Calls Walther ‘an innovator at making government more efficient’
LITTLE ROCK, Ark.— Governor-elect Sarah Huckabee Sanders today announced her intention to reappoint Larry Walther as the Secretary of the Department of Finance and Administration.
“Larry Walther has devotedly offered his talents and expertise to his state and country for almost two decades, and I am fortunate that he has agreed to remain as Secretary of our state’s Department of Finance and Administration,” Sanders said. “As Secretary, Larry has been an innovator at making government more efficient and available to our citizens, items that I applaud. He is going to be a critical partner in my efforts to make our state government lean and efficient and responsibly phase out the state income tax.”
“I am humbled by the Governor-elect’s confidence and look forward to continuing to serve the people of Arkansas, building on many of the reforms of the last eight years,” Walther said. “I’ve known Governor-elect Sanders a long time, and I know the promises she made during the campaign will be kept and implemented. Her vision to make our state one of the best to live, work, and raise a family is exciting, and I’m ready to get to work to see it achieved.”
Larry Walther biography:
Larry Walther began his career as an Engineer at SBC Communications, rising to the role of Vice President of Corporate Services and also serving as Chairman of SBC’s Foundation.
Following his extensive career with SBC, now AT&T, Walther has received appointments to serve in the administrations of two Arkansas Governors along with appointments from two U.S. Presidents, including leading a federal agency.
Walther’s public service career was initiated in 2003 when Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee appointed him to lead the Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC) as Director.
He moved from a position in state government leadership to a federal leadership position in 2008 when President George W. Bush nominated him to serve as Director of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), a nomination confirmed by the U.S. Senate. In 2011, Walther received a second presidential nomination when President Obama nominated him to serve on the Board of Directors for the Export-Import Bank of the United States, again receiving U.S. Senate confirmation.
In January 2015, Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson announced the appointment of Mr. Walther as Chief Fiscal Officer for the State of Arkansas and Director of the Department of Finance and Administration (DFA). Under his leadership, DFA has transformed the ways in which services are provided to Arkansans. When he joined DFA, one Revenue Office-related service was available online (renewal of car tags). He led an effort to move as many of these services online as possible, understanding the time and effort this would save citizens. As a result, the majority of Revenue Office-related services may now be completed on DFA websites, from ordering a duplicate driver’s license to transferring vehicle ownership. In early 2018, Director Walther joined Governor Hutchinson to announce Arkansas is among the first states in the country to make online vehicle registration available to citizens.
Mr. Walther serves on the Board of Trustees of the College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Missouri, since 1992, serving as Chairman of the Board from 2001 to 2007. In December 2010, he was elected Treasurer of the Republican Party of Arkansas. Mr. Walther has also been a member of the Executive Board for Quapaw Area Boy Scouts, Downtown Little Rock Rotary, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ BioVentures Advisory Board and Easter Seals Arkansas’ Board. He currently serves as a member of the University of Arkansas Walton School of Business Dean’s Executive Advisory Board.
He is actively involved at Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock. He and wife Janice, married for more than 52 years, have two children, Bill and Mandy, and seven grandchildren. He is a graduate of the University of Arkansas at Monticello.
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