Oklahoma Labor Commissioner
Nov 30, 2017
Melissa Houston, JD
Oklahoma Labor Commissioner

Melissa McLawhorn Houston serves the State of Oklahoma as Commissioner of Labor. She was appointed to office by Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin on November 20th, 2015.

Houston is an experienced administrator in state government and has considerable experience in state agency operational management, legislative process, and budgeting. Houston also has an in-depth background in public policy and played a key role in criminal justice reform efforts and federal anti-terrorism legislation. As a survivor of the Oklahoma City Murrah bombing, she is a frequent speaker on the impact of terrorism.

Previously, she served as Chief of Staff for the Oklahoma Attorney General and for the Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security.

Houston attended the University of Oklahoma where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Letters and a Juris Doctor. She is active in the community serving on several boards including the Oklahoma City National Memorial and is a graduate of Leadership Oklahoma and Leadership Norman.

She and her husband, Ben Houston, who also is an attorney, live in Norman with their two young sons.