Hutchinson names Hurst director of Arkansas Heritage, keeps Smith as health director

Gov.-Elect Asa Hutchinson announced additional members of his administration Tuesday.

Stacy Hurst, currently a Little Rock city director, will be the new director at the Department of Arkansas Heritage and Dr. Nate Smith will remain the director and state health officer at the state Department of Health, according to a news release.

“Stacy is extremely bright and hardworking, and she understands the importance of protecting and preserving our state’s incredibly rich history and culture," Hutchinson said in a statement. "I have no doubt she will do a remarkable job in her new position as the director of the Department of Arkansas Heritage.”

Hurst, a graduate of the University of Arkansas, has been a city director since 2003. She served as a former vice mayor of Little Rock and a previous chair of the board of trustees for The Nature Conservancy for Arkansas.

Hurst and her husband own and operate five Tipton & Hurst locations in central Arkansas.

Smith has held his current position as director and state health officer at the state Department of Health since 2013.

“Dr. Smith has done an exceptional job in his current role as director of the Arkansas Department of Health," Hutchinson said. "He has worked effectively with both state and national resources to protect the lives of Arkansans while further improving our health and well-being as a whole, and I am pleased to announce that he will continue to serve the people of our state in my administration.”

Smith graduated form Rice University and earned a medical degree from the Baylor College of Medicine. He served as the deputy director for public health programs at the state Department of Health from 2010 to 2013 and the state epidemiologist from 2009 to 2012.

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