Governor Fallin Announces Appointment of Larry Parman as Secretary of State

OKLAHOMA CITY – Governor Mary Fallin announced today that Larry V. Parman of Oklahoma City will be appointed secretary of state and will begin serving on March 1, 2013. Parman replaces Michelle Day, who has been acting as interim secretary of state since February 1. He will serve as a senior advisor to the governor on policy, economic and legislative issues. The appointment requires the confirmation of the Oklahoma State Senate.

 “Larry Parman is a successful and experienced businessman who knows what it takes to create jobs in this challenging economy,” said Fallin. “He will be a great asset to the state and to my office as we work to develop and implement reforms that improve our business environment and spur private sector growth.”

“My thanks also go out to both former Secretary of State Glenn Coffee and Michelle Day,” Fallin continued. “Both performed their duties enthusiastically and well. I know Larry will continue the tradition of excellence in the Office of the Secretary of State.”

 Since 1984 Parman has served as the CEO of Parman & Easterday, an Oklahoma City estate planning, elder law and business planning firm that has served over 4,000 clients throughout the Midwest.  He has also been a partner in Notch It Up Strategies LLC, a firm that offers marketing and executive development programs to business owners and C-level executives.  Parman also served as President of The Hawthorn Group, a public affairs firm in Alexandria, Virginia and President and CEO of Trencor, Incorporated, an Oklahoma-based financial holding firm.  He is the author or co-author of multiple books on estate planning, financial planning and business, including  Above the Fray: Leading Yourself, Your Business and Others During Turbulent Times, published in 2013 by Glazer-Kennedy Publishing, a New York City based publishing firm.  

“Serving on Governor Fallin’s cabinet is an honor to which I am greatly looking forward to,” said Parman. “Oklahoma is blessed to have a governor and a Legislature firmly committed to moving this state forward. I look forward to working with them both on policies and reforms that will help to build a stronger and more prosperous state.”  

Parman has served on the board of directors for a variety of civic and business related institutions, including the Oklahoma Council on Economic Development, the Research Institute for Economic Development and Junior Achievement of Oklahoma City, where he also served as chairman of the board for two terms.  He is a current member of the Oklahoma and Missouri Bar Associations and the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys.

Parman also served as a captain in the U.S. Army. He received an honorable discharge in 1978.

Parman received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia and his law degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law.

He and his wife, Darlene, have two children, Alexandra Parman Pitts of Portland, Oregon and Scott Parman of Oklahoma City.