Todd Lamb (born October 19, 1971) is an American politician and university administrator who is the current president of the University of Central Oklahoma. He previously served as the 16th lieutenant governor of Oklahoma from 2011 to 2019 and as a member of the Oklahoma state senate from 2005 to 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party. In the 2018 Oklahoma gubernatorial election, Lamb campaigned for the Republican nomination, but placed third in the primary behind former Oklahoma City mayor Mick Cornett and Kevin Stitt, who advanced to a runoff.

Early life and education

Lamb is the son of Norman Lamb and Belva Lamb. Lamb was raised in Enid, Oklahoma, and graduated from Enid High School. Lamb attended Louisiana Tech University, where he was member of the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football team. After two years at La. Tech, he transferred to Oklahoma State University where he received his bachelor's degree. Todd also received his Juris Doctor from Oklahoma City University School of Law.

Career

In 1993, he joined Frank Keating's campaign for governor of Oklahoma, and, following its success in November 1994, was appointed to the governor's staff. In 1998 he resigned to become a special agent with the United States Secret Service, where he conducted criminal investigations of counterfeiting, bank fraud, identity theft, and threats against the president of the United States. During the 2000 presidential election campaign, he served as a site supervisor for George W. Bush's campaign. In 2001, he was appointed to the national Joint Terrorism Task Force; after the September 11 attacks, he was assigned to help investigate them.

Oklahoma Senate

From 2005 to 2011, Lamb was a member of the Oklahoma Senate representing the 47th Senate District (which includes part of Oklahoma City as well as Edmond).

Lieutenant governor

In 2010, Lamb decided to run for lieutenant governor. He faced four Republican primary election opponents in John A. Wright (R-Broken Arrow), a member of the Oklahoma State House; Bill Crozier, a former Republican candidate for Superintendent of Public Instruction; Bernie Adler, an Oklahoma City real estate investor; and Paul Nosak, a tree removal service owner from Oklahoma City. Lamb won the primary election with over 66% of the votes cast, thus avoiding a runoff. In the general election, Lamb faced Democrat Kenneth Corn and independent candidate Richard Prawdzienski, but he defeated them, garnering more than 64% of the votes. During his tenure, Lamb served in the cabinet of Mary Fallin as the small business advocate. However, he resigned from that position on February 16, 2017, due to his opposition to proposed tax increases.

2018 gubernatorial campaign

Lamb ran in the Republican primary for Governor of Oklahoma in the 2018 election. On June 26, 2018, he lost the primary election to Mick Cornett, former mayor of Oklahoma City, and businessman Kevin Stitt. Stitt won the runoff and later defeated his Democratic opponent, former attorney general Drew Edmondson, in the November general election.

Flash Point

On June 2, 2019, Lamb announced he would become a panelist on Flash Point, a locally-produced Sunday morning political talk show on Oklahoma City’s NBC affiliate KFOR-TV, starting on the June 16 broadcast. He took over the conservative panelist seat being vacated by former Oklahoma City mayor Kirk Humphreys.

University of Central Oklahoma presidency

The Board of Regents for the Regional University System of Oklahoma (RUSO) named Lamb the 22nd president of the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO). Lamb assumed the presidency beginning July 1, 2023, replacing Andrew K. Benton, who had been named interim president of UCO in January 2023.

Personal life

Lamb is married to his wife Monica and they have two children.

Electoral history

November 4, 2008, Election results for Oklahoma State Senator for District 47 November 4, 2014, Election results for Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma