Longtime OPEA member Carrie Croy was elected as the next OPEA president in balloting that concluded earlier this month. The results of the election, in which 725 members cast votes, were approved by the OPEA election committee. Ms. Croy will be formally introduced as OPEA president elect during next week’s annual convention at Sequoya State Park. She is a supervisor for the Probation and Parole Division of the Department of Corrections and has worked for DOC for the 13 years. She earned a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Oklahoma and a Master’s degree from Boston University. She is currently in her first term as OPEA Vice-President and has been an OPEA member since joining state service in 2003. She has served on the Board of Directors for 10 years. Carrie also served our country in the United States Navy and is a disabled veteran.
“I’m looking forward to beginning my term and want to thank OPEA members who voted in this election,” she said. “OPEA is much stronger when members get involved. Even though Oklahoma has significant budget challenges facing us, OPEA will continue to work to improve state employment for active state employees. When the legislative session begins we must be proactive by telling state leaders that we must not further damage state services by asking agencies to further cut their budgets. Oklahoma must find new sources of revenue and also fund a retiree cost of living increase that doesn’t hurt our pension system. I also want to work closely with state agency leaders to minimize the impact of any potential cuts to state employees.”
“I also want to work with members and OPEA staff to energize our membership across the state because OPEA works best when we have active local participation,” Carrie said. “Of course we want all state employees to join OPEA but we need current members to work together at their work sites and in their regions. OPEA has a long history of grassroots advocacy and we must build on that.”
OPEA President, Jess Callahan congratulated Carrie and expressed appreciation for all of the candidates who ran saying he has the “utmost respect for anyone who will stick their neck out and run for office. Jess is finishing his second term as president. His term will expire on December 31, 2016 and Carrie’s term will begin January 1st.
Along with her involvement with the OPEA, Carrie also serves as the Secretary of the Oklahoma Gang Investigators’ Association and the 4th Vice-President of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 219.
