Former Republican lawmaker appointed to Arkansas Board of Education

KUAR | By Daniel Breen

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders has appointed a former Republican state lawmaker to the Arkansas Board of Education.

Sanders announced Thursday that Ken Bragg will serve on the nine-member board, replacing outgoing board chair Ouida Newton. Speaking at the state Capitol, Sanders said Bragg would seek to implement her signature education legislation known as Arkansas LEARNS.

“He helped us get LEARNS across the finish line, and now he’s back to help implement it across the state. Ken’s resume makes him more than qualified to take on this role,” Sanders said.

https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/local-regional-news/2023-07-14/former-republican-lawmaker-appointed-to-arkansas-board-of-education

Daniel Breen/KUAR News

Former Republican state Rep. Ken Bragg speaks alongside Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders at the Arkansas State Capitol on Thursday

Griffin: ‘Hill’s commitment to healthcare and Arkansas make her an exemplary appointee’

LITTLE ROCK – Attorney General Tim Griffin issued the following statement after appointing Martha McKenzie Hill to the Arkansas Tobacco Settlement Commission:

“I am honored to appoint Martha McKenzie Hill to the Arkansas Tobacco Settlement Commission replacing Dr. Roddy Lochala, whose term expired in 2017. Hill’s commitment to healthcare and Arkansas make her an exemplary appointee. I appreciate her continued willingness to serve the state of Arkansas.”

Martha McKenzie Hill is appointed to a four-year term that will expire in February 2027.

About Martha McKenzie Hill

Martha McKenzie Hill has extensive experience working as an advocate for clients before the Arkansas Legislature and the state executive branch. Martha’s experience began as a volunteer advocate for the Arkansas State PTA. Previously in Washington, D.C., she served in the President George H.W. Bush administration from January 1990 until January 1993 first at the U.S. Department of State in the Office of the Legal Adviser and then at the White House as a member of the National Security Council staff, as Deputy Legal Adviser. Prior to that, she represented companies and families in private practice in Dallas, Texas. Hill obtained her undergraduate degree from the University of Texas, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in history with honors and special honors. She then went on to obtain her Juris Doctor from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law. Hill serves as Counsel at Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard, P.L.L.C.

About Attorney General Tim Griffin

Tim Griffin was elected Attorney General of Arkansas on November 8, 2022. He was elected Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas on November 4, 2014, and was re-elected for his second four-year term on November 6, 2018. From 2011-2015, Griffin served as the 24th Representative of Arkansas’s Second Congressional District. For the 113th Congress, he was a member of the House Committee on Ways and Means while also serving as a Deputy Whip for the Majority. In the 112th Congress, he served as a member of the House Armed Services Committee, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Griffin is a graduate of Magnolia High School, Hendrix College in Conway and Tulane Law School in New Orleans. He also attended graduate school at Oxford University. Griffin has served as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve, Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps, for over 25 years and currently holds the rank of colonel. In 2005, Griffin was mobilized to active duty as an Army prosecutor at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and served with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault in Mosul, Iraq). He is currently serving as the Staff Judge Advocate (SJA) for the 81st Readiness Division at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Prior to his current post, Griffin served as the Commander of the 134th Legal Operations Detachment (LOD) at Fort Bragg, North Carolina and a senior legislative advisor to the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness at the Pentagon. Colonel Griffin holds a master’s degree in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. He also served as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas and Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Political Affairs for President George W. Bush. Griffin lives in Little Rock with his wife, Elizabeth, a Camden native, and their three children.

Governor Hutchinson Appoints Bennie Westphal to Arkansas Game and Fish Commission

LITTLE ROCK – Governor Asa Hutchinson has appointed Bennie Westphal of Fort Smith to the Arkansas State Game and Fish Commission. 

“Bennie Westphal brings to this position a love of the outdoors and years of experience as a businessman and community leader,” Governor Hutchinson said. “I have known Bennie for over 30 years, and I have full confidence in his commitment to conservation and to serving the public in this key position.” 

Mr. Westphal is the chief executive officer of The Westphal Group, which is involved in commercial real estate development, oil and gas investments, and insurance sales. He sits on several company and community boards including the Fort Smith Mercy Foundation Board, BancorpSouth Advisory Board, Fort Smith Boys and Girls Club Inc., and the U.S. Marshals Museum Board.  

Mr. Westphal holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration and a Juris Doctor Degree from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, where he also was a two-year letterman for the Razorbacks football team.  He and his wife, Landy, live in Fort Smith and have two daughters and four granddaughters.  

“It is an honor to be appointed to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission,” Mr. Westphal said. “Arkansas is so abundant in its natural beauty.  I have been an avid hunter and fisherman most of my life and look forward to learning and working with the Commission.” 

Mr. Westphal replaces Commissioner Joe Morgan, who died in November after serving on the commission for five years. Mr. Morgan was Governor Hutchinson’s first appointment to the commission. 

In announcing Joe Morgan’s appointment years ago, Governor Hutchinson said: “Joe understands that being on the Game and Fish Commission means being a steward of all the Natural State has to offer. It means protecting and improving our natural resources for this generation and for generations to come. We want to sustain and build our outdoor life, which makes Arkansas so very special.”