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OPEA Staff
Dixie Jackson

OPEA Co-Founder and CO-Executive Director, legal advocacy

Dixie currently serves as the Employee/Legal Advocate Coordinator at the Oklahoma Public Employees Association (OPEA), a role where she fervently champions OPEA members within agencies and the Civil Service Division of Oklahoma Human Capital Management. With a rich background, she has excelled as Director of Risk Management and Security at Griffin Memorial Hospital and holds accolades as State President of OPEA, including service on the Board of Directors. Notably, she’s a recipient of OPEA’s prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award. 

Her academic journey earned her an associate degree in emergency management from Oklahoma Community College and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Oklahoma. Dixie is a certified mediator recognized by the State of Oklahoma Supreme Court. Her unyielding pursuit of knowledge is evident through continuous education, particularly in human resources, FMLA, and government employment rules & policy. 

Residing in Noble, Oklahoma, Dixie’s community involvement extends to her church and local civic groups. Treasured moments are those spent with her grandchildren, Shepard and Shenandoah. She loves attending OU football games, relishing movies, and playing board/card games. 

Candice Scarpitti McDonald

Membership Director
Southeast Oklahoma
Membership Representative

Candice Steele McDonald is the Director of Membership for the Association. She has worked for OPEA for 13 years. As Director of Membership, Candice helps with recruitment and retention of OPEA members including conducting membership meetings and helping active members become more involved in the Association. She also handles a lot of the bookkeeping for OPEA.
 
 
Candice is an Oklahoma native, who was raised in Krebs. After graduating from McAlester High School, she attended The University of Oklahoma obtaining a Bachelor of Psychology. Before OPEA, she was employed with Oklahoma’s Department of Human Services in child welfare. As an OPEA member during that time, Candice worked to ensure privatization in child welfare was minimized. She has testified in front of the legislature regarding several issues including privatization, compensation, and retirement benefits. Candice has completed the Nonprofit Management Certification Program from the Oklahoma Center for Non-Profits.
 
Candice is a proud, loud Italian whose heritage runs deep. In what little spare time she has, she enjoys cheering on the Sooners, watching trashy reality tv, sipping on a nice glass of red wine, and spending time with her close-knit family. Candice and her husband, Brandon, live in Antlers with her three beautiful daughters, Amerie, Adalie, and Emmalign, their 2 dogs, Duke and Ace, and their cat, Merlin. Candice is involved in several organizations local to Antlers including the Pushmataha County Coalition, St. Agnes Alter Society, Pushmataha County PARB, and 111Project.
GENE BLANKENSHIP​

Deputy Director

Eugene “Gene” Blankenship grew up in Spiro, Oklahoma, and graduated from Spiro High School. He then attended Carl Albert State College, earning an associate’s degree in journalism. He continued his education at Bacone College, obtaining another associate’s degree, and later attended Northeastern State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree with a triple concentration in Psychology, Media Relations, and Criminal Justice. Gene resides in Gore, Oklahoma, with his wife Stacy and their four children: Addyson, Dawson, Colton, and Gideon. The family enjoys outdoor activities such as kayaking, fishing, ball games
 
Gene began his career at OPEA as the Northeastern Regional Field Organizer, later adding Social Media Manager duties and later he was appointed to the position of Deputy Director of OPEA. Throughout his career, Blankenship has developed a deep understanding of the importance of advocating for the rights of state workers. He has experience as a child abuse investigator in both Arkansas and Oklahoma, working for both states gave Gene a unique perspective on state employee issues. After several years working for the State of Oklahoma, he joined the Oklahoma Public Employees Association to support fellow state employees facing various issues. Prior to his state employment, Blankenship held several positions in Muskogee County, including Emergency Management Director, Floodplain Administrator, and County Safety Compliance Officer. He also volunteered as a Reserve CLEET Certified Deputy for the Muskogee County Sheriff’s Department where he graduated from the CLEET academy in 2004. At Bacone College, he served as Governmental Liaison & Tribal Liaison then moving up to Director of Governmental Relations and later as Vice President for Institutional Advancement, overseeing multiple departments. Since 1992, he has been actively involved in local, state, and federal campaigns, consistently working toward positive change.
 
In addition to his public service, Blankenship is a dedicated advocate for kidney patients. He is a member of the Dialysis Patient Citizens Board of Directors, where he serves as Chair of the Governance Committee and a member of the Policy Committee. DPC appointed Gene to the Kidney Care Partners Association as the DPC representative. He is also an Ambassador for the American Kidney Fund and a Champion Ambassador for the PKD Foundation. Gene serves on the Advisory Council to the Goodness Village Little Rock Board of Trustees and is an Ambassador for the National Kidney Foundation, where he serves on the Oklahoma Advisory Board of Directors. Gene is a proud member of the Cherokee Nation.
 
 
Gene Blankenship
Deputy Director
918-851-6589 (Cell)
13 N.E. 28th Street
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
www.opea.org
@oklapea

Chelsea Smith

Co-Executive Director and Legal Council