Phil Tomlinson was an American politician from the state of

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

who served as the

Oklahoma Secretary of Transportation The Oklahoma secretary of transportation is a member of the Oklahoma Governor's Cabinet. The secretary is appointed by the governor, with the consent of the Oklahoma Senate, to serve at the pleasure of the governor. The secretary serves as the ch ...

from 2003 to 2009. Tomlinson served as Transportation Secretary under

Governor of Oklahoma The governor of Oklahoma is the head of government of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor serves as the head of the Oklahoma Executive (government), executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma. The gove ...

Brad Henry Charles Bradford Henry (born July 10, 1963) is an American lawyer and politician who was the 26th governor of Oklahoma from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected governor in 2002. Henry won re-election for a second term ...

. In addition to serving as Transportation Secretary, Tomlinson served the Henry Administration as the Director of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority from 2005 to 2009.

Biography

Tomlinson was a commercial real estate investor from Shawnee, Oklahoma. Prior to his service to Governor Henry, Tomlinson served in the administrations of Republican Governor

Dewey F. Bartlett Dewey Follett Bartlett Sr. (March 28, 1919 – March 1, 1979) was an American politician who served as the 19th governor of Oklahoma from 1967 to 1971, following his fellow Republican, Henry Bellmon. In 1966, he became the first Roman Cat ...

and Democratic Governor David Hall in various posts. He held a bachelor's degree in marketing and a master's degree in business administration, both from

Oklahoma State University Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

. Tomlinson died in late March 2016.

Secretary of Transportation

In 2003, Governor of Oklahoma

appointed Tomlinson to serve as his first

. As Transportation Secretary, Tomlinson oversaw all state transportation initiatives and the entities charged with implementing them, including the

Oklahoma Department of Transportation The Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) is an government agency, agency of the government of Oklahoma responsible for the construction and maintenance of the state's transportation infrastructure. Under the leadership of the Oklahoma Sec ...

, the

Oklahoma Transportation Authority The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority (formerly Oklahoma Transportation Authority) is an agency of Oklahoma that deals with issues regarding the Oklahoma turnpike system. Along with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, the Authority is the prim ...

, the

Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission The Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission (OAC) is an agency of state government that is responsible for promoting aviation in the State. Under the supervision of the Oklahoma Secretary of Transportation, the Commission fosters the growth of the aerosp ...

, the

Oklahoma Space Industry Development Authority The Oklahoma Space Industry Development Authority (OSIDA) is a development authority created by the state of Oklahoma to operate a spaceport near Burns Flat, Oklahoma. The Authority's primary asset is the former Clinton-Sherman Industrial Airpark ...

and all Port Authorities within the state.

Position on NAFTA Superhighway

In 2007, Tomlinson told members of the

Oklahoma Legislature The Legislature of the State of Oklahoma is the state legislative branch of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The Oklahoma House of Representatives and Oklahoma Senate are the two houses that make up the bicameral state legislature. There are 101 sta ...

that Oklahoma has not benefited much from being a member of the

North American SuperCorridor Coalition 150px, "NASCO project logo depicting the three associated countries' flag iconography as a singular element." The North America's Corridor Coalition (NASCO) is a non-profit organization that seeks to develop an international multi-modal transpor ...

(NASCO). Despite this, Tomlinson did recommend that Oklahoma should continue to participate in the organization, citing future investment as his reason. The state has been a member of NASCO since 1995.

Resignation from State services

Tomlinson resigned as Transportation Secretary in April 2009. Tomlinson, who said he would continue to serve as Director of the Turnpike Authority, resigned due to his desire to reduce his workload. Governor Henry appointed

Gary Ridley Gary Milo Ridley, professional engineer, PE (September 29, 1945 – December 21, 2022) was an American engineer and civil servant from the state of Oklahoma most notable for concurrently serving as the state's Oklahoma State Cabinet, Secretary of ...

, Director of the

, to succeed Tomlinson as Secretary. In October, 2009, Tomlinson resigned as Director of the Transportation Authority effective November 1, 2009. The Authority appointed Gary Ridley to succeed Tomlinson as Director.

References

State cabinet secretaries of Oklahoma Living people Oklahoma State University alumni Year of birth missing (living people) Heads of Oklahoma state agencies People from Shawnee, Oklahoma {{Oklahoma-politician-stub