Gov. Sanders appoints three to State Parks, Recreation, and Travel Commission

Gov. Sarah Sanders on Thursday (Jan. 19) appointed Eric Jackson, Dr. Trey Berry and Rebecca Lentz to the Arkansas State Parks, Recreation, and Travel Commission. The terms for the three appointments expire Jan. 14, 2029.

Jackson was reappointed to the commission, Berry will replace John Gill, and Lentz will replace Skot Covert.

Jackson is the senior vice president at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort and serves on the Board of Directors. He helped oversee Oaklawn’s development as one of the premier racing and gaming centers in America, as well as Arkansas’ top commercial tourism attraction, with annual attendance topping 2.5 million. He also supervised over $100 million in construction at Oaklawn and has been awarded international patents for historic racing/Instant Racing.

Berry is the 12th president of Southern Arkansas University. President Berry joined SAU in 2011 as professor of history and dean of the College of Liberal and Performing Arts. He was promoted to provost and vice president for academic affairs one year later. Before coming to SAU, he spent two years as deputy director of the Department of Arkansas Heritage, two years as a dean at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, and 18 years as a faculty member and administrator at Ouachita Baptist University. Berry became SAU president in 2015.

Lentz is an avid outdoorsman and Army veteran who is passionate about motivating others to explore Arkansas and try new hobbies. One way she does this is through her social media platforms that showcase Arkansas’ world-class outdoor recreation and incredible natural beauty. As a former foster child, Lentz is a mentor with the Mayfly Project and teaches foster children how to fly fish.

“I am excited to appoint Eric Jackson, Dr. Trey Berry, and Rebecca Lentz to the Arkansas State Parks, Recreation, and Travel Commission – three excellent representatives of Arkansas who will continue to show the nation and the world the incredible natural beauty, world-class outdoor recreation, and great economic success of our state,” Sanders said.