Women elected leaders: O'Kane puts family first in public service

Editor's Note: This article is part of a series featuring the women elected leaders of Hays County. Just 30% of statewide elected leaders in the United States are women, while 50.52% of the population is made of women. After a number of women were elected to public office in the 2020 General Election, the Daily Record is spotlighting the women elected leaders, their experiences and successes.

Jenifer O’Kane was elected to the position of Hays County Tax Assessor-Collector for the first time this November, a position that has now been held by women for a quarter of a century. 

Although O’Kane had the advantage of eight and a half years of guidance from another female elected leader, former Tax Assessor-Collector and her predecessor Luanne Caraway, running a campaign in a pandemic would be a challenge for anyone; a seasoned politician or someone who never predicted they would be running for office with a baby on the way. 

It took a specially crafted work environment, one that was supportive of women prioritizing family, that opened O’Kane’s mind to the idea of holding an elected office. 

“After being appointed to an unexpired term, I threw my hat in the ring,” said O’Kane. “It was completely new. I am kind of an introvert and (campaigning) definitely pushed my boundaries.”

O’Kane took office in 2019 when Caraway retired after 24 years in office. She passed along ample knowledge and encouraged O’Kane to get involved with the Republican Party. By that time, the county had grown so much since Caraway first ran that it was a completely different race, she said. 

More importantly, Caraway created a kind of office where women were not only supported, but thrived. “We definitely have some serious women in leadership here,” said O’Kane as she noted that five of their six managerial positions are occupied by women.

“I don’t know if I would have stayed in a position like this if I hadn't worked for her,” said O’Kane. 

“She is an incredible person of integrity. She makes you want to run into work this morning; its a lot of what has kept me here. Her motto was family first. You have to do your job and you have to do it correctly and accurately. But she wanted us to take care of ourselves and our families.”

O’Kane has a 2-year old daughter, a very supportive husband and is expecting another baby. Juggling work and home is a struggle that many, if not all women experience, she said.

“It's difficult when you bring little people into the mix,” O’Kane said. “It’s an issue near and dear to my heart. But just knowing at the end of the day that I have given a full day’s work to the public, and still have a little bit of quality time to spend with my family, I’m pleased if I can do that all in one day.”

O’Kane strives to continue Caraway’s “family first” office environment that has worked so well for all employees and empowered women to hold leadership positions. She also leads by example, taking care to have quality time with her children.

The tax office has been through a whirlwind of a transition, not only from a leader of 24 years but also in adapting their business model to the pandemic. O’Kane has done her best to emulate a sense of stability through it all, using some of what she has learned as a mother as an asset to the office.

“I want (my daughter) to be proud of my work ethic, to be able to secure a position in the workforce herself, possibly have a family and contribute to society,”  I want the best for her in life and I try to treat everyone that way. We build each other up, capitalize on our individual strengths, get people into the right position in the office, according to strengths and weaknesses.”

O’Kane is proud of the calm and fair way they handle their critics; the tax office is not a popular office, she said. She is also looking forward to launching a new website under her leadership. 

“We need to get out of our own way,” said O’Kane. “Put aside fear and doubt, criticism, and just go for it. It's difficult, but that's the only way; we push forward.”

She encourages women and girls in the workforce and those interested in running for office to take advantage of free ways of learning and online resources that their mothers and grandmothers didn’t have.

“Figure out what your strengths and talents are and go after what you are interested in, don't hold yourself back and don't let yourself get in your own way,” she said. “Half of my battle is just all the things I am thinking.”

Why is it important for women to run for office? 

“Because you have to bring a different perspective to things,” said O’Kane. “It wouldn’t be very interesting with only men or only women in an office. We bring a totally different perspective to things. We bring a family background, of course some men are more involved than others. All families are different. We have to keep both sides of the coin involved.”