OMAG Announces New Employees & Promotions

On this week of Thanksgiving 2021, OMAG wants to give thanks to some new employees and some employees who have stepped up recently.

OMAG has hired Pamela Hunnicutt as a Grant Coordinator. Some of you may have spoken to her regarding your ARPA grant money.  She is also busy researching other grants available to OMAG municipalities for infrastructure, parks, fire and police, etc.  If you would like to speak to Pamela you can reach her at 405-657-1449 or email her at phunnicutt@omag.org. 

OMAG also welcomed Lori Mueller as a Professional Development Trainer.  Lori will make her OMAG debut at the OML Employment Seminar on December 9, 2021.  She is also preparing training materials related to leadership, customer service, and other human-resource-related topics.  If you would like to speak with Lori or request training, you can reach her at 405-657-1453 or email her at lmueller@omag.org.

Joe Russell joins OMAG as a Desktop Support Specialist.  Joe supports the Technology Services Director and OMAG staff with their daily technology needs. Joe is ambitious, friendly, extremely helpful and a great addition to the OMAG family.

OMAG has promoted Bill Tackett to Director of Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships where he will continue to promote the OMAG Recognition Program, as well as, working with municipalities to improve governance, management, and operations.  He and David Weatherford will continue to travel around the State and provide guidance to city and town officials. Currently, Bill is also promoting training and networking among gas distribution cities by hosting a Gas Distribution System seminar with Professors Tom Seng and Buford Pollett of Tulsa University.  If your municipality would like to explore ways to improve their governance and management, you can reach out to Bill Tackett at btackett@omag.org or 405-657-1443. 

William Sheppard has been promoted to Risk Manager. William has many years of experience and education in the area of risk management and industrial safety. He has been training OMAG members for over 5 years. William has been instrumental in working with municipalities in the assessment of sanitary sewer lines, as well as, conducting safety training, including but not limited to roadway safety and confined spaces.If you would like to talk to William about visiting your municipality you can reach him at 405-657-1413 or email him at wsheppard@omag.org.

Suzie Paulson Appointed CEO of OMAG

The OMAG Board of Trustees has appointed Suzie Paulson as their new CEO. She assumed responsibilities on August 1, 2021, and succeeds Jon Woods, who retired. Suzie will be the first female to serve as the OMAG CEO since OMAG’s creation in 1977.

OMAG Board Chair Pam Polk said “Suzie is an exceptional leader and has been an asset to OMAG since joining our team.  She was the Board’s unanimous choice to be the next CEO after conducting interviews of Suzanne and four other internal candidates. The Board would like to thank each of the candidates for their interest and participation in this process. All candidates brought forth unique qualities that made each of them qualified to lead OMAG.  The Board is very excited for this next chapter and for what we will achieve together.”

Suzie has been part of the OMAG team for 8 years, beginning in the Legal Department as Associate General Counsel and spending the last 4 years as General Counsel. As part of the OMAG legal team, she was involved in managing litigation, as well as providing guidance and training to OMAG municipalities regarding liability issues.

She graduated from Oklahoma City University School of Law in 2001 and spent 12 years as an Assistant City Attorney in the City of Oklahoma City, focusing mostly on municipal employment and labor issues. 

Suzie said “My career in municipal government started in 1998 as a legal intern adjusting tort claims for the City of Oklahoma City.  Little did I know that internship would grow into a career of helping cities and towns all over the State of Oklahoma.  From day one, I knew that OMAG was my dream job . . .  I was all in!  Since its inception OMAG has had strong leaders and a resilient board of directors and I am honored that the board has confidence in me to continue that legacy.  As CEO I will continue the vision of the OMAG Board of Trustees to be the premier public entity pool by providing quality coverages at a sustainable price and a vast array of services that bring value to the members.  OMAG employees are known for going above and beyond for members and I intend to continue to support and encourage that practice.  It is also important to me that OMAG maintain strong partnerships with organizations like OML and OMMS.  I am really excited about this journey and making a positive difference in cities and towns throughout the State of Oklahoma.” 

The OMAG Trustees and Staff are looking forward to working with our new CEO, Mrs. Suzie Paulson.

PowerPoint Tips & Tricks

Have you ever been asked to create a presentation but didn’t know where to start? Do you feel like your presentations are a little lackluster?

OMAG has developed a short guideline of best practices to help in making your presentations the best they can be. Look for more in the future, but for now this should help to get you started. If you have any questions or would like to learn more, please contact Matthew Burleson.

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