Stitt, Kevin, 1972-

<p>J. Kevin Stitt is the 28th governor of Oklahoma. Governor Stitt is leading the state with a vision to become Top Ten in job growth, infrastructure, education and more.</p>

<p>Governor Stitt is an entrepreneur and businessman who founded Gateway in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 2000. Starting Gateway with only $1,000 and a computer, he grew his business into a nationwide mortgage company operating in more than 40 states and servicing more than $20 billion in residential mortgages. He then decided to tackle the banking industry and in 2018 started the process of merging with Farmers Exchange Bank, a community bank originally founded in 1935 in western Oklahoma. Upon completion of the merger, Stitt established Gateway First Bank, which today is one of the 10 largest banks by assets in Oklahoma with over $2 billion in assets, 160 mortgage centers across the U.S., and more than 1,700 employees. Gateway is headquartered in Jenks, Oklahoma.</p>

<p>Oklahomans spoke in record numbers that they wanted Stitt to use his business acumen to transform the state. In 2018, he received more votes than any gubernatorial candidate in state history in his first bid for elected office of any kind.</p>

<p>John Kevin Stitt (born December 28, 1972) is an American businessman and politician who has served as the governor of Oklahoma since January 2019. He founded and is a former chairman and CEO of Gateway Mortgage Group. A Republican, he was elected governor in 2018. A member of the Cherokee Nation, Stitt is the first tribally enrolled Native American to serve as governor of a U.S. state, and Oklahoma's second governor of Native descent after Johnston Murray. Stitt grew up in Norman, Oklahoma, and graduated from Oklahoma State University with a degree in accounting. He and his wife, Sarah Stitt, have six children.</p>

<p>Stitt was born in Milton, Florida, and spent his early years in Wayne, Oklahoma. He later moved to Norman, where his father was the pastor of Riverside Church. He graduated from Norman High School and from Oklahoma State University with a degree in accounting. Stitt helped pay his way through college by selling educational products door-to-door with Southwestern Advantage. He was the first person in the company's 115-year history to achieve the top sales as a first-year salesperson. Stitt is a member of the Gamma Lambda chapter of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity.</p>

<p>Stitt worked in the financial services sector before starting Gateway in 2000. He founded the company and was president and CEO until January 2014, when he became chairman-CEO. Stitt has said he started Gateway in 2000 with "$1,000 and a computer." His first obstacle was to get approved as a Federal Housing Administration (FHA) lender, for which the company needed a net worth of $50,000. To achieve that, Stitt put forward the equity in his home. In 2002, Gateway secured its first warehouse line, began obtaining licensing in states other than Oklahoma, and started recruiting loan officers. By 2006, it had over 400 employees.</p>