9-5-2023
Senator Roger Thompson was first elected to the Oklahoma State Senate in November 2014. He represents Senate District 8, which is comprised of Okmulgee, Okfuskee and McIntosh counties as well as portions of Creek and Muskogee counties.
Thompson is the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, vetting all legislation with a fiscal impact on the state, including all budget bills. He also serves as co-chair of the Joint Committee on Pandemic Relief Funding. The committee and its working groups are charged with vetting recommendations for the utilization of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. In addition, Thompson serves as co-chair of the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency (LOFT) oversight committee. He’s also a member of the Finance and Rules Committees. He was also appointed to serve on the Executive Committee of The Council of State Governments Southern Office (CSG South) for 2023.
Born in Oklahoma City, Thompson lived in Okmulgee County, and graduated from Muskogee High School. He later graduated from the Preston Road School of Preaching in Texas, then attended Southwestern Bible College and Seminary where he received his master’s and a doctorate in theology.
Even before coming to the Oklahoma Senate, Thompson had long been involved in public service through a variety of organizations. He was a lay member of the Professional Responsibility Commission of the Oklahoma Bar Association and served on the Okfuskee County Election Board as well as the Okfuskee County Excise Board. He’s a past president of the Okemah Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture, the Oklahoma Lions Club, and the Rock Creek Youth Camp in Norman, Oklahoma. Thompson also served as board president and CEO for Good News International Foundation, where he was recognized for partnering with the Secretary of Religion and Science in Ukraine. He also operated a publishing and benevolent outreach in Ukraine after the fall of the Soviet Union. During that period, he also served as an advisory member of Global Christian University.
In 2022, Senator Thompson was named as one of the 55 most influential Oklahomans over the age of 55. The 55 Over 55 award is the creation of Donald B. Swift, founder of ion Oklahoma Magazine, featuring Oklahomans who do not believe their best years are behind them and are leading the way and involved in projects that are creating a better future for the state and its citizens.
Thompson is president of the News Leader Company, Inc., which owns and publishes the Okemah News Leader. His wife, Pamela, owns Pamela’s Flowers and Okemah Office Supply. He’s currently vice-president of the Okemah Community Improvement Association and serves as Economic Development Consultant for Businesses and Municipalities.
The Thompsons have been married since 1976 and are the parents of two children. They are members of New Beginnings Church in Bristow.
Chair of the Day
Clay Taylor is an Oklahoma-based lobbyist, consultant, and attorney. A native of Oklahoma City, Taylor grew up bouncing around the country and the Caribbean before his family resettled back in Oklahoma City.
Taylor is a graduate of Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School, has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Oklahoma State University, and a Juris Doctor from Oklahoma City University. Taylor has been involved in Oklahoma politics all his life and has made it his profession, choosing to lobby full-time at the state capitol. Politics is the family business, but Taylor branched out early to forge his own path running a successful congressional campaign before starting his lobbying career. Taylor attended law school while lobbying full-time and has blended a career of lobbying and legal work that allows him to offer clients a full range of services, whatever their needs might be. Representing a wide array of organizations from independent businesses and associations, to large corporations, Taylor continues to focus his lobbying work on helping businesses maintain and create a strong climate in the state. Outside of politics, Taylor is passionately committed to community involvement in his hometown of Oklahoma City and across the state. Over the years, Taylor has been involved with nearly every major non-profit and charitable cause in Oklahoma and most recently serves on the board of Infant Crisis Services. Taylor is married to his college sweetheart Becky and together they have three children Josie, Trip, and Jon-Peter. Taylor and his family are avid travelers and maintain a very active lifestyle between sports and children’s activities.