Sarah Hazen Stitt is an American businesswoman who has served as the

First Lady of Oklahoma First Lady or First Gentleman of Oklahoma is the title held by the Marriage, spouse of the sitting governor of Oklahoma. The first lady or first gentleman serves as the official host of the Oklahoma Governor's Mansion. As of 2011, there have been ...

since 2019.

Early life and career

Sarah Hazen grew up in

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

and was

homeschooled Homeschooling or home schooling, also known as home education or elective home education (EHE), is the education of school-aged children at home or a variety of places other than a school. Usually conducted by a parent, tutor, or an onlin ...

until she was a teenager when she first attended

public schools Public school may refer to: *State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government *Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England and ...

. Growing up, her mother suffered from mental health problems, but refused treatment due to social stigmas. Her mother attempted suicide and her siblings had drug addictions. Her father also developed mental health problems during this time. Sarah cites her childhood experience as motivation for her mental health advocacy. She founded Gateway Mortgage, alongside her husband, Kevin Stitt, and worked there for twenty years.

First Lady of Oklahoma

Sarah Stitt became the

when her husband

Kevin Stitt John Kevin Stitt (born December 28, 1972) is an American businessman and politician serving as the 28th governor of Oklahoma. A member of the Republican Party, he began his first term as governor in January 2019 and was reelected to a second t ...

was sworn in

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 ...

on January 14, 2019. She was credited with improving her husband's approval with women voters during his 2018 election campaign. During her tenure, she has focused on mental health. In 2020, she led a fundraising campaign for a non-profit that focuses on preventing

child abuse Child abuse (also called child endangerment or child maltreatment) is physical, sexual, and/or psychological maltreatment or neglect of a child or children, especially by a parent or a caregiver. Child abuse may include any act or failure to a ...

. Later that year she assisted with the restoration of the ''Book of Redemption'' for Vernon A.M.E. Church in

Sarah Stitt Act

In 2021, Oklahoma HB 1679 was named the "Sarah Stitt Act" after the first lady. The bill provided state

identification documents An identity document (also called ID or colloquially as papers) is any document that may be used to prove a person's identity. If issued in a small, standard credit card size form, it is usually called an identity card (IC, ID card, citizen ca ...

to prison inmates that do not have one. The bill was sponsored by Representatives Brian Hill and Marilyn Stark. In the first year after its passage, the

Oklahoma Department of Corrections The Oklahoma Department of Corrections (DOC or ODOC) is an agency of the state of Oklahoma. DOC is responsible for the administration of the state prison system. It has its headquarters in Oklahoma City, across the street from the headquarters o ...

found more than 1,300 birth certificates for inmates.

Personal life

Sarah met

in the summer of 1997 at a church service. The couple married on June 1, 1998. They have six children. She is a member of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stitt, Sarah Hazen First ladies and gentlemen of Oklahoma Businesspeople from Tulsa, Oklahoma Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 21st-century American women