At the Diamond Hats annual gala in Oklahoma City, JanLee Rowlett, Deputy Commissioner of the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, was named the 2025 Oklahoma Ag Woman of the Year. Reflecting on the honor, Rowlett said, “Oh, it’s just a huge surprise, a huge honor, it’s very humbling and very much appreciated, but a huge surprise, a very fun evening, and just a huge thank you to everybody that played a part from Tennessee to Oklahoma.”
Rowlett credited Oklahoma State University and agricultural leadership programs with opening doors for her professionally and personally. “OSU was kind of the start of that, and the Diamond Hats are such a huge part of what has kept me here… I’m just one little piece of so many stories of people brought here by one thing, but kept here by so many other things and so many opportunities,” she said.
As the first Oklahoma Agricultural Leadership Encounter graduate to receive the award, Rowlett called that recognition “exciting to learn as well, and kind of surprising… absolutely the best thing that I ever did as a student it helped me figure out what I wanted to do professionally and start to pave the way.”
Looking ahead, Rowlett emphasized her passion for mentoring youth in agriculture. “One of the more fulfilling parts of my job is visiting with young people that have an interest in agriculture and specifically in ag policy. We don’t have enough young people with that firsthand ag experience that want to build a career in ag policy we certainly need more to help protect our industry going into the future.”
As Governor Stitt’s term nears its end, Rowlett acknowledged she’s entering a time of transition: “We’re all kind of looking to the future and trying to figure out what that might hold. It’s exciting.” She also expressed gratitude for her boss and mentor, Secretary Blayne Arthur: “She has been incredible to work for, a wonderful mentor as well. It’s been rewarding and just exciting to watch that be shared across the country and open doors for her, and it certainly has created those for me in turn.”
