The former director of sales at the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery was fired Monday, according to documents released by the organization Thursday.
Robert Stebbins, who left a marketing job in finance to take the sales position with the just-beginning state lottery in 2009, was terminated. No reason was publicly given.
In an interview Monday evening, the director of the Arkansas Lottery, Bishop Woosley, said Stebbins had been given the option of resigning or being fired. At that point, Woosley said, he was still awaiting Stebbins' response.
Woosley declined Thursday to elaborate on why Stebbins was let go, saying that his organization does not comment on "personnel matters."
In response to a Freedom of Information Act request, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on Thursday received a copy of a letter dated Monday that spelled out the financial details of his firing.
Written by Department of Finance and Administration Human Resources Manager Amy Valentine, it stated that Stebbins "has been terminated effective Monday, June 29," and told him his life and health insurance benefits would be terminated, effective Tuesday, June 30.
The Arkansas Lottery didn't release any records detailing the reason for Stebbins' termination.
As head of sales, Stebbins joined the lottery months before the lottery's official launch. Sales climbed early on and peaked in fiscal 2012, when the lottery generated $97.5 million for scholarships for Arkansas college students.
Since then, sales and money for scholarships have fallen for three straight years. Fiscal 2015 proceeds are projected to fall to $74.3 million.
Stebbins' salary in the job was $98,187.23. In addition, he received multiple performance bonuses during his tenure, even in years when sales were down.
Reached by phone Thursday night, Stebbins declined to comment on his firing.
Woosley said Thursday that he couldn't discusses the bonuses because of the organization's policy on not commenting about "personnel matters."
Stebbins has been replaced by Mitch Chandler. Chandler previously worked in various sales and marketing jobs in Arkansas, and was chief operating officer for the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Metro on 07/03/2015