Current source roster
Oklahoma State Representative, District 23
District 23 representative
Checked October 23, 2026
Only the stated role or affiliation is asserted.
People / Government & civic life
Derrick Hildebrant
Oklahoma state representative, District 23
A military veteran and former Catoosa councilor working on veterans policy and public administration.
Derrick Hildebrant represents House District 23 and serves as vice chair of Veteran and Military Affairs. His record connects military service and theological education with legislation, including the 2026 Gold Star Survivor Act and Common Cents Act.
Military service, ministry and education
The House biography describes twenty-five years in the Oklahoma Air National Guard, culminating in service as a chief master sergeant and senior enlisted leader of the 138th Mission Support Group. It dates his entry into pastoral ministry to 2014 and his election to Catoosa’s city council to 2015. It lists an Oklahoma State University bachelor’s degree in 2009 and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary degrees in 2017, 2022 and 2025. These career and education dates are attributed to that biography.
Career & public service
- 2009
Undergraduate education
House biography dates his Oklahoma State University bachelor’s degree.
- 2014
Pastoral ministry
Beginning of ministry, according to official biography.
- 2015
Catoosa council
Official biography dates his election to municipal office.
- May 2020
Military memorial
National Guard account records his role at Marshal Roberts’s memorial.
- June 2024
Republican primary
Public Radio Tulsa reported his District 23 primary victory.
- May 2025
Doctoral research
Seminary repository dates his dissertation.
- May 2026
Two enacted measures
Governor approval of the Gold Star Survivor Act and Common Cents Act.
People, institutions and the relationships between them
Following the connections
Each step below represents a documented relationship. Dates and roles belong to the individual links; a path can span different periods.
personDerrick Hildebrant
public officeOklahoma State Representative, District 23
governmentOklahoma House of Representatives
Individual office and collective chamber remain distinct.
personDerrick Hildebrant
military unit138th Fighter Wing
Historical service documented by the National Guard in May 2020.
personDerrick Hildebrant
seminaryThe Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Specific academic connection; no inference of institutional direction over legislation.
Documented relationships
5 documented relationships · Historical and current roles remain distinct.
Historical record
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Doctoral research and degrees
Dissertation May 2025; degrees dated in official biography
Only the stated role or affiliation is asserted.
Historical record
138th Fighter Wing
Chief master sergeant in a wing squadron
Contemporary May 2020 account
Only the stated role or affiliation is asserted.
Historical record
Oklahoma State University
Bachelor’s degree, according to House biography
2009, attributed to House biography
Only the stated role or affiliation is asserted.
Current source roster
Oklahoma State Representative, District 23
District seat within the House · Oklahoma House of Representatives
The Gold Star Survivor Act: enactment before implementation
Hildebrant was the House author of HB2961, named the TSgt Marshal Dakota Roberts Gold Star Survivor Act. The enrolled text extends education waivers for qualifying spouses and children of service members killed in the line of duty, covering state-system higher education and career-technology provisions. Its residency test provides alternatives: the deceased service member’s Oklahoma residency at death or the survivor’s Oklahoma residency during enrollment. Specific waivers carry statutory time limits. The final Senate vote was 48–0; the House then approved the amended measure 85–0. The governor approved it May 11, 2026. Its effective date is November 1, 2026, which was still forthcoming when this profile was researched. Enactment therefore does not establish that benefits had already been delivered.
A documented theological research project
The seminary’s repository identifies a May 2025 dissertation by Derrick Robert Hildebrant examining the significance of selected Greek conjunctions in Hebrews for preaching. Its title page identifies the work as submitted toward a doctorate. The indexed acknowledgments locate the author in Catoosa and describe his military, church and academic communities, providing an identity check alongside the House biography. This is evidence of a specific scholarly project and institutional connection. It does not make the seminary responsible for his legislative positions.
From a local council to House District 23
Public Radio Tulsa’s June 18, 2024 election-night report identified Hildebrant as the winner of the Republican House District 23 primary, reporting 72 percent against Connor Whitham’s 28 percent. The station expressly labeled its results unofficial; those percentages are a dated reporting snapshot, not a replacement for certified returns. The current House directory confirms his service in the 60th Legislature and identifies the district as including portions of Rogers, Tulsa and Wagoner counties. His state office therefore represents a district crossing county boundaries.
Veterans policy within a larger committee structure
The current Veteran and Military Affairs roster identifies Hildebrant as vice chair, with David Smith as chair. The eight-member policy committee sits within the House’s Health and Human Services Oversight structure. That oversight body’s separate roster also lists Hildebrant. These assignments connect a specialized veterans-policy role to broader health and human-services review. They establish participation and a committee leadership position, rather than personal control of veterans services. The institutional distinction matters when assessing a statement, a committee recommendation or a final House vote.
A military connection documented before his election
An Oklahoma National Guard account of Marshal Roberts’s May 2020 memorial identifies Hildebrant as a chief master sergeant in the 138th Civil Engineer Squadron and records his role opening the service and delivering a religious message about Roberts’s life. Roberts served in the 219th Engineering Installation Squadron of the 138th Fighter Wing and died after a rocket attack in Iraq. This contemporary military account documents Hildebrant’s public role at the memorial years before his legislative career. It supports the connection without relying solely on later political biography.
A county official’s idea enters state legislation
In a March 2026 House announcement, Hildebrant credited Rogers County Treasurer Jason Carini with the idea behind HB3075, the Oklahoma Common Cents Act. The announcement described a proposal addressing cash rounding for public payments and distinguished cash from electronic payments. That is an attributed account of the proposal’s origin. The later legislative history records amendments, a 46–0 Senate vote, an 88–0 final House vote and governor approval on May 11. The collaboration illustrates a channel through which a county administration problem can reach the state Legislature. The March announcement should not be treated as a complete statement of the final amended law.
Interpretation
Following institutions rather than assuming a single network
Hildebrant’s documented career connects military service, theological education, municipal experience and state lawmaking. The Roberts memorial and survivor legislation provide an unusually concrete link between an earlier public role and a later policy subject. The Carini account shows another connection, through a local official’s practical proposal. These are distinct relationships with specific evidence. Neither shared service nor a shared policy interest establishes that an institution directs his votes or benefits financially from his office.
Check the record
Sources & corrections
Research checked 2026-10-23. Roles and financial figures retain their source dates. Sections appear only when supported material is available; an omitted section is not a finding that no such relationship exists.
- Oklahoma House — Derrick Hildebrant ↗
primary · Checked 2026-10-23
Current District23 listing and attributed career/education biography; current committee list.
- House Veteran and Military Affairs roster ↗
primary · Checked 2026-10-23
David Smith chair; Derrick Hildebrant vice chair; eight-member committee.
- House Health and Human Services Oversight ↗
primary · Checked 2026-10-23
Roster includes Hildebrant; lists four policy committees including Veteran and Military Affairs.
- House legislative manual — course of bills ↗
primary · Checked 2026-10-23
Chapter 7, printed pp45–58; Article V Section34 and legislative stages. Historical manual used for basic collective process, not current committee rules.
- Oklahoma National Guard — Marshal Roberts memorial ↗
primary-reporting · Source date 2020-05-20 · Checked 2026-10-23
Rebecca Imwalle; May16 memorial; identifies Chief Master Sgt Derrick Hildebrant,138th Civil Engineer Squadron. PostedMay20.
- Southern Seminary — Hildebrant dissertation ↗
primary · Source date 2025-05 · Checked 2026-10-23
Title page: Derrick Robert Hildebrant, May2025, PhD dissertation on Greek conjunctions in Hebrews; indexed original title/acknowledgments accessible, directPDF403.
- Public Radio Tulsa — June18 primary results ↗
independent-reporting · Source date 2024-06-18 · Checked 2026-10-23
KWGS staff; House23 Republican race,72% Hildebrant and28% ConnorWhitham; expressly unofficial election-night results.
- Legislature — HB2961 history ↗
primary · Checked 2026-10-23
May11,2026 governor approval recordedMay12; finalSenate48–0 April27 andHouse85–0 May5.
- HB2961 enrolled law ↗
primary · Checked 2026-10-23
Sections2–5 education waivers and alternative residency conditions; Section6 November1,2026 effective date. Six-page enrolled text.
- Legislature — HB3075 history ↗
primary · Checked 2026-10-23
Common Cents Act; finalSenate46–0 April28, House88–0 May4; approvedMay11,2026.
- House — Common Cents proposal origin ↗
primary · Source date 2026-03-25 · Checked 2026-10-23
Hildebrant attributes idea to Rogers County Treasurer Jason Carini; March25 description is proposal-stage, subsequent history separately checked.