THE OKLAHOMA BAR JOURNAL 54 | JANUARY 2025 NICHOLAS E. THURMAN Governor – District 8 Ada Nicholas E. Thurman serves as an assistant district attorney in the Pontotoc County District Attorney’s Office in Ada, where he handles major felonies, juvenile deprived cases and the county’s civil matters. He also serves as president of the Pontotoc County Bar Association. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history at Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, where he was a member of the varsity basketball team, graduating with honors in 2012. He received his J.D. from the OCU School of Law in 2015. While in law school, he served as treasurer for the Military, International and National Security Law Student Association and received the Pro Bono Service Award. After graduating from law school, Mr. Thurman worked in the private sector with the law firm of Smith Simmons PLLC and served at several county prosecutors’ offices, including Canadian and Atoka counties, and with Oklahoma County’s Gang Enforcement Unit. He lives in Ada with his wife, Hannah, and their three children, Faye, Booker and Farrah. JANA L. KNOTT Governor – District 9 El Reno Jana L. Knott joined Bass Law in 2018 and became the firm’s managing partner in 2024. Her practice focuses primarily on appellate litigation, advocacy, briefing and consultation. She handles civil appeals in all areas of the law in both state and federal court, including oil and gas, trusts and estates, divorce, parental termination, appeals from the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, real property, municipal law and bankruptcy. She also represents clients who wish to participate in an appeal as an amicus curiae. Ms. Knott represents clients in district courts across the state in civil litigation cases as both trial counsel and embedded appellate counsel. She often provides district court-level brief writing and complex motion writing to other lawyers and firms in all areas of the law, including trust and estate disputes, business disputes, oil and gas litigation, municipal law and real property disputes. Prior to joining the firm, she worked for seven years as a staff attorney to Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice Noma D. Gurich. In addition, she has worked as an adjunct professor for the OCU School of Law, teaching civil practice and procedure. Ms. Knott co-hosts and produces Oklahoma Appeals: The Podcast, where she and her co-host discuss new cases published by the Oklahoma Supreme Court and the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals and interview guests on all topics related to civil litigation at both the district court and appellate court levels. KATE N. DODOO Governor – At Large Oklahoma City Kate N. Dodoo is an experienced attorney who leads both the Appellate Practice Group and Immigration and Compliance Group at McAfee & Taft. With more than 19 years of legal experience in the public and private sectors, Ms. Dodoo represents businesses in appellate litigation and serves as business immigration counsel for major U.S.-based corporations and foreign-owned companies with interests in the United States. She also counsels employers on E-Verify, I-9 compliance, audits and general labor and employment matters. As a frequent author on legal topics, she has served as a guest legal columnist for The Journal Record and a contributing author to Law360, the Oklahoma Employment Law Letter, Midwest Employment Law Letter, HRLaws.com and EmployerLINC. Ms. Dodoo is a dedicated public servant. Before entering private practice, she spent the first 15 years of her legal career in public service at the federal, state and municipal levels, including serving as assistant chief counsel within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and appellate attorney at the Oklahoma Supreme Court. Her community involvement includes serving on the OBA Bench and Bar and Diversity committees; previously co-chairing the Oklahoma Children’s Court Improvement Program Education Taskforce, founding the community- based conference supporting at-risk and special needs youth; mentoring high school and law students; and
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