Mitch Rouse Appointed Secretary of Transformation

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson has appointed Mitch Rouse as secretary of the Department of Transformation and Shared Services.

Rouse follows Amy Fecher, who had overseen the department since 2019, when the role was created under a reorganization of state government. Fecher has taken a job as executive director of the Arkansas Public Employees Retirement System.

Rouse previously served in a dual role as director of the Office of State Procurement and chief legal counsel of the Department of Transformation and Shared Services.

“Mitch has shown his dedication to Arkansas, and I have full confidence that he will continue to lead the transformation efforts,” Hutchinson said in a news release. “He has invaluable experience serving the state and will be a great fit as Secretary of Transformation and Shared Services.”

Rouse’s prior roles include chief of staff and associate director of the Office of Air Quality at the formerly-known Department of Environmental Quality. He was also a law clerk for U.S. Judge D.P. Marshall Jr. in the Eastern District of Arkansas.

Rouse graduated from Arkansas State University. He received his Juris Doctor from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s William H. Bowen School of Law.

“I am honored to be appointed by Governor Hutchinson as Secretary,” Rouse said in the release. “Hard work has afforded me this opportunity and I look forward to leading this Department with energy and integrity.”