Arkansas Business

Shane Broadway

Former state Sen. Shane Broadway's fast-track political career was sidelined in November, when the Republican tide that swept the state killed his hopes for becoming lieutenant governor in 2011. But he quickly bounced back into government by being hired in January as deputy director of the Arkansas Department of Higher Education, just in time for its director, Jim Purcell, to be lured away by the state of Louisiana in February. He is now interim director of the department.

Broadway, of Bryant, is a graduate of Arkansas State University at Jonesboro. He was a champion of education during three terms in the state House of Representatives, including a stint as speaker, and two terms in the Senate. He previously served as chairman of the education committee of the Southern Legislative Conference and was appointed to the advisory board of the Southern Regional Educational Board in 2007.