David Holt became Chief of Staff to the Mayor in February of 2006. He
was born and raised in Oklahoma City, attending Putnam City Schools from
kindergarten through graduation, and has spent 24 years of his life in
Northwest Oklahoma City.
By the time David became the top aide to the mayor of America's 29th-largest city, he had already served a U.S. President, a U.S. Speaker, a Lt. Governor, Congressmen, and a U.S. Senator.
David graduated from Putnam City North H.S. as a National Merit Scholar, and received his Juris Doctor from the Oklahoma City University School of Law. He received a B.A. in Political Science from George Washington University, where he served as sports editor of the college paper. During college, he served Congressman J.C. Watts, the fourth-ranking Member of the House Republican Leadership at the time, and Congressman Ernest Istook.
In 2001, David went to work for U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert in the U.S. Capitol, serving there during 9/11 and its immediate aftermath.
David then served two years (May, 2002 - May, 2004) as a Special Assistant in President George W. Bush’s White House Office of Legislative Affairs, advocating to the U.S. House of Representatives on behalf of the President.
In 2004, David coordinated efforts to re-elect President Bush in Oklahoma, while also serving as an aide to U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe.
Immediately previous to joining the City, David served as Special Assistant to Lt. Governor Mary Fallin.
David was a member of the Oklahoma Delegations to the 2004 and 2008 Republican National Conventions, the latter from which he blogged for NewsOK.com. David also worked for the 2005 Presidential Inaugural Committee. He has aided filmmakers and authors documenting the presidency of George W. Bush, appearing in an award-winning documentary and a New York Times-bestselling book, and he has been an occasional contributor to The Oklahoman’s op-ed page.
David served from 2005 to 2008 as president of the board of Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park, guiding that organization through a relocation to downtown Oklahoma City.
David serves on many other boards, including the following:
- Putnam City Public Schools Foundation
- Northwest Oklahoma City Chamber Board of Directors
- Oklahoma County Republican Party Executive Committee
- Oklahoma State Chamber Congressional Activities Committee
- Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum Foundation Board of Trustees
- Oklahoma Municipal League Legislative Committee
- Oklahoma City Zoo Trust (Surrogate for Mayor)
- Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority (Surrogate for Mayor)
- McGee Creek Authority (Surrogate for Mayor)
- Arts Commission of Oklahoma City
- Lake Atoka Reservation Association
- Oklahoma Olympic Engagement Committee
- Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park Board of Directors
- Big 12 Basketball Championships Host Committee
- Big 12 Baseball Championship Host Committee
- Oklahoma City Downtown Club Board of Directors
- Quail Creek Homeowners Association
David is a graduate of Leadership Oklahoma City Class XXVI, and he was named “40 Under 40” by OKC Business News in 2006.
David is a member of the Osage Nation. He and his wife Rachel, an Oklahoma County prosecutor, have been married since 2003.
They reside in Northwest Oklahoma City with their son George.
