Governor Asa Hutchinson Appoints New Director of Department of Health

LITTLE ROCK – Governor Asa Hutchinson today announced the appointment of Jennifer Dillaha, M.D. as Director of the Department of Health.

Since joining the Arkansas Department of Health in 2001, Dr. Dillaha has played a leading role in the Agency’s health promotion efforts, using a life stage approach that focuses on population-based interventions to improve the health and well-being of all Arkansans.

“Dr. Dillaha has played a significant role in guiding the state through the last two years of the pandemic.” Governor Hutchinson said. “She has shown her dedication to Arkansas, and I have full confidence that she will continue to lead the state in improved health outcomes with the same dedication.”

In August 2021, Dr. Dillaha was named the Chief Medical Officer. This is in addition to her role as Medical Director for Immunizations since November 2013 and the Medical Director for Outbreak Response since September 2019. Her charge in the role of Chief Medical Officer is to provide leadership and guidance for addressing Arkansas’s most pressing health problems, including COVID-19. She is a physician with specialty training in internal medicine and subspecialty training in infectious diseases and in geriatric medicine.

Prior to her current roles, Dr. Dillaha served as the State Epidemiologist from March 2020 to August 2021, Special Advisor for Strategic Initiatives in the Office of the Director from June 2010 to April 2013, and Director of the Center for Health Advancement from August 2005 to June 2010 at the Arkansas Department of Health. 

Governor Appoints TV News Veteran As Communications Director

LITTLE ROCK – Shealyn Sowers, an executive producer at KARK and FOX16, will be the new director of communications for the Governor’s Office, Governor Asa Hutchinson announced today. She will start June 16.

“Shealyn grew up in Arkansas, went to high school and college in Arkansas, and has worked her entire career as a journalist in Arkansas,” Governor Hutchinson said. “To put it simply, Shealyn knows the Natural State. She has an intimate understanding of Arkansas and Arkansans that has prepared her well to serve the state as my director of communications.”

Ms. Sowers grew up in Clinton and graduated from Clinton High School. She earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Ouachita Baptist University and a broadcast journalism degree from the University of Central Arkansas.

Ms. Sowers started as an associate producer at KARK in 2012 and worked her way up to produce every newscast. In 2019, she was promoted to executive producer and producer of KARK’s political show “Capitol View.” She won an Emmy for Best Newscast and an Edward R. Murrow award for the station’s coverage of the 2014 tornado that struck Mayflower and Vilonia.  She also won an Emmy for Best Producer in 2018. 

“I am excited to join Governor Hutchinson's staff as director of communications,” Ms. Sowers said. “I’ve enjoyed delivering local news to Arkansans at KARK and FOX16 for the past nine years. I am thrilled and incredibly grateful for the opportunity to serve my home state in this new role and to work alongside the incredible team in Governor Hutchinson's office.”

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AGFC Taps Veterans Affairs Chief of Staff to Lead Agency

Austin Booth New Director AGFC
Courtesy AGFC

Randy Zellers Assistant Chief of Communications

LITTLE ROCK – Commissioners with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission unanimously voted at today’s regularly scheduled meeting to approve Austin Booth, a native of Scott, to become the agency’s 19th director in its 106-year history. He will replace Director Pat Fitts when he retires from the agency June 30.

Booth served as Captain in the United States Marine Corps in multiple capacities from 2011-2019, including a 2015-2016 deployment to Afghanistan. He comes to the AGFC after 18 months as Chief of Staff and Chief Financial Officer at the Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs, where he oversaw financial functions as well as internal operations of the department. He is a graduate of The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, and received his Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law.

AGFC Chairman Andrew Parker said the decision to hire Booth was based on his proven track record in leadership and fiscal responsibility. “Booth has a keen understanding and vision for supporting the state’s leading conservation professionals and ensuring they have the means necessary to maintain Arkansas’s natural resources,” Parker explained.

https://www.agfc.com/en/news/2021/05/27/agfc-taps-veterans-affairs-chief-of-staff-to-lead-agency/