Senate committee advances Amy Blackburn as tourism director after hearing $191 million parks maintenance backlog

Amy Blackburn, the governornominee for executive director of the Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation, was advanced to the full Senate by the Senate Economic Development, Workforce and Tourism Committee after a 9-0 committee vote on April 23, 2026.

The committeeheard Blackburn summarize her approach to the statewide park system and marketing strategy. Blackburn said the agency submitted a five-year plan through OMES that "totaled a $191,000,000 throughout our state park system, which includes 38 state parks, 6 lodges, 7 golf courses, and over 80,000 acres of land throughout the state." She told the committee the department is prioritizing strategic spending, reallocating dollars and seeking grant opportunities to address deferred maintenance before creating new assets.

Why it matters: the nomination places a long-serving tourism executive in charge of a system with a sizable backlog of capital needs and a limited marketing budget. Blackburn told senators the departmenttravel promotion budget is "capped at $5,750,000 out of apportionment," and said the agency is exploring how to make that funding go further and evaluate nonstate funding options.

Committee members pressed Blackburn on operational priorities, restaurant concessions at state parks and the departmentplan for triaging deferred maintenance. Blackburn said the department had received bids for park restaurants and expected to evaluate and award a new contract in the summer. On historic-site marketing, she said the tourism department collaborates with the Oklahoma Historical Society and has an active campaign focused on western heritage and Native American heritage.

Senators who questioned Blackburn praised her communication and asked for continued coordination on funding and long-term maintenance plans. The committeerecorded a unanimous roll-call vote of 9 ayes and 0 nays to advance Blackburnto the full Senate for confirmation.

Next steps: the nomination will be considered by the full Senate; committee members said they expect to continue oversight of park maintenance planning and budget requests as Blackburn transitions into the role.