Stacy Hurst’s community mindedness and engaging leadership style have made her a familiar and effective force in the arena of public service. She was appointed by Gov. Asa Hutchinson to lead the Department of Arkansas Heritage as a member of the governor’s cabinet. There, she oversees eight agencies and several thousand state employees in the preservation and enhancement of the heritage of the state of Arkansas.
The role itself represents uncharted territory as it is part of Hutchinson’s reorganization of state government, the first since the Dale Bumpers’ administration in the early 1970s. But the skillset Hurst brings to the new role – Secretary of Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism – is well-established through a long list of corporate, government and philanthropic accomplishments.
From 2002 to 2014, Hurst represented Ward 3 on the Little Rock City Board, serving as vice-mayor from 2007 to 2008. She was co-chair of the Vision Little Rock Parks and Recreation Workgroup and also served on the Little Rock Zoo Board of Governors from 2000 to 2002. She’s the founding chair and board member of the City Parks Conservancy, which raises money for Little Rock parks.
Appointed to the Little Rock Municipal Airport Commission in February 2015, Hurst was reappointed in December 2018. She also was instrumental in the revitalization of the Midtown Redevelopment Corridor, work which has resulted in tens of millions of dollars of private investment with more redevelopment continuing today.
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