Sanders names Gretchen Conger Chief of Staff
LITTLE ROCK — Governor-elect Sarah Huckabee Sanders today named Gretchen Conger as her incoming Chief of Staff in the governor’s office.
“Gretchen Conger’s proven experience and leadership from her time in the Arizona governor’s office makes her the perfect choice to serve as my Chief of Staff,” Sanders said. “Her dedication during the campaign to develop policy plans and initiatives, as well as her enthusiasm to get to know Arkansans, will help me usher in my bold agenda to take Arkansas to the top and build an incredible, talented team to serve the people of our state.”
“I am honored and humbled that Governor-elect Sanders has tapped me to be her Chief of Staff,” Conger said. “It will be the honor of my life to serve Arkansas’ first woman governor, and I am confident that her conservative leadership and bold agenda will ensure better opportunities for all Arkansans. I love Arkansas and its people, and I’m excited to get to work serving them and their interests.”
Conger brings over twelve years of experience in public policy and political engagement at the federal, state, and local levels in both the private and public sector.
Gretchen, who is currently serving as Deputy Director of Sanders’ transition office, served as Senior Advisor on the historic Sarah for Governor campaign, where she was responsible for the development of Sanders’ policy priorities and agenda.
Prior to joining the campaign in 2021, Gretchen worked for Arizona Governor Doug Ducey for nearly seven years, both as his Legislative Director and completing her time with the Governor as his Deputy Chief of Staff. She was responsible for strategic development and execution of Ducey’s agenda, including his legislative, policy, and budget priorities.
Gretchen helped Ducey achieve numerous accomplishments, including the largest tax cut in Arizona history, securing a historic 2.5 percent flat income tax.
She worked to pass and implement important K-12 education reforms, including 20 percent in teacher pay raises, significant expansion of quality choice for more families, funding for the waitlists at highperforming charter schools, and establishing the Arizona Teacher’s Academy to recruit new teachers to the field. She also negotiated one of the largest water deals in Arizona history to protect the state’s limited water resources into the future.
Before joining the Ducey Administration, Gretchen was the Vice President of Public Policy at the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, where she championed probusiness policies at the state legislature and with the federal delegation. She also ran the Arizona Chamber Foundation, a nonprofit policy research entity to develop policies that would promote a progrowth environment and ensure economic freedom for businesses across Arizona. Gretchen has both issue-based and candidatebased campaign experience.
She graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Arts in
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Political Science and minors in French and Spanish. Gretchen resides in Little Rock.
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Rutledge: ‘Fake charity scams can bring the chill’ this holiday season
LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge warns Arkansans of the opportunity for false charity scams to pop up during the holiday season, especially during the popular Giving Tuesday (which is today).
While the holiday season can bring out the best in Arkansans, there are many bad actors trying to take advantage and scam others out of money. These scams can target those with a heart for veterans, children in need, or even those serving in their local food pantry.
“As we approach the giving season, remember that there are con artists using fake scams to steal hardearned money from Arkansans,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “Know the signs and how best to protect yourself from these bad actors. If you suspect a scam, call my office and let us do the fighting for you.” Attorney General Rutledge released the following tips to help consumers give to only legitimate charities: 1. Do not fall prey to highpressure sales tactics as they are often the first sign of an unscrupulous and fraudulent charity.
2. Before getting out a checkbook or credit card in response to a phone solicitation, make attempts to determine the validity of the organization by conducting research.
3. Get the organization’s name, address, website, and phone number. Make sure the nonprofit organization is registered with the Arkansas Secretary of State.
4. If in doubt about the organization’s credibility, discontinue the communications until you can verify whether it is a reputable charity.
5. Use GuideStar.org to compare nonprofit organizations and to get more information.
6. Ask the organization how it will use the funds from your donation.
7. Watch out for similar but different organization names as some con artists will use names similar to those of existing, reputable nonprofits in order to trick consumers.
8. Do not give out financial or personal information over the phone or through email to an unknown entity. This information could fall into the wrong hands, or the scammers could use it to steal your money or identity.
9. Never send cash. Make check or credit card payments for increased security and tax purposes.
10. If donating via text message, verify the organization’s number prior to sending information.
For more information about other common scams and consumer-related issues, please call the Arkansas Attorney General’s office at (800) 482-8982 or visit ArkansasAG.gov.
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