in 2013. The Administrative Workers’ Compensation Act created the Workers’ Compensation Commission to replace the old Workers’ Compensation Court, which became the Court of Existing Claims. The two systems have been operating side-by-side since Feb. 1, 2014, but the court-based system is tentatively scheduled to be disbanded on July 1, 2022.
The WCC provides a forum for workers’ injury case hearings and appeals, ensures compliance with relevant statutes by employers, and regulates organizations that wish to self-fund their workers’ compensation obligations.