Craig Cloud of Conway said his 20 years of experience in the human-services industry prepared him to take on his new role as director of the state Division of Aging and Adult Services.
Cloud, 46, was appointed to the position earlier this year by Gov. Asa Hutchinson.
“It’s one of the highest honors and privileges I’ve ever had,” Cloud said. “I’m very grateful.”
When Cloud was named to the position, he was chief compliance officer for Arkansas Enterprises for the Developmentally Disabled, where he had been since 2010, and was part of the executive-management team.
“Very early on, when you start to work in the industry and you work with it every day, … it becomes not just a career, but a ministry and a mission for your life to be able to serve those less fortunate than we are,” Cloud said.
Cloud was born in Pine Bluff and lived in Washington, D.C., from age 2 to 7, but grew up primarily in Fort Smith. His parents are the Rev. Randy and Sandra Cloud of Conway, and his father is pastor of a church in Vilonia. Craig Cloud has an identical twin, Chris, and two younger identical twin brothers, Mark and Michael.
“Everybody says, ‘Your poor mother,’” Cloud said, laughing.
Cloud attended Westark Community College in Fort Smith, now the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith, and graduated in 1991 from Arkansas Tech University in Russellville with a bachelor’s degree in finance/economics. He and his wife, Aimee, moved to Conway in 1991. He was a member of the Conway Planning Commission for five years and served as chairman, and he is a deacon at Central Baptist Church. The Clouds have two daughters, Kaleigh, 16, and Kelsey, 11, who attend Conway schools, and Aimee is a speech pathologist at Marguerite Vann Elementary School in Conway.
Cloud said his career took a different route than he expected.
“When I was in college — even before college — I was always interested in commerce and the banking environment, and I always kind of envisioned myself working in the financial arena or banking industry,” he said. “As events and things change, the Lord creates other opportunities for you.”
Cloud said the country was in a recession when he graduated from college, “and jobs were very few and far between.” He worked at a credit union in downtown Little Rock for 18 months, then went to work for the Student Loan Guarantee Foundation, a federally subsidized program. “Student loans would go into default, and we would purchase those loans, … rehab those loans and sell them back out of default to help people restore their credit,” he said.
In 1996, Cloud began working as compliance officer with five community providers — the Managed Care Alliance — that help the developmentally disabled in Arkansas. Those five are Friendship Community Care in Russellville; Faulkner County Day School and Independent Living Services, both in Conway; Pathfinder Inc. in Jacksonville; and Arkansas Enterprises for the Developmentally Disabled in Little Rock.
“My first office was in Faulkner County Day School [in Conway] in a very back room,” Cloud said. “My first desk was a folding table and folding chair.”
He said he traveled to those five providers on a regular basis.
“That was my first introduction into human services, and the passion and ministry and mission actually developed from there,” Cloud said.
He went to work for Pathfinder in Jacksonville in about 1999, while still living in Conway. The statewide organization provides services for intellectually and developmentally disabled individuals, as well as behavioral services.
Cloud said the Pathfinder organization “really grew a lot” while he was there.
His roles at Pathfinder and Arkansas Enterprises for the Developmentally Disabled were not only to make sure those agencies operated efficiently and effectively, “but also to ensure services were provided in the proper manner to the individuals they served,” he said.
Both those agencies became nationally accredited during his tenure, Cloud said.
As director of the Division of Aging and Adult Services, which is under the Arkansas Department of Human Services, he oversees a $54.5 million budget, which includes federal dollars, he said.
The division comprises several areas, including Elder Choices — a program for the elderly and for adults with physical disabilities that focuses on assisting and coordinating services in a home or community-based environment for those individuals.
The Division of Aging and Adult Services also administers the Older Americans Act, he said, “and we partner with agencies across the state to ensure that our older, most vulnerable citizens of our state receive needed services, such as nutrition and other areas of assistance, to allow them to live as independently and productively as possible.”
Cloud said the unit oversees and processes financial and medical eligibility determinations for residents in nursing homes and assisted-living facilities and for individuals who receive services in home- and community-based environments.
Another area for which Cloud is responsible is the Adult Protective Services unit.
“We conduct investigations on any adult in any type of abusive or neglectful situation,” he said. “In nursing homes, the Office of Long Term Care, in DHS, they investigate specific instances. If there is an individual who is neglectful or abusive, such as a family member in a home or community environment, we investigate that perpetrator. We have a 24-hour hotline and investigators across the state.
“The job I have is very challenging. It’s very rewarding, but I would say one of the highest responsibilities I have is ensuring … the most vulnerable citizens of society are protected and served,” he said.
In announcing Cloud’s appointment, the governor said, “He has spent most of his career serving the elderly and those with disabilities, and his compassion and experience will serve the state well.”
Cloud said he is thankful for the opportunity.
“It’s a tremendous responsibility because [I] have to make sure our unit, and our division, stays on its toes because we’re accountable to taxpayers and citizens of our state,” he said. Cloud said he takes that responsibility seriously.
“I have a strong faith, and I just believe it was a God thing,” he said of his appointment. “I believe God opened the door. I can see [that in] the past 20 years in the industry, I’ve been prepared in the experiences I’ve had to serve others and work with the more vulnerable in our society.”
Senior writer Tammy Keith can be reached at (501) 327-0370 or tkeith@arkansasonline.com.