Governor-elect Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced Tuesday the appointment of four senior staff members.
They include Judd P. Deere as deputy chief of staff, Kelly Eichler as deputy chief of staff, Andrew "Vu" Ritchie as chief legal counsel and Jordon Powell as director of public affairs.
Sanders, a Republican, said Arkansans can rest assured that this group of individuals "who are going to advise me daily as governor have the determination and desire to see our state succeed.
"I've known many of them for years, both as colleagues and friends, and each one brings invaluable experiences and expertise to the office," she said in a news release. "Along with Chief of Staff Gretchen Conger, I am excited to have this team by my side as we work to take Arkansas to the top."
Last week, Sanders announced that Conger, who served as senior policy adviser to Sanders' gubernatorial campaign and works as deputy director for the governor-elect's transition team, will be her chief of staff. Campaign manager Chris Caldwell will be a senior adviser to her reelection campaign in 2026 and she will shift $2.5 million from her 2022 campaign to her reelection effort.
Prior to coming to Arkansas, Conger worked for Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, first as his legislative director and then as deputy chief of staff.
Deere said Tuesday the annual salaries for Conger, Eichler, Ritchie, Powell and himself in the governor's office haven't been determined.
Sanders is slated to be sworn as Arkansas' first female governor Jan. 10, succeeding term-limited GOP Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who has served as the state's chief executive since 2015.
She is the daughter of former Republican Gov. Mike Huckabee, who led the state from July 1996-2007, and is a former White House press secretary for Donald Trump.
Deere joined the Huckabee campaign this summer as communications director and has continued in that same capacity in the governor-elect's transition office. He is a former White House deputy press secretary for President Trump.
Before returning to Arkansas, Deere served as deputy chief of staff for communications to U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, according to Sanders' news release. He also has worked for U.S. Sens. John Boozman of Rogers and Mike Crapo of Idaho and Arkansas' Attorney General Leslie Rutledge and Tim Griffin's campaign for lieutenant governor in 2014.
Eichler served as policy director for Hutchinson and as criminal justice adviser for then-Gov. Mike Huckabee, who also appointed her to serve a seven-year term on the state Board of Corrections, according to Sanders' news release. She previously clerked at the Arkansas Court of Appeals, was a Pulaski County prosecutor, and was in private practice for Rice, Adams and Pace. She currently serves on the University of Arkansas board of trustees under an appointment by Hutchinson.
Ritchie currently serves as deputy director of the transition and previously served as general counsel to the Sanders' campaign. He is a Little Rock native. Before joining the campaign, he worked for U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton of Little Rock as senior adviser for domestic policy. He also served in the Trump administration at the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid as senior adviser in the office of Administrator Seema Verma and as legal counsel and senior adviser to Hutchinson, according to Sanders' news release.
Powell served as deputy campaign manager for the Sanders campaign and is currently external affairs director in the transition. He is a campaign strategist who has served as a consultant, communications adviser, ad maker and digital expert for gubernatorial, congressional, state house, and issue campaigns across the country, according to Sanders' news release. He also has served as a press secretary on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. In 2016, he served as deputy campaign manager for Mike Huckabee's presidential campaign.
Eleven employees who are working on the governor-elect's transition were added to the state's payroll Nov. 9 under the departing Hutchinson, said Alex Johnston, a spokeswoman for the state Department for Transformation and Shared Services.
Their salaries range from $36,154.98 to $99,999.95 a year based on information provided by Johnston.
Eight years ago, five employees who were working on then Governor-elect Asa Hutchinson's transition were added to the state's payroll under departing Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe. Their salaries ranged from $30,713 to $112,095 a year, with Hutchinson's transition director and Chief of Staff Michael Lamoureux in a job paying $112,095 a year.
Deere said Tuesday that transition Executive Director Kevin Crass, who is an attorney, and Sanders' transition Special Adviser Chris Caldwell are in unpaid transition posts.
According to Johnston, the 11 employees, who are working on Sanders' transition and have been added to the state's payroll, and their transition salaries include:
• Conger, $99,999.95
• Ritchie, $99,999.74.
• Deere, $89,999.94.
• Sanders' transition Policy Director Jack Sisson, $89,994.94.
• Sanders' transition Legislative Director Jamie Barker, $89,999.94.
• Sanders' transition Boards and Commissions Director Alex Flemister, $59,999.88.
• Sanders' transition aide Olivia Wales, $36,154.98
• Sanders' transition aide Rebecca Paschal, $36,154.98.
• Sanders' transition aide Emily Fischer, $36,154.98.
• Sanders' transition aide Hogan Barker, $36,154.98.
• Sanders' transition aide Randall King, $36,154.98.
Each of them worked on Sanders' campaign.