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Representative Derrel Fincher (R-Bartlesville), filed for re-election with the Oklahoma State Election Board to run for Oklahoma State House District 11.

Fincher was first elected to the House in 2018. A graduate of Bartlesville Sooner High School and Oklahoma State University, Fincher worked in Oklahoma, throughout the U.S., and internationally prior to being elected.

"Smart decisions will need to be made in the coming years to assure that all Oklahomans are on their way to recovery from the effects the COVID-19 crisis. People are hurting, and right now I am focused on addressing people’s needs and the effects of the pandemic here in Oklahoma.”, said Fincher. He said Oklahoma will have challenges that it has not faced in decades, and one of the things Oklahoma will need is leaders with experience. The experience is not to be used to rehash the past, but rather to avoid the pitfalls of the future as we move forward.

“States that recover quickly will do so because their citizens heeded the advice from health experts. Although this is frustrating, it is necessary to get through this crisis. Oklahomans are doing well in this effort, and we can begin to put the pieces back together to get the economy going and get people back to work. I am committed to helping the citizens of District 11 and the state get back on sure footing,” said Fincher.

Recently, Fincher authored the Oklahomans Virtually Everywhere Act to make Oklahoma the leader in virtual presence. Through this effort, state agencies working on the Oklahomans Virtually Everywhere Act have begun constructing a roadmap for the goal of supporting Oklahomans in sharing their expertise throughout the world while doing so from the comfort of their homes. Fincher said Oklahoma will start to see more people teaching their kids from home or working from home. He said we will also see more tele-health.

Prior to serving as the District 11 representative, Fincher worked throughout the U.S. and in Japan with oil field services company Schlumberger and has been a teacher and IT director in schools. “One of my goals is to eliminate the ‘homework gap,’ where some students have limited or no Internet access at home. We now see how critical being connected is. That will also help more people take advantage of telehealth services and be able to stay in their communities to work,” Fincher said.

Fincher's wife of 41 years, Bridgette, a veteran public-school teacher, is an elementary science and mathematics university professor preparing future teachers. They have two children, are proud grandparents of their fifth-generation Oklahoman grandchildren and are active members of the First Presbyterian Church in Bartlesville.