Meet Larry Walther
He began his career as an engineer at SBC Communications, rising to the role of vice president of corporate services and serving as chairman of SBC’s foundation.
Following his extensive career with SBC, now AT&T, Walther has received appointments to serve in the administrations of three Arkansas Governors along with appointments from two U.S. Presidents, including leading a federal agency.
Walther’s public service career was initiated in 2003 when Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee appointed him to lead the Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC) as Director.
He moved from a position in state government leadership to a federal leadership position in 2008 when President George W. Bush nominated him to serve as Director of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), a nomination confirmed by the U.S. Senate. In 2011, Walther received a second presidential nomination when President Obama nominated him to serve on the Board of Directors for the Export-Import Bank of the United States, again receiving U.S. Senate confirmation.
In January 2015, Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson announced the appointment of Mr. Walther as Chief Fiscal Officer for the State of Arkansas and Director of the Department of Finance and Administration (DFA).
Under his leadership, DFA has transformed the ways in which services are provided to Arkansans. When he joined DFA, one Revenue Office-related service was available online (renewal of car tags). He led an effort to move as many of these services online as possible, understanding the time and effort this would save citizens. As a result, the majority of Revenue Office-related services may now be completed on DFA websites, from ordering a duplicate driver’s license to transferring vehicle ownership.
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders reappointed Walther as Chief Fiscal Officer and Secretary of the Department of Finance and Administration in January 2023. In August 2023, Governor Sanders appointed Mr. Walther as Treasurer of the State of Arkansas.
Mr. Walther has served on the Board of Trustees of the College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Missouri, since 1992, serving as Chairman of the Board from 2001 to 2007. In December 2010, he was elected Treasurer of the Republican Party of Arkansas. Mr. Walther has also been a member of the Executive Board for Quapaw Area Boy Scouts, Downtown Little Rock Rotary, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ 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. He is actively involved at Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock. He has two children, Bill and Mandy, and seven grandchildren. He is a graduate of the University of Arkansas at Monticello.
