Public Relations

AHECB Chairman Dick Trammel to Step Down in January Following Appointment to the Arkansas Highway Commission

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (December 10, 2008) – With the recent appointment of Dick Trammel of Rogers to the Arkansas Highway Commission, Trammel has announced that he will step down in January from the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board, a post he has held since 2005. Trammel is currently serving in his second year as chairman of the AHECB. His appointment to the Highway Commission was announced recently by Governor Mike Beebe.

“I knew this was a possibility and now that my friend, Governor Beebe, has asked me to take on this challenge, I look forward to the opportunity to serve the citizens of Arkansas in another venue that means so much to our future and economic development for our citizens,” said Trammel, speaking of the recent appointment.

“It’s been an honor to serve on the Board these past few years when we have seen higher education take its rightful place as an economic engine for the state.  Thanks to the support of Governor Beebe, the Legislature, our AHEC Board and terrific staff, I feel privileged to have been a part of something so important.”

Dr. Jim Purcell, director of the Arkansas Department of Higher Education, said Trammel’s influence and enthusiasm on the board will be missed.

“Chairman Trammel is probably one of the most enthusiastic people it’s ever been my privilege to work with,” said Dr. Purcell, “and from the first day of my tenure with ADHE he’s made it clear that he wants to Arkansas progress nationally in education and he’s been a strong advocate for whatever it takes to get there. His passion for the people of Arkansas is unparalleled and we’ll definitely miss him on the board.”

Trammel’s advocacy for education goes back many years, as a charter member, past chairman, and current member of the Board of Trustees of Northwest Arkansas Community College, as a founding director of the Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Benton County, and as a board member of the Arkansas Association of Two-Year Colleges.  A resident of Rogers, Trammel currently serves as Executive Vice President, member of the Board of Directors, and Board Secretary of Arvest Bank in Rogers.

Trammel said that, although he is excited about his appointment to the Highway Commission and the opportunity to help with state infrastructure, another vital component to economic development, he is leaving the Higher Education Coordinating Board with mixed feelings.

“It’s bittersweet,” he said. “I’ve put a lot of my life and my efforts into improvement and promotion of higher education and I’m not going to stop now. I feel good about the progress we have made and the future of higher education in our state and, hopefully, my friends in higher education will feel I have been a small part of the good in the past and a terrific future.  That’s what it means to serve and I’m so honored and privileged to have been a part of it.”

For questions/comments on this content, please contact Dale Ellis, (501) 683-2078.

This page was last updated on:  December 21, 2009 @ 8:51 am