Susan Savage
Susan Savage had a remarkable career of progressive advancement in municipal government before being appointed, in January 2003, to her current position as Oklahoma Secretary of State. Her municipal service began in 1974, when she became a pre-trial representative for the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas after graduation from Arcadia University in Glenside, Pennsylvania. Mary Susan Savage's career eventually led to becoming the first woman to serve as Mayor of Tulsa, a position she held for almost 10 years, the longest tenure of any mayor of that city.
In 1996, she was named by Newsweek magazine as one of "25 Mayors to Watch." During her tenure as Mayor, she represented local governments in a number of state and national positions including:
Serving on the EPA Air Quality Standards and Urban Air Toxics National Study Groups;
As a member of Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence;
Serving as a panelist on the Harvard University New Urbanism Conference;
In testimony before Congress on water quality, aviation investment and disaster mitigation,
As a member of the Oklahoma Academy for State Goals;
As a Director of Volunteers of America,
Seven years as one of two local government officials on the President's Council of Sustainable Development, and
As one of eight U.S. mayors selected by the Aspen Institutes' Transatlantic Mayor's Summit to discuss globalization with counterparts from France and Germany.
Prior to joining the Tulsa city administration, she served for 10 years as the first Executive Director of the Metropolitan Tulsa Citizens Crime Commission. In May 1988, Mayor Rodger Randle tapped her to serve as his Chief of Staff and Mayor Pro Tem. She was then elected mayor during a 1992 special election, defeating 52 other candidates.
As Mayor of Tulsa, she was closely identified with efforts to promote gender and racial diversity in government. In addition, she served on the National Recreation Lakes Study Commission and as a Trustee and Executive Committee member for the U.S. Conference of Mayors. In 2002, the Oklahoma Legislature formally recognized her work on highway funding, airline service, water quality, historic preservation, and municipal taxation for its importance to the state as a whole.
Her service has also been recognized with:
an Honorary Doctor of Laws from her alma mater,
the Hope Leadership Award,
selection for and graduation from the Mayor's Institute on City Design,
the UAW Walter P. Reuther Distinguished Service Award,
the Oklahoma Human Rights Award,
the Special Leadership Award of the Community Service Council of Greater Tulsa,
and as the Elected Official of the Year by both the Oklahoma Floodplain Management Association and the Resource Center for the Physically Limited.