Get to know your lobbyist

Oklahoma lobbyist Benny Vanatta has served as the OSCPA's voice in the Oklahoma Legislature for more than 30 years. 

Vanatta faithfully represents the interests and needs of Oklahoma's CPAs and their clients, but he did not always know lobbying would be his calling.

By 1980, Vanatta had returned from a military tour in Vietnam and was working in the office equipment industry, but he felt a pull to legislation. 

That year, Vanatta ran for a seat in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. Running against a county commissioner with 15 years of experience made the election daunting, but Vanatta met the challenges head on.

"I worked all day in the office equipment arena and then worked until midnight walking doors, making signs, licking stamps for mailings and generally worrying if I had made a mistake," Vanatta said. "However, with only $6,000, no help and a very active 10-year-old son, we won the seat."

Vanatta spent the next nine years in the legislature. While there, he served as the assistant majority floor leader, vice chair of the regulated utilities committee and the banking chairperson, after writing a piece of legislation that transformed the banking landscape in Oklahoma.

When Vanatta left the legislature in 1989, he dove into the world of lobbying. He formed Vanatta and Associates, which he continues to run with his wife, Vicky Vanatta, and acquired his first client, the Oklahoma Restaurant Association. Soon after, Vanatta's client list grew with the addition of the OSCPA.

"Representing CPAs has been a pure joy," Vanatta said. "CPAs never want anything legislatively they do not deserve or need for the public."

Vanatta & Associates offers the OSCPA specialized representation conducted with a high ethical standard. This representation allows the Society and its members to have their voices amplified to our state leaders. 

Vanatta's efforts have helped the CPA licensure maintain its value and reputation for quality and integrity.

The services offered by Vanatta require a partnership between himself and those he represents. Vanatta urges the Society's members to get involved with advocacy and the legislative process.

"We need legislators committed to you, the constituent," Vanatta said. "We tell your story, strategize our technique and represent you every day at the capitol; however, your representatives vote 'yes' or 'no' based on what their constituents want."

Members can get involved with the Society's advocacy efforts by contributing to the CPA-PAC, joining the legislative contact program, staying informed about the progress of bills that affect Oklahoma's CPAs and more!