Kevin Willingham joined the Workers' Compensation Division in 1998 as a hearings officer. He served as the division's legal issues coordinator before being named the Policy Section manager. In 2005, he became the manager for the Re-employment and Dispute Resolution Services Section and went on to manage the Medical Section before becoming the deputy administrator.

Before coming to live in Oregon, Kevin practiced juvenile, criminal, and domestic-relations law for six years in Oklahoma. Kevin has a law degree from the University Of Oklahoma College Of Law and a bachelor's degree from Oklahoma City University.