Gov. Sarah Sanders introduced Thursday (Jan. 12) that she’s going to title Clint O’Neal govt director of the Arkansas Financial Improvement Fee (AEDC). He’ll report back to Secretary of Commerce Hugh McDonald.
O’Neal has served because the Deputy Director of World Enterprise at AEDC since 2018. In his position as deputy director, O’Neal led a number of divisions throughout the company, together with Enterprise Improvement, Current Enterprise, Small Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Improvement, Advertising, Minority and Ladies-Owned Enterprise Enterprise, Movie, and Army Affairs.
As govt director, he’ll proceed to supervise these divisions, alongside the opposite features of the company, corresponding to neighborhood assets, finance, science and know-how, and legislative affairs.
“I’m able to unleash my imaginative and prescient to make Arkansas the most effective place within the nation to start out and develop a enterprise alongside Clint O’Neal, who will function Government Director of the Arkansas Financial Improvement Fee,” Sanders stated. “His almost twenty years of expertise on this area will probably be invaluable as we work along with Secretary Hugh McDonald to foster a pro-business, pro-worker surroundings, attracting corporations throughout the nation – and world – to carry hundreds of high-paying jobs to Arkansas.”
“The crew at AEDC is stuffed with gifted financial improvement professionals who consider within the mission and work each day to make Arkansas a high enterprise vacation spot. I’m honored and excited to steer the group that gave me the chance to start out my profession in financial improvement over 15 years in the past,” O’Neal stated. “It’s a privilege to be entrusted to function Government Director of AEDC at a time when Arkansas is gaining momentum and notoriety on the nationwide and worldwide stage. Arkansas has an excellent enterprise neighborhood and the instruments corporations have to succeed. I look ahead to working alongside Governor Sanders, Secretary McDonald, our state legislature, financial improvement companions across the state, and the exceptional crew at AEDC to make that message recognized at house and overseas.”

“Along with his wealth of expertise in financial improvement and his ardour for supporting companies and communities in Arkansas, Clint is a pure match to steer AEDC,” McDonald stated. “Clint has a confirmed report of dependable management, and he has demonstrated that he is aware of what it takes to carry new capital funding into our state and win new jobs for Arkansans. I’ve full confidence that AEDC will thrive underneath Clint’s management and, by extension, so will Arkansas.”
O’Neal has almost twenty years of expertise within the area of financial improvement. He started his financial improvement profession as a mission supervisor at AEDC. He then served as Vice President of Enterprise Recruitment for the Missouri Partnership, Missouri’s principal enterprise recruitment and advertising group, earlier than rejoining AEDC as deputy director.
Clint is a Licensed Financial Developer (CEcD) by way of the Worldwide Financial Improvement Council. He holds a grasp’s diploma in neighborhood and financial improvement from the College of Central Arkansas.