Mary Fallin
Congresswoman - 5th District, Oklahoma

KEYNOTE - SALUTE TO OKLAHOMA'S ENERGY PRESENT
September 13th, 2007

Congresswoman Mary Fallin represents the Fifth District of Oklahoma, which includes most of Oklahoma County and all of Pottawatomie and Seminole Counties. Overwhelmingly elected in November 2006, Fallin is the first woman to represent Oklahoma in Congress since 1920. She is a life-long conservative dedicated to representing Oklahoma values in Washington.

Fallin currently serves on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Committee on Small Business. She also serves on the Executive Committee of the National Republican Congressional Committee, Small Business Chair on the Republican Policy Committee and Vice Chairman of the Women’s Caucus.

History in Public Office
Fallin is no newcomer to public service; she first took office in 1990 as a state legislator. During her two terms as a State Representative she was recognized by the American Legislative Exchange Council as Legislator of the Year and named Guardian of Small Business by the National Federation of Independent Business.

Fallin became Oklahoma’s first woman and first Republican Lieutenant Governor in 1995. As lieutenant governor, Fallin served as President of the Senate and on 10 boards and commissions that impact the quality of life and business in Oklahoma, including the Tourism and Recreation Commission, State Board of Equalization, Oklahoma Land Commission and Film Advisory Commission. She pursued an aggressive agenda focusing on economic development, education, health care and government reform during her 12 years in office.

Fallin worked to promote economic growth and increase economic opportunities for Oklahomans throughout her three terms as lieutenant governor. In the Cabinet-level position of small business advocate during the Keating administration, Fallin championed the cause of small business in Oklahoma by fighting the rising cost of health insurance and excessive government regulation. Fallin was also instrumental in initiating several economic development events including the first-ever Oklahoma Aerospace Summit & Expo, Small Business Day at the Capitol and Telecommunications Day at the Capitol. She also hosted the Lieutenant Governor’s Invitational Turkey Hunt.

Fallin has also worked hard to keep Oklahoma’s children safe and ensure them a bright future. In the wake of the tragic Oklahoma City bombing, she formed a task force to rebuild the childcare center lost in the disaster. Fallin also initiated Project Homesafe, a gun safety program that has distributed more than 80,000 free cable gun locks to Oklahomans.

Many organizations and civic groups have recognized Fallin for her service over the years. She has been honored with numerous awards including Women in Communication’s Woman in the News Award, induction into the Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame, Clarence E. Page Award, induction into the Oklahoma Aviation Hall of Fame, 1998 Woman of the Year in Government and 1993 Legislator of the Year.

Personal Story
Fallin comes from a family with strong ties to public service. Her mother and father both served terms as mayor of Tecumseh, where she was raised. A native of Tecumseh and a current resident of Oklahoma City, Fallin is a long-time resident of the Fifth District. She is a graduate of Tecumseh High School and attended Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee. Fallin also holds a degree from Oklahoma State University. She and her two children, Christina and Price, make their home in Oklahoma City, where they are active members of Crossings Community Church.

Irma S. Russell
Professor of Law & Director of NELPI

KEYNOTE - SALUTE TO OKLAHOMA'S ENERGY FUTURE
November 1st, 2007

Professor Russell recently joined the faculty at the University of Tulsa College of Law as NELPI Professor and Director of The National Energy-Environment Law & Policy Institute. Professor Russell is the chair of the ABA Committee on Global Oil & Gas of the ABA Section of Environment, Energy and Resources and a member of the ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility, the committee that issues formal opinions as an interpretive aid to the Model Rules of Professional Conduct. She is also a member of the Professionalism Committee of the ABA Section on Legal Education. Her recent publication include: The Power Structure: Energy, Politics, and the Public Interest in the LNG Debate (forthcoming in the Houston Energy Law Journal), the second edition of a chapter on Issues of Legal Ethics in Environmental Justice Matters in Environmental Justice, an ABA book edited by Mike Gerrard, Beyond the Private Attorney General: Delegation of Enforcement of Environmental Permits (forthcoming in an IUCN publication), and The Lawyer as Public Citizen: Meeting the Pro Bono Challenge, 72 UMKC LAW REVIEW 1 (2004) (included in the Innovations in Pro Bono Practice Symposium). Professor Russell’s recent publications include a book, Issues of Legal Ethics in the Practice of Environmental Law, available from ABA Publications and a chapter on Legal Ethics in The Law of Environmental Justice, a book published by the American Bar Association.

In practice, Professor Russell represented potentially responsible parties, government entities, lenders, and other clients in matters arising under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and on other environmental issues such as wetlands designation and site mitigation plans. She has served as the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Ethics Committee, and as Section Liaison to the ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility. She was founding Chair of the Memphis Bar Association Environmental Law Section and also served as Chair of the Tennessee Bar Association Environmental Section. Professor Russell is also a member of the American Law Institute, the Judicial Conference for the Tenth Judicial Circuit, and Phi Kappa Phi.