Melissa McLawhorn Houston was appointed Oklahoma Labor Commissioner by Governor Mary Fallin after Commissioner Mark Costello was murdered by his son in 2015.
McLawhorn Houston served as chief of staff to Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt for four years before being named labor commissioner. She’s also been the chief of staff for the state Office of Homeland Security, and has worked within the criminal justice system as the deputy director of the Oklahoma Sheriffs Association, and as a lawyer with the Oklahoma Truth in Sentencing Policy Advisory Commission.
Since her appointment to the position in 2015, McLawhorn Houston has said she does not plan to run for election to a full term in 2018.