Gov. Sanders talks leadership, education at Forty Under 40 event

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders said she wants to be known as the education governor as she looks to build on policy and legislation that’s impacted pre-K through high school education statewide.

And in the coming months and legislative session, she wants to turn her attention to higher education.

On Tuesday (Aug. 13), Sanders was the keynote speaker at the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 luncheon at the Embassy Suites in Rogers. Sanders participated in a fireside chat with Roby Brock, CEO of Natural State Media, the parent company for the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal and Talk Business & Politics.

The event was sponsored by Intrust Bank. Link here for the 28th class of Forty Under 40 class profiles.

Sanders is the 47th governor of Arkansas and was sworn into office on Jan. 10, 2023. She’s the first woman to serve as governor of the state and the first daughter of a previous governor to hold the office. In her first term, she’s pushed for education and prison reform, tax cuts and streamlined government services, and investments to expand the state’s outdoor economy.

Sanders said an area she hopes to develop in the state is building a qualified, skilled workforce. She said she’s often asked about the workforce when speaking to businesses looking to expand or locate in the state. They want to know whether the state has the workforce and the energy to meet their demands.

She said the state has started to build its workforce on a solid foundation with the Arkansans LEARNS Act, which impacts pre-K through high school education. The law requires every high school in the state to offer a dual-track diploma, focusing on 18 industries.

“There are 18 industries that we have identified that Arkansas has the right to win and the ability to really excel in,” she said. “Now, every high school has to offer that dual-track diploma in one of those key target areas.”

In the coming months, she hopes the focus on workforce development shifts to higher education.

Sanders also spoke about her mentors and parents, including her father, former Gov. Mike Huckabee. Growing up, Sanders said she often heard her father talk about how being governor is the greatest job in the world. She said after some challenging days when she first became governor, she called her father to ask when the job would become as he’d often described it.

He candidly told her, “Well, Sarah, you haven’t done anything yet.” He explained that when people tell her about how the work she’s done or a policy she’s set has impacted and improved their lives, then “that’s when it becomes the best job in the world.” She said fast-forward by a year and a half, and people often tell her how her work has improved their lives.

She highlighted the Arkansas LEARNS Act, which has allowed residents to receive money to pay for private or home school.

“I’m proud of the fact that we now have almost 12,000 students that are able to take advantage of Education Freedom Accounts here in the state,” she said. “50% of those students are students with disabilities. That means some of our most challenged, vulnerable students in the state were likely not getting the education that they needed and deserved, and now they are. And I get to meet those parents and hear their stories and hear how their kids who were once struggling are now thriving. I call my dad back, and I say, ‘I get it now.’ This is truly the most incredible experience I could ask for and the best state that I could have the opportunity to serve in.”

Sanders said one of the best parts of her job is meeting people across the state and noted the many business leaders at the Tuesday event, including Rogers philanthropist Johnelle Hunt, co-founder of Lowell-based carrier J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. Sanders talked about meeting people in moments of great need, such as those who were impacted by the May 26 storms and tornadoes that damaged businesses and homes in Benton County.

“The way you get to interact and be with people both at their greatest moments, their lowest moments, and everything in between, I think, gives you a great perspective,” she said. “Also, if you don’t love people and you don’t have a willingness and a desire to serve, then it’s going to be really difficult to be successful anywhere in public service.”

Sanders said she wants to see the success of Northwest Arkansas continue and expand across the state. She said the Fortune 500 companies in Northwest Arkansas “don’t just exist here. They invest here. That makes a huge, huge difference.”

She said contributions of the Walton, Tyson and Hunt families have impacted Northwest Arkansas and the state.

“Without them being here, things would look a lot different,” she said.

She said another aspect of the success of Northwest Arkansas is how it’s seen as more than just its individual cities but as a region.

“You have figured out how to function as a region, and that gives you great strength and great capacity to really build and grow,” she said. “And I’m hopeful that other parts of the state can see that and follow that lead. Northeast Arkansas has frankly started to do that in a big way, and you’re seeing that area of the state really grow and succeed in large part because they are now functioning like a region. Instead of fighting and competing with the communities around them, they are working together and realize that there’s great strength and power in that partnership.”

Sanders also said the outdoor economy has been significant to Northwest Arkansas and is an important asset to the area and the state.

“People are not just looking for a great job,” she said. “They also want a great quality of life and the ability to offer so many different things in that space — everything from the existence of Crystal Bridges – one of the nicest, greatest art museums that you’ll find anywhere in the country – here in your backyard, to amazing trails, state parks and outdoor experiences.”

Before Sanders spoke, Shana Chaplin, chief program officer of the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute, and Brock hosted an informal breakout session with the Forty Under 40 honorees. They discussed recent data from the first Arkansas Civic Health Index report and ways to become more involved locally, such as through volunteering.