Keri Fothergill appointed as Tulsa County District 2 Chief Deputy under Karen Keith

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Earlier this month, Keri Fothergill was appointed District 2 Commissioner Karen Keith’s Chief Deputy. Fothergill replaces John Fothergill who moved to the Tulsa County Treasurer’s Office to serve as First Deputy.

Keri Fothergill comes to Tulsa County from the City of Tulsa where she most recently served in the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development as Development and Constituent Services Liaison. In this capacity, Fothergill coordinated and facilitated business and land development procedures, projects, and programs for the City.

Throughout her career, Fothergill has served in numerous related functions including:

  • Community Involvement Coordinator for City of Tulsa Refuse and Recycling Department

  • Constituent Services/Real Estate for Mayor Dewey F. Bartlett, Jr.

  • Commercial Project Manager/Government Liaison for Williams & Williams Auction

  • Council Legislative Aide for Tulsa City Council

  • Mayoral Aide for Mayor Bill LaFortune and Mayor Susan Savage

  • Event Coordinator for Tulsa Metro Chamber

The Sand Springs resident has also served as Commissioner for the Sand Springs Planning and Development Commissions. She was also a Tulsa Global Alliance Board Member.

“I’ve worked as a public servant since 2001, but this is the first opportunity for me to have my day job impact my own community,” said Fothergill. “Working for the City of Tulsa was wonderful; I look forward to working in District 2 with the people I call friends and neighbors. I will be their champion and help them make an impact not only in District 2 but through all of Tulsa County.”

Echoing Fothergill’s sentiments, Commissioner Keith said “The common thread through all Keri’s extensive experience, which I saw firsthand when I worked with her at the City, is her focus on serving as a liaison between the government and its constituents. This simply made her the best choice for my new Chief Deputy. The ease with which she can develop, coordinate, and implement initiatives that positively affect the community and the local government is just one of the many reasons I approached her about this position. I am so pleased she is on board and am looking forward to all she will accomplish.”

Jack Blair, Chief of Staff for Mayor G.T. Bynum, said of Keri’s movement to the County, “Keri is the most diligent and hard-working person I’ve worked with on a regular basis since I started working with the City. We were very sorry to lose her, but we know she’ll do an outstanding job for the County. The work she’ll be doing is the kind of work she was doing so effectively here—she solves problems for constituents, and she does that better than anyone else I know.”

Those in the development community have also noted how valuable Fothergill will be in her new role at the County.

“Keri is a highly accomplished and credible individual,” said Stacey Bayles, Director of Association Issues for the Home Builders Association (HBA) of Greater Tulsa. “She will certainly be able to build upon what John did and what can be done in the future. She earned her nickname with us as ‘the fixer’ because of her ability to facilitate relationships. It’s what allows the ‘fixing’ to occur. She’s just tremendous at relationship building. We hated to lose her as a partner with the City, but this is an important step for the relevance of the County, and we see it as nothing but a positive move.”

Jeff Smith, Executive Vice President/CEO for of the HBA of Greater Tulsa, expanded on Bayles comments, saying “Honest and accessible, Keri Fothergill recognizes that the issues, problems, and misunderstandings that affect business are not only important for the businesses themselves, but for the public sector agencies that depend on private sector resources. For almost two decades, Keri has provided constituents with the highest level of customer service that is responsive and results driven. In particular, the HBA holds Keri Fothergill in the highest esteem for her industry knowledge and effective communication. Without a doubt, she is the right person to address the needs and concerns of Tulsa County constituents now and in the future.”