Forty Under 40: Eddie Armstrong

Eddie Armstrong,26, was involved in governmental affairs before he even graduated from high school.

In 1997, he was selected as a national spokesperson for The Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

nAn internship with the national youth organization in Washington, D.C., led him to a job in government affairs with it after he earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Arkansas in 2001.

nWhile at the UA, Armstrong served as the second African-American student body president in the history of the school.nIn 2003, Armstrong joined Tyson Foods Inc. to work in governmental affairs. He acts as a lobbyist for Tyson on state issues, mostly in “The Natural State.”nHe’s inspired by state Sen. Tracy Steele, D-North Little Rock.

nArmstrong serves as a board member on the Northwest Arkansas Chapter of the National Conference for Community and Justice.

nHe is the president and CEO of his own nonprofit organization, The Eddie Armstrong Scholarship Foundation, whose purpose is to provide monetary assistance for minority students from single-parent households interested in attending the UA. n