Gov.-elect Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced that she intends to reappoint Larry Walther as secretary of the Department of Finance and Administration.

Walther was first appointed to the role in January 2015 by Gov. Asa Hutchinson. Under his leadership, the department moved many services online, from ordering a duplicate driver’s license to transferring vehicle ownership. In early 2018, the state became one of the first in the U.S. to make online vehicle registration available to citizens.

“As Secretary, Larry has been an innovator at making government more efficient and available to our citizens, items that I applaud,” Sanders said in a statement. “He is going to be a critical partner in my efforts to make our state government lean and efficient and responsibly phase out the state income tax.”

Walther began his career as an Engineer at SBC Communications, now AT&T, rising to the role of vice president of corporate services. His public service career began in 2003 when former Gov. Mike Huckabee appointed him to lead the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. In 2008, former President George W. Bush appointed him director of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency.

Walther received a second presidential appointment when former President Barack Obama named him to serve on the board of directors for the Export-Import Bank of the United States.

“I am humbled by the Governor-elect’s confidence and look forward to continuing to serve the people of Arkansas, building on many of the reforms of the last eight years,” Walther said. “I’ve known Governor-elect Sanders a long time, and I know the promises she made during the campaign will be kept and implemented. Her vision to make our state one of the best to live, work, and raise a family is exciting, and I’m ready to get to work to see it achieved.”

Walther has served on the board of trustees of the College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Missouri, since 1992. In December 2010, he was elected Treasurer of the Republican Party of Arkansas.

Walther has also been a member of the UAMS BioVentures advisory board and Easter Seals Arkansas’ Board.

He currently serves as a member of the University of Arkansas Walton School of Business dean’s executive advisory board.