Unretired! A R K A N S AS C O M M E R C E S EC R E TA RY
HUGH MCDONALD TAKES NEW ROLE by Roby Brock
S
even years ago, Hugh McDonald retired after a longstanding career at Entergy.
He was the CEO of Entergy Arkansas for 16 years and was actively involved in Arkansas’ business landscape. He is past board chair of the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce, the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce, Fifty for the Future, the Arkansas Research Alliance, the Arkansas Career Education and Workforce Development Board, and the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences Board of Advisors. McDonald joined Entergy in 1982 as an engineer at Waterford 3 nuclear generating plant in Louisiana. He held various management positions in the distribution, transmission, customer service, retail marketing, and regulatory business functions in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and Arkansas. Prior to working for Entergy, McDonald was employed by Black and Veatch Consulting Engineers in Overland Park, Kansas. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Construction Management from North Dakota State University and earned an MBA from the University of New Orleans. Lured out of retirement by Governor Sarah Sanders, McDonald now serves as the Secretary of Commerce for the state of Arkansas. The agency, which was reorganized in 2018, encompasses 10 different divisions and commissions. McDonald sat down for a conversation with The Arkansas Banker magazine to discuss his new role.
Q:
You are the former Entergy Arkansas CEO, former chairman of the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce. What lured you out of retirement?
Hugh McDonald: I got a call one night out of the blue and had an offer that I really couldn't refuse. The governor is a good negotiator and I think I still have a little bit to contribute and it's in sort of the wheelhouse that I worked a lot in in my previous life in economic development and workforce development and running a large organization. So I felt, let's do this. Let's have fun.
photo courtesy of Arkansas Economic Development Commission
22 • SPRING 2023
