The state lottery's security director, A.J. Gary, will succeed retiring Arkansas Department of Emergency Management Director David Maxwell starting July 1, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Tuesday.
Gary has been the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery's security and compliance director since November. He is paid $100,479 a year by the lottery, according to the Arkansas Transparency website.
Hutchinson spokesman J.R. Davis said Gary will be paid the same salary as Maxwell, who has been the department's director for 10 years. Maxwell's salary is $98,327 a year, according to the Arkansas Transparency website.
Gary has worked in law enforcement and emergency preparedness for more than 35 years.
He was Conway's police chief from 2007 until Oct. 31; was chief security administrator for Air Transport International in Little Rock from 2002-07; worked stints as a patrol officer, supervisor and interim police chief for the Conway Police Department from 1982-2002; and was a sergeant and a commission control specialist for the Arkansas Air National Guard from 1980-86, according to his resume.
The Department of Emergency Management, Arkansas' homeland security and preparedness agency, is "the state's coordination center for the capabilities necessary to prevent, protect against, mitigate the effects of, respond to, and recover from those threats that pose the greatest risk to the security" of the U.S., according to its website.
The state's emergency operations center is at the department, and it "has representatives from various state agencies to ensure that assistance can be given quickly in a disaster," according to the website. The department works with the local governments to help communities recover as quickly as possible after disasters.
Hutchinson said Gary's background, knowledge and experience "make him an excellent fit" to be director of the Department of Emergency Management.
The Republican governor said he wants to recognize and thank Maxwell for his leadership and service over the years in helping to ensure the safety of all Arkansans.
"A.J. will be a great addition to an already stellar team, and I am confident that our state won't miss a beat with him at the helm," Hutchinson said in a written statement.
Gary said he's had the pleasure of working with Maxwell over the years and that he wishes him and his family well as Maxwell enters retirement.
"I look forward to working with the team members of ADEM as together we serve the citizens of the state of Arkansas," he said in a written statement. "I am excited about the challenges ahead and look forward to this great opportunity."
Lottery Director Bishop Woosley said he hasn't made a decision on Gary's replacement.
When asked whether the position would be advertised, Woosley said he will visit with state Department of Finance and Administration Director Larry Walther "soon to determine how we intend to proceed."
The lottery didn't advertise the security director's job before it hired Gary because it isn't required to advertise the opening under state law. When the position opened, "we were already aware of a great candidate who would make a great fit [and] he came to us recommended from the governor's office," finance department spokesman Jake Bleed said in late September.
Gary's predecessor as the lottery's security director, Daryl Backes, resigned Sept. 2 about 14 months after the now-defunct Arkansas Lottery Commission approved his hiring.
In June 2014, Woosley told the lottery commission that he interviewed 14 candidates for the security director's job and received more than 50 applications for the post before he decided to hire Backes, a former Missouri lottery security director.
The lottery has operated as part of the state Department of Finance and Administration since the Legislature and Hutchinson enacted a law eliminating the Arkansas Lottery Commission in February 2015.
Metro on 06/01/2016