Special Guest: Blayne Arthur
On Jan. 14, 2019, Blayne Arthur was sworn in by Gov. Kevin Stitt as the Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture—the state’s first female to hold the position. She acts as Gov. Stitt’s chief advisor on policy development and implementation related to agriculture, food and forestry, and holds the titles of Oklahoma Commissioner of Agriculture and the president of the Oklahoma State Board of Agriculture.
Secretary Arthur grew up in Chickasha, Oklahoma, where her family raised horses, cattle, wheat, alfalfa and soybeans. Upon graduating from Oklahoma State University in 2004, with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics, Secretary Arthur took a role in small-business financing for Rural Enterprises Inc. and traveled throughout Oklahoma. Secretary Arthur began her tenure at the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry in 2009, working for Secretary Terry Peach and later as the Deputy Commissioner of Agriculture for Secretary Jim Reese where she stayed from 2011 to 2016. In 2016, she served as the executive director for the Oklahoma 4-H Foundation until her appointment by Gov. Stitt.
Secretary Arthur is the president of Food Export-Midwest, and she served as the president of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture for the 2023-24 term. She served as the president of the Midwestern Association of State Departments of Agriculture in 2019. She is the 2016 Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association Distinguished Service Award recipient and remains active in Oklahoma Farm Bureau, Diamond Hats, Oklahoma Beef Council, and Oklahoma 4-H and FFA programs. Arthur has been selected for multiple honors, including Oklahoma Agricultural Leadership Program Class XV, a Journal Record 2011 Achievers Under 40 honoree, a Journal Record Fifty Making a Difference honoree in 2019 and 2020, and the 2014 Oklahoma Agricultural Woman of the Year.
Secretary Arthur married Jerrod Arthur in 2006 and they have two children, Kelton and Kennedy, who both enjoy showing cattle and horses. The Arthur family lives east of Stillwater and raises show cattle for 4-H and FFA members.
Dean's Dialogue
January 27, 2025
4-5 p.m.
Agricultural Hall - Room 135
Oklahoma State University