KINGFISHER -- Gov. Kevin Stitt recently appointed former Oklahoma State Rep. and House Majority Leader Mike Sanders to serve a five-year term on the Oklahoma Funeral Board. The 116-year-old, sevenmember, Funeral Board is the state licensing and regulatory agency for the funeral service profession. The mission of the board is to act in the public interest, and for the protection of the public within the powers vested by the State of Oklahoma for the regulation and education of the funeral service profession.
“It’s an honor to be asked to serve the citizens of Oklahoma in this capacity,” Sanders said. “With my family background in the funeral business and my former service in the state Legislature, I feel I can bring a unique combination of perspectives to the board.”
A native of Western Oklahoma, Sanders has devoted his entire career to public service. He served District 59 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives for 12 years until he was term-limited in 2020. Previously, he was Director of White House Interns for former President George W. Bush. He later was recruited to the U.S. Department of Agriculture remaining a political appointee under President George W. Bush, as Deputy Chief of Staff for Rural Development and as Senior Advisor to the Chief of Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Additionally, for his dedicated service to the White House and Nation on September 11, 2001, Sanders was awarded the Distinguished Honor Service Award by the President of the United States, George W. Bush.
Most recently, Sanders was appointed by President Donald J. Trump in January 2021 to serve on the Community Development Advisory Board which is a three year term, a position he still holds today. He was also appointed by Oklahoma House Speaker Charles McCall to serve as a member of the State Governmental Technology Applications Review Board in April 2021.
Sanders of Kingfisher, OK, owns his own business, Sanders Strategy and Consulting Group LLC. He is a graduate of Oklahoma Christian University with a bachelor’s in history/prelaw. He is married to Nellie Sanders. They have two sons, Davis and Walker.