Gov. Sanders names new Arkansas finance secretary

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Monday named Jim Hudson, chief of staff for the Department of Commerce, as the state’s new Finance and Administration secretary and chief fiscal officer.

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Sanders named Jim Hudson to replace Larry Walther, who she appointed last week to serve as state treasurer. Walther is serving the vacancy created by Treasurer Mark Lowery’s death.

Hudson has held various positions in the Arkansas Economic Development Commission and the state Commerce Department over the past four-and-a-half years, mostly recently as chief of staff to Commerce Secretary Hugh McDonald.

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Before joining the economic development commission, Hudson served for 11 years in pastoral ministry at Fellowship Bible Church. He had also previously worked at Technisource, a technology staffing and solutions company in Little Rock, and at Staffmark, a commercial staffing company in Fayetteville.

The Department of Finance and Administration oversees the state’s budget and tax collections, and several other agencies such as the Office of Motor Vehicle, the state lottery and the Alcoholic Beverage Control Division.