Kevin Easley

Kevin Easley
Kevin Easley
Born	1960 (age 55–56)

Kevin Easley (born 1960) is an American oil and gas executive who was a leading legislator in the Oklahoma House of Representatives and the Oklahoma Senate for 18 years and the top executive at the Grand River Dam Authority for seven years in the U.S. State of Oklahoma. He is the President and Chief Executive Officer of New Dominion, LLC, in Tulsa, Oklahoma.^[1]

Early life and education

Easley was born in 1960, the son of Truman and Mary Easley. After graduating in 1978 from Tulsa’s East Central High School, he attended the University of Tulsa where he earned a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1982. He earned a master's degree in business administration with honors from Oklahoma Christian University in 2009.

Professional career

Easley served Oklahomans as a member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1985 to 1990 and as a member of the Oklahoma Senate from 1991 to 2003. While a legislator, Easley also held various management roles for Samson Energy, Home-Stake Oil and Gas Company, and BP Amoco.^[1] He was the Executive Director of the Grand River Dam Authority from March 2004 through April 2011, and Investments Director at the authority from 2010 through April 2011. He was named President and Chief Executive Officer of New Dominion, LLC, in August, 2011.

Political career

At just 24 years of age, Easley joined the Oklahoma House of Representatives in January 1985 as its youngest member.^[2] As a House member that year, he authored a law requiring drivers and passengers in moving motor vehicles to wear seatbelts.^[3]

In 1990, Easley won a seat in the Oklahoma Senate, and as a Senator, turned his attention to bettering the state’s economy and environment. A joint resolution he authored in 1991 created a new state commission to study how to boost natural gas prices, and, in 1992, he authored a law recommended by the commission that required operators of hundreds of the state’s largest natural gas wells to cut production during the warmest months of the year in an effort to boost prices for the commodity to spur more drilling activity within the state.^[4]

In 1993, as Chairman of the Oklahoma Senate Natural Resources Committee, Easley authored a law creating, funding and setting out duties for the Oklahoma Energy Resources Board,^[5] and also authored a law that consolidated Oklahoma’s environmental regulatory efforts into a new agency, the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality.^[6]

In 1994, Easley authored a law setting up tax breaks for technologically challenging oil and gas well drilling and production techniques within Oklahoma to encourage more drilling within the state.^[7] Those tax breaks, periodically renewed by the Legislature, continue today.

In January 2004, Easley resigned his Senate seat to become the Executive Director of the Grand River Development Authority.^[8] The state-owned electric utility is fully funded by revenues from electric and water sales, serves nearly 500,000 homes in Oklahoma, and manages 70,000 surface acres of lakes in the state, including Grand Lake, Lake Hudson and the W.R. Holway Reservoir.^[9]

Under his leadership, the Authority:

Created a new Assistant General Manager position in 2004 to formulate marketing plans and to get long-term power provider contracts to secure future revenue streams for the authority. It also, in the same year, created a new Office of Ecosystems Management within the authority to clean shorelines, to map structures and docks at Grand Lake and to improve the authority’s stewardship of the natural resources under the its control.^[10]
Focused in 2005 on adding conservation and reclamation projects that included water quality studies, boater and sportsmen educational programs, and habitat improvement projects undertaken with cooperation from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board and Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.^[11]
Prepared a final draft in late 2007 of a shoreline management plan for Grand Lake to serve as a blueprint for future development around the 46,500-acre surface lake.^[12]
Issued more than $575 million in revenue bonds in 2008 to make various system upgrades, including buying part ownership of a natural gas-fired power plant to add to the authority’s portfolio of dams and coal-fired generating stations. The authority successfully sold the bonds at an attractive interest rate because of improved credit ratings brought about by solid management of the authority by its officers and board.^[13]
Built and opened in 2009 a new Ecosystems and Education Center at Grand Lake that includes a water quality laboratory, storage facilities and conference space for lectures and public educational programs.^[14]

Honors and memberships

In 2002, Easley was named Man of the Year by the Oklahoma Rural Water Association in appreciation and recognition of his dedicated service and leadership at the local, state and national levels to promote the development and expansion of rural water systems, and for his exceptional efforts to assure an adequate supply of good quality water for all rural Oklahomans.

In 2002, Easley also received the President’s Award from the Grand Lake Association in recognition of his outstanding contributions and his continued support of the Grand Lake area.

In 2004, Easley received a Special Recognition Award from the South Grand Lake Area Chamber of Commerce (known as the Grand Lake Area Chamber of Commerce in 2014) honoring him for “outstanding and dedicated service making Grand Lake the most desirable location in Oklahoma.”

Easley served on the American Public Power Association Board of Directors from 2006 through 2010, and served on the American Public Power Association’s Executive Committee from 2009 through 2010.

Easley served on the Executive Committee of the United States Energy Council from 1994 to 2004.

Easley served on the Southwest Power Pool Board of Directors from 2005 to 2011.

Easley currently serves on the Tulsa Regional Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.^[15]

Controversy

In 2006, The Oklahoman reported the state-owned Grand River Dam Authority spent $117,375 last year to sponsor events and projects such as bass tournaments, rodeos, boat shows and runway expansions. One of the largest single amounts, $9,000, was used to buy a scoreboard for a youth football complex in Broken Arrow

Easley received a substantial pay hike in May 2010 by creating the new position of director of investments and giving Easley that title.

The report said the GRDA remodel office space in Oklahoma City's Bricktown in 2005, 2007 when the GRDA provided about $140,000 worth of equipment, labor and materials to the South Grand Lake Airport Authority

Personal life

Easley is married to DeaAnn Winkle. They have three children and reside in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

References

1 2 , New Dominion, LLC (accessed Jan. 15, 2014)
↑ January 6, 1985 40th Legislature Has Bipartisan Look, The Oklahoman, January 6, 1985. (accessed January 15, 2014, Registration Required)
↑ May 31, 1985 Governor to Settle Debate Over Seat Belt Bill, The Oklahoman, May 31, 1985. (accessed January 15, 2014, Registration Required)
↑ March 25, 1992 State Limits Gas Output, The Oklahoman, March 25, 1992. (accessed January 15, 2014, Registration Required)
↑ April 20, 1993 House Oks Plan For Oil Production Fee Expansion, The Oklahoman, April 20, 1993. (accessed January 15, 2014, Registration Required)
↑ May 2, 1993 Agency Taking Environmental Reins, The Oklahoman, May 2, 1993 (accessed January 15, 2014, Registration Required)
↑ May 25, 1994 House Oks Tax Break For Drillers, The Oklahoman, May 25, 1994 (accessed January 15, 2014, Registration Required)
↑ January 23, 2004 Senator may resign for new job, The Oklahoman, January 23, 2004 (accessed January 15, 2014, Registration Required)
↑ , Grand River Development Authority (accessed January 14, 2014
↑ , Grand River Dam Authority 2004 Annual Financial Report (accessed January 15, 2014)
↑ Grand River Dam Authority 2005 Annual Financial Report (accessed January 15, 2014)
↑ Grand River Dam Authority 2007 Annual Financial Report (accessed January 15, 2014)
↑ Grand River Dam Authority 2008 Annual Financial Report (accessed January 15, 2014)
↑ Grand River Dam Authority 2009 Annual Financial Report (accessed January 15, 2014)
↑ Tulsa Regional Chamber Board of Directors (accessed Jan. 17, 2014)

External links

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