Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt appoints Shelley Zumwalt as new Tourism and Recreation director

Gov. Kevin Stitt has tapped a current state agency head to take over as the director of the Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation.

Oklahoma Employment Security Commission Director Shelley Zumwalt will now oversee the tourism department, which came under immense scrutiny for its now-defunct contracts with Swadley's to operate restaurants in some state parks.

Zumwalt succeeds former Stitt appointee Jerry Winchester, who resigned in April after multiple investigations began to probe the departments contracts with Swadley's. That same month, the agency canceled its partnership with the local barbecue chain and the state filed a breach of contract lawsuit against the business.

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After working up through the ranks of state government, Zumwalt took the helm at the commission during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The agency was grappling with an unprecedented number of people seeking unemployment assistance.

Zumwalt oversaw the distribution of more than $5 billion in federal and state benefits.

After the commission's offices were inundated with people seeking unemployment assistance, the agency began hosting large-scale events to process unemployment claims for hundreds of people.

“Shelley is smart, hardworking and boasts a proven and impressive track record of strong leadership during her time at the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission,” Stitt said in a news release. “I look forward to her taking on this new role and am confident in her ability to promote our great state.”

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Zumwalt started in state government as an entry-level budget analyst. She worked in the governor's office during the Fallin administration and also held leading roles at the Oklahoma Health Care Authority and Office of Management and Enterprise Services.

She said her prior state service will guide her in this new role.

"I am excited to devote my time and passion to an agency that is vital to Oklahoma’s economy and state identity," Zumwalt said in a statement. "I’m grateful to have been able to lead OESC and its dedicated staff at such a pivotal time in state history and I’m ready to take on this new and important challenge.”

Stitt on Tuesday also appointed the president of an Oklahoma investment company to serve as the state's secretary of commerce and workforce development. Chad Mariska, of Tulsa, replaces Scott Mueller, a veteran of Goldman Sachs in New York and Dallas.

Mueller recently resigned from the cabinet post after starting in the role last year.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Stitt appoints Shelley Zumwalt to lead Oklahoma Tourism Department