Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Tuesday named Edmond Waters as commissioner of the Arkansas Securities Department.
Waters succeeds Heath Abshure, an appointee of former Gov. Mike Beebe who has led the securities department since December 2007.
Abshure’s term was occasionally marked by heated exchanges with the Legislature and complaints from the business community he regulated.
“I pleases me to name Edmond Waters as commissioner of the Arkansas Securities Department,” Hutchinson said in a news release. “Edmond brings vast experience and knowledge to the job, and his understanding of the issues and background in finance will serve him well in this key post in my administration.”
Waters is a former vice president of A.G. Edwards & Sons where he had a 21-year career as branch manager and financial advisor in the Ft. Walton Beach and Destin, Florida, branches.
Before that, he was self-employed in his native Helena-West Helena. He is a graduate of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and lives in Little Rock.
Hutchinson made other appointments on Tuesday, naming Becky Keogh as director of the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality and Lt. Colonel Matt Snead as director of the Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs.
Keogh is a former deputy director at AEDQ and currently serves as regulatory and environment manager for BHP Billiton, a global resources company. She served as a commissioner of the Arkansas Geological Commission from 2006-2009 and, under the former Gov. Mike Huckabee, was deputy director of AEDQ from 1996-2006.
Snead is a 16-year veteran of the Arkansas National Guard. He is state public affairs officer for the Arkansas National Guard.
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