Oklahoma City University School of Law will host the Investiture of Dean David Holt at 4 p.m. Feb. 15, 2024, at OCU Law in downtown Oklahoma City.
David Holt became the fourteenth dean of OCU Law in July of 2023. The Investiture Ceremony is the “formal ceremony of conferring the authority and symbols of high office” and is counted among the oldest traditions in academia. OCU Law has traditionally held an Investiture each time a new dean has assumed office. Hundreds of faculty, staff, students, alumni, community leaders and supporters of the law school are expected to attend.
“I am honored to serve in this role leading Oklahoma City’s only law school, and this Investiture will be an exciting opportunity to celebrate what OCU Law means to the community, while casting a vision for its future,” Dean David Holt said.
Speakers at the event will include Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice Yvonne Kauger, Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, among others.
A reception catered by Oklahoma City chef Zach Hutton and GHST (a neighbor to OCU Law) will immediately follow the hour-long ceremony.
Registration to attend is available at okcu.link/investiture.
David Holt is a graduate of OCU Law (‘09) and holds a B.A. from The George Washington University. Dean Holt is a member of the Bars for the State of Oklahoma and the U.S. Western District of Oklahoma. He has previously served as one of the nation’s Uniform Law Commissioners, practiced land use law, worked in private investment, and served as an adjunct professor in the OCU Honors program. He was OCU Law’s Outstanding Young Alumnus in 2016.
In Dean Holt’s public service life, he serves as the Mayor of Oklahoma City. In that role, Holt is in his second term and has been elected President of the United States Conference of Mayors for 2025-2026. Previous to Dean Holt’s election as Mayor in 2018, he served eight years in the Oklahoma Senate, where he authored more than 70 pieces of legislation that became law. Holt has also served in staff roles in the White House Office of Legislative Affairs, in the Office of the U.S. House Speaker, and in the offices of members of Congress and Oklahoma state and local officials.
Dean Holt is a member of the Osage Nation. He resides in Oklahoma City with his wife Rachel, who serves as President & CEO of the United Way of Central Oklahoma. They have two children, George and Margaret.