Rep. Lonnie Sims, a Republican, was elected to represent House District 68 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives in 2018.
Sims is the great-grandson of Italian immigrants, from whom he learned firsthand the lessons of entrepreneurship and hard work necessary to achieve the American Dream. His mother was a public school teacher and a pioneer for early childhood education.
For more than 20 years, Sims has been a dedicated public servant for Jenks, Tulsa and surrounding communities. Prior to his election to the House, Sims gained experience at the community and municipal level, where he previously served as Mayor of Jenks and sat on Jenks City Council and the Jenks Planning Commission. Sims also served as his neighborhood HOA president for over 13 years, a position he routinely refers to as the toughest public office he has ever held.
While Sims served as Mayor, the City of Jenks was named the "Best Place to Raise Kids" by Bloomberg. In 2023, Sims was awarded the Ed Gerchman Leadership Award, locally recognized as the Jenks Hall of Fame.
Sims has years of experience with regional authorities, including the Indian Nation Council of Governments (INCOG) Board of Directors, Tulsa Vision Authority, Cities United and the Arkansas River Task Force, which was responsible for the first low-water dams project to secure public passage in over 60 years.
Sims is a graduate of Oklahoma State University's School of Fire Protection ('94) and has continued his work in the fire protection and commercial insurance risk control business when not at the State Capitol. He was a founding board member for James Mission, a nonprofit supporting foster children, widows and at-risk families in the Tulsa area.
At the State Capitol, Sims has served as the chairman for the House's County & Municipal Government Committee since 2021, a position he held while simultaneously completing his MBA at OSU. Sims' other committee assignments include the Transportation, Judicial - Criminal and Appropriations & Budget Subcommittee for Public Safety.
Sims has been married to Lea Ann for over 23 years and they are the proud parents of one daughter, Laney, an Oklahoma All-State swimmer and current senior at Oklahoma State University. They are members of Victory Christian Center in Tulsa.