In This Biography
Kevin Stitt Biography, Career, Age, Education, Family, Politics, and Net Worth.
Who is Kevin Stitt?
Kevin Stitt ( Joh Kevin Stitt) is an American entrepreneur and a politician, serving as the governor of Oklahoma since 2019. In addition, he is the founder and former chairman and CEO of Gateway Mortgage Group. Moreover, Kevin is a Member of the Republican Paty and he was elected to office in 2018.
Being a member of the Cherokee Nation, he is the first tribally enrolled Native American to serve as governor of the United States. In addition, he is the second governor of Native descent after Johnstone Murray.
Career
Financial services
Prior to joining politics and founding the Gateway, he was working in the financial services sector. In 2000, he founded Gateway and he was the president and the Ceo of the company until January 2014. Moreover, Kevin stated that he started Gateway company with only $1000 and one computer.
As he was starting his first challenge was obtaining approval as a Federal Housing Administration (FHA) lender, which required a $50,000 net worth. However, he managed to use the equity in his home to do this.
Step by step Gateway started growing and by 2002 it had acquired its first warehouse line and started obtaining licensing in states other than Oklahoma. As a result of the growth, it started recruiting loan officers and by 2006, the company had more than 400 employees.
Moreover, in August 2018 Kevin stepped down as CEO and sought outside management. However, he remained chairman until he was appointed as governor, and Legal Counsel Scott Gesell became CEO in 2020. Gateway is a medium-sized business headquartered in Jenks, Oklahoma. It has about 1,200 employees and originates loans in 41 states.
How Old Is Kevin Stitt?
He was born on December 28th, 1972, and currently, he is 48 years old.
Kevin Stitt Family
Who are Kevin’s Parents?
He was born in Milton, Florida to Joyce Stitt and John Stitt, he grew up in Wyne Oklahoma and later relocated to Norman, where his father was a pastor of Riverside Church.
Does He Have Siblings?
He has not yet disclosed any information about his siblings, but we will update it as soon as possible.
Kevin Stitt Education
Stitt attended Norman High School. After that, he joined Oklahoma State University where he graduated with a degree in accounting. While he was studying he was selling educational products door to door with Southwestern Advantage. Moreover, he was the first person in the company’s 115-year history to achieve top sales as a first-year salesperson.
Kevin Stitt Wife
He is happily married to Sarah Hazen. They got married in 1998 and they have stuck with each other up to date.
Kevin Stitt Kids
Stitt and his wife have been blessed with six children. In addition, he is a member of the Woodlake Church in Tulsa.
Gateway Mortgage
After years of rapid growth, some of its employees made a non-compliant loan which led to their dismissal. In addition in 2009, it was listed by Business Insider as one of the 15 shadiest lenders in the government-backed mortgage industry.
2018 Oklahoma Gubernatorial Race
In July 2017, he declared his bid to run for the governorship of Oklahoma through the Republican Party Ticket in the 2018 election. In the primary election, he was battling nine other candidates. He a run a statewide campaign where he made a stop at every city in all 77 counties. After the primary election, he finished second. However, the number one in the primary didn’t reach the required percentages of the votes and they had to go for a runoff election.
Moreover, in the August 28 primary runoff, Kevin beat Mick Cornett, a former mayor of Oklahoma City. After that, he defeated the Democratic contender, former Attorney General Drew Edmondson, and Libertarian Chris Powell in the general election in November.
During the GOP runoff, he was endorsed by different veterans in politics, including Ted Cruz, a US Senator, and Rick Santorum, a former US Senator. At this point, he was still a freshman in politics. In addition, he also received an endorsement from Tom Coburn.
Furthermore, in the general election, he received endorsement from Mick Cornetta, Mary Fallin, an incumbent governor of Oklahoma. Furthermore, he was endorsed by then-President Donald Trump.
However, in a press release, the Kevin team quickly rejected Fallin’s endorsement: “We did not seek Fallin’s endorsement, and Kevin Stitt has campaigned on the promise of doing things differently. He’s focused on altering the state government’s structure and clearing up the existing mess at the Capitol.”
While he was campaigning, he describes himself as the only job creator with proven business experience running for governor, he also emphasized his business background.
He urged the state to be “top ten in employment creation, top ten in education, and top ten in infrastructure.” The tight race garnered heightened attention from national media and political figures for the general election. endorsed Stitt.
Serving as the Governor of Oklahoma
Kevin won the general election, and transition activities started as he waited to take the office. However, the Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services Spokesperson stated that Kevin will occupy the Capital office space in the meantime. This was because the governor’s office was going through a restoration project. Furthermore, Kevin also announced that he was not going to relocate his family from Jenks to Governors Mansion in Oklahoma City. He was going to reside in Jenks until the 2019 summer in order for his daughter to graduate.
Inauguration
As the new governor, he took the oath of office on January 14, 2019, at the Oklahoma State Capitol. He was sworn in together with his lieutenant governor Matt Pinnell by Oklahoma Chief Justice Noma Gurich. During the inauguration, he gave a fifteen-minute inaugural address.
Administration Personnel
Before he the office, he nominated Michael Rogers, a former state Representative as his secretary of state. In addition, he also appointed Michael Junk, Tulsa Mayor and a former advisor to US Senators Jim Inhofe and Tom Coburn as his chief staff.
Lisa Johnson Billy became the first member of Kevin’s cabinet to quit on December 23, 2019. She cited differences with Stitt over his handling of discussions with the state’s different Indian tribes over casino compacts. Billy, a Chickasaw Nation member, and former Republican state lawmaker described Stitt’s negotiating posture as one of “unnecessary confrontation.”
After her resignation, Kevin assigned her duties to Mike Rogers the State Secretary, and asked him to combine the two positions.
Kevin Stitt Height /Measurement
Stitt stands at a stature of 1.68 m tall and weighs 71 kg.
Kevin Stitt’s Net Worth
As a successful businessman and politician, his net worth s estimated to be over $ 1 million.
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