Nelson To Take Over Political Animals Club

Rex Nelson is adding a lot to his plate.

The former political editor, PR executive and Huckabee advisor has a new title – Chairman of the Political Animals Club of central Arkansas.

Jason Tolbert with our content partner, The Tolbert Report, was on hand at today’s meeting at the Governor’s Mansion when it was announced that Nelson would succeed Steve Ronnel in the position.  Nelson becomes the first Republican to chair the prestigious bipartisan group.

Nelson currently serves as president of Arkansas’ Independent Colleges and Universities, a position he assumed just this month. Previously, Nelson served as the senior vice president for government relations and public outreach at The Communications Group. He also spent 13 years in government as Gov. Mike Huckabee’s director of policy and communications when Huckabee took office in July 1996 and was a member of the governor’s senior management team for more than nine years. Nelson was named by President George W. Bush in 2005 as one of the president’s two appointees to the Delta Regional Authority.

In addition, Nelson had a long career in journalism prior to entering government service. He was the political editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette during President Bill Clinton’s 1992 campaign and Clinton’s first term. He earlier had served as the Washington bureau chief and the assistant sports editor of the Arkansas Democrat.

Of course, Rex is a frequent contributor to Talk Business and we often link to his essays on his blog, Rex Nelson Southern Fried.com.