Governor Mike Beebe

Since taking office in 2007, Governor Mike Beebe has made improving education, expanding Arkansas’s economy and cutting taxes top priorities. He has guided the state through the worst economic downturn in two generations, resulting in Arkansas being one of only four states to enter the current fiscal year without a projected budget shortfall. Arkansas has avoided the massive cuts in services and tax increases suffered by other states while achieving more than a half-billion dollars in tax relief during Governor Beebe’s first term.

A champion of education and economic development, Governor Beebe has overseen Arkansas’s rise in national education rankings and the announcement of more than 26,000 new jobs. He has helped conclude the lengthy court dispute over Arkansas’s public-school system, secured the largest single capital investment in Arkansas public schools, and made record investments in higher education. He has expanded adult-education programs, and worked to match colleges and universities with local businesses to produce a better-trained workforce.

Born in Amagon, Arkansas (Jackson County), in 1946, the Governor earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Arkansas State University in 1968, and completed law school at the University of Arkansas in 1972, while serving his country in the U.S. Army Reserve.

The Governor and his wife, Ginger, have three adult children. They have worked together to improve children’s health and literacy throughout the State.