Governor Mike Beebe

Mike Beebe was sworn in as governor of Arkansas on January 9, 2007.

As governor, Beebe made improving education, expanding Arkansas’ economy and cutting taxes his top priorities. Beebe’s education policies and initiatives garnered nationwide attention. To build a better trained workforce, Beebe worked to match colleges and universities with local businesses and led changes in the way schools teach math, science, engineering and technology. These efforts made Arkansas an attractive place for business investment, and the state was recently named the second-easiest place in America to start a small business.

Born in Amagon, Arkansas, in 1946, Beebe earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Arkansas State University in 1968 and completed law school at the University of Arkansas School of Law in Fayetteville in 1972, while serving in the U.S. Army Reserve. Beebe entered private practice in Searcy, Arkansas for ten years at Lightle, Beebe, Raney, Bell, and Hudgins. Beebe served in the Arkansas Senate from 1983 until 2003, then served as the Attorney General of Arkansas from 2003 until he became governor in 2007.

The parents of three adult children, Beebe and his wife, Ginger, worked together to improve children’s health and literacy throughout the state and were recognized for their leadership in fighting childhood hunger.