Influencers come in many shapes and sizes. Influencers can be mentors, CEOs and teachers; their influence can be effectively subtle or dynamic; they can influence overtly or otherwise. But they all share one common denominator — they are leaders. Arkansas Money & Politics presents its third annual class of AMP Influencers of the Year. These leaders of Arkansas industry and politics were nominated by AMP readers and ultimately selected by our 2022 board of advisors, made up of members of last year’s AMP Influencers.
This year’s impressive class showcases Arkansas professionals leading by example. They include our state’s historic new chief executive Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders; Legacy Capital President Matt Jones; Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Director Austin Booth; Circuit Judge Tjuana Byrd Manning and our former Lieut. Governor and new Attorney General Tim Griffin. These honorees represent just a sample of the impressive leadership displayed in the 2023 class.
Also inside, we are happy to provide a look at the Arkansas Hospital Association as Bo Ryall gives us an informed perspective of the financial challenges facing Arkansas’s hospitals in the new year. Aces are high in Arkansas’s gaming industry, and we talk to executives with Saracen Casino, Southland Casino Hotel, Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort and the forthcoming Legends Resort and Casino to learn what’s next for the state’s casinos.
We also take a trip down memory lane to revisit the bygone Jacques & Suzanne, the subject of a new independent documentary and the restaurant that represented a turning point in fine dining in The Natural State.
A special congratulations to Sarah Huckabee Sanders elected first woman governor of Arkansas and to the 94th Arkansas General Assembly as they begin work in the 2023 legislative session. A special acknowledgement to RJ Hawk who is serving his first term in the Arkansas House. As a regular guest on The Buzz with the Morning Mayhem crew, David Bazzel, RJ Hawk, Roger Scott and Justin Moore, I’ve gotten to know Hawk and wish him well on his new journey.
Thank you for reading these and the many more stories in this issue of Arkansas Money & Politics. Send us any breaking news or press releases to press@aymag.com and shoot any stories my way at hbaker@aymag.com.
Heather Baker,
President & Publisher
hbaker@aymag.com
Instagram / heatherbaker_ar
