Arkansas Gov.-elect Sarah Huckabee Sanders plans to reappoint Arkansas Department of Agriculture Secretary Wes Ward, Sanders announced Monday.
Ward, 40, has served as the Department of Agriculture's secretary since March 2015 when Gov. Asa Hutchinson named Ward as his preference for the post, passing over the Agriculture Board's nominee, retired Arkansas National Guard Gen. Ronald Chastain.
The Arkansas Department of Agriculture includes the Forestry Division, Livestock and Poultry Division, Natural Resources Division, and Plant Industries Division.
Sanders is scheduled to be sworn in as Arkansas' first female governor Jan. 10. She will succeed Hutchinson, who has served as the state's chief executive since 2015. Sanders and Hutchinson are Republicans.
Sanders said Monday that Ward has done an excellent job growing the state's largest industry and developing relationships with the men and women who work in agriculture, as the state's agriculture secretary, and "I am excited that he will continue in this critical role for our state.
"He's also done this work over the last seven years while continuing to serve our nation in uniform, giving credence to his character and dedication," she said.
"Agriculture is the backbone of Arkansas' economy, and I am proud that our hardworking Arkansas farmers, ranchers, growers, and foresters help feed and supply the state, nation, and world," Sanders said in her news release. "As governor, we will work together to ensure that we remain a global leader."
Ward said he looks forward to continuing to invest in the state's strong, dynamic agriculture industry as the secretary of the Department of Agriculture.
"Governor-elect Sanders shares my deep appreciation for how important agriculture is to our state, and we will work together to continue to see it grow to new heights," he said in the news release.
Ward has served in the U.S. Marine Corps for more than 22 years and has completed deployments and exercises in Afghanistan, Jordan and Japan, according to the Department of Agriculture's website.
He is currently serving in the Marine Corps Reserves as a detachment commander with the 1st Civil Affairs Group in Camp Pendleton, Calif.
He is from Lake City in northeast Arkansas and is a graduate of Riverside High School, according to the department's website. He earned a bachelor of science degree in agricultural business with an emphasis in agricultural finance from Arkansas State University, and earned a law degree, a master of laws degree in agricultural and food law, and a master of science degree in agricultural economics from the University of Arkansas.
Ward's salary as agriculture secretary will be determined later, said Sanders spokesman Judd Deere. Ward's current salary in the post is $152,336 a year, according to the Arkansas Transparency website.
Sanders' announcement of her intent to reappoint Ward as the agriculture secretary is the third secretary appointment she has said she plans to make.
Last week, she announced her intent to nominate Arkansas State Police Captain Mike Hagar as secretary of the state Department of Public Safety and as director of the Arkansas State Police, and her intent to appoint Mike Mills as secretary of the state Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism.
Sanders also said last week that current Department of Public Safety Secretary A.J. Gary has agreed to continue as director of the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management. Gary currently serves in both roles. Arkansas State Police Director Col. Bill Bryant plans to retire Dec. 31, according to a department spokesman.
Mills is the founder and owner of Buffalo Outdoor Center in Ponca, which was Arkansas' first log cabin resort. From 1982 to 1986 he served as Arkansas' director of tourism, where he started Partners in Tourism, and he was inducted into the Arkansas Tourism Hall of Fame in 2018. The departing state Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism secretary is Stacy Hurst.
State government's executive branch currently includes 15 state departments headed by secretaries, under Hutchinson's consolidation of 42 state agencies into 15 departments, which went into effect in July 2019.
Ward's reappointment as agriculture secretary by Sanders was widely expected in legislative circles.
State Sen. Bart Hester, R-Cave Springs, who will formally become Senate president pro tempore Jan. 9, said Monday in a text message to the Democrat-Gazette that "Wes Ward has worked diligently with the Legislature.
"Members have a lot of Trust in Mr. Ward and I am pleased to see Governor Elect Sanders intends to reappoint him," Hester said.
House Speaker Matthew Shepherd, R- El Dorado, who serves on the House Agriculture, Forestry and Economic Development Committee, said Monday that Ward has consistently worked well with legislators.
"He has been responsive to communication from members on behalf of their constituents," he said in a written statement. "As agriculture is our state's largest industry, this is an important appointment."
Shepherd said Gov-elect Sanders "made a great choice and I look forward to continuing to work with Secretary Ward in the years head."
Rich Hillman, president of the Arkansas Farm Bureau, said Monday that, "We are encouraged by Governor-elect Sanders' decision to reappoint Wes Ward as secretary of agriculture.
"We have developed a meaningful and beneficial relationship with Sec. Ward over the past seven years, and we believe his reappointment is in the best interest of Arkansas agriculture, our state's largest industry sector," Hillman said in a written statement.