OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — She's been a judge, a state legislator, a state agency head, Oklahoma's lieutenant governor and her party's choice to serve as the state's chief executive.
Now, former Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jari Askins may be facing her toughest challenge. Askins is overseeing implementation of a court-ordered plan to improve the state's foster care system to better protect the thousands of children in Oklahoma's child welfare system.
Republican Governor Mary Fallin, Askins' opponent in the 2010 race for governor, named Askins her special adviser on child welfare in April. Askins' primary duty is implementation of the Pinnacle Plan, the name of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services' five-year effort to reform the state's child welfare system.
Among other things, the plan calls for more foster parents and new training for DHS supervisors.