Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders Discusses Ongoing Policy Efforts

just to clarify I am still the youngest governor in the country but I don't know how much longer that's going to last so I'm going to hold on to it as long as I can I think I think you should is there anybody up this cycle that might take you out of the running on that not yet okay if they're a republican Governor then you're going to probably be helping them take you out I would think I I would still help even if it meant I was no longer i' still I guess have held the title for a while can we do that I think we should so so normally when I am uh doing any interviews with political leaders I never comment on how they look or how they're dressed or what their hair looks like or their shoes although those are some pretty cool shoes I will say uh because you know like if ASA Hutchinson was here or Mike BB I wouldn't go hey that's your hair looks nice today Governor you know or you're you're Ty looks nice today they might appreciate it you do look nice today and it is your birthday but um so two years ago when the governor was running for governor she was just Sarah Huckabee Sanders then she wasn't Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and I had been trying to get an interview with her uh for our TV show and we just had trouble coordinating schedules and so one day out of the blue it was during the summertime so it was probably about this time two years ago I get this text message that says can you work me in for a color and a cut [Music] today I immediately think to myself how cute the governor thinks that I'm her hairdresser what's your hairdresser's name his name is also Roby see so you see how that could happen of course um so I answer by I would be more than happy to cut and color your hair why don't we do it on live television in studio and I could ask you some questions about why you want to be Governor at the same time which I got a very quick reaction back was like laugh out loud that was not intended for you which I knew so here's another Twist on that story because you needed another Twist on it my wife goes to the same hairdresser that you but she does not ever text me anything about her hair so I thought that was in the circle of trust Robia I thought we had decided we weren't sharing that story I guess that interview will have to wait yes they always do all right well we have a room full of leaders here from Northwest Arkansas and obviously 40 that we're recognizing today and I I want to get your thoughts on leadership um you're obviously in a position to lead the state of Arkansas and maybe just kind of start from the vantage point of what kind of leader do you consider yourself to be do you consider yourself to be a small D Democratic leader are you a Visionary leader are you an authoritarian leader or what kind of leader are you you know I I I certainly hope that uh when I'm finished serving as governor of Arkansas um in six and a half years that people will see me as somebody who is both compassion and transformative um I came into office not looking to maintain the status quo but to shake things up and change the trajectory of our state I was born and raised in Arkansas this is home for me for my family and it's the same place that I want my kids to grow up and raise their own families and the Arkansas that I love and the one I grew up in frankly wasn't headed in the direction that I wanted it to and Arkansas is constant ly finding ourselves at the bottom of the list that you want to be at the top of we're always 48th and 49th and 50th in all the places we want to be number one and I know that we have the potential and the capacity to be number one and to lead if we're willing to make hard decisions and make changes to put ourselves on the path to do that and so hopefully at the end of this time and this term people will say that we were transformative and we made big and bold changes that transformed our state and took us from the bottom to the top I also hope people see uh the level of care and compassion that I have uh and the love that I have for the state if if you don't love people uh this job is not for you and one of the best parts of this job is that I get to meet and interact with people in every corner of our state from all walks of life uh for instance today in this room we have some of the greatest Titans in business not just in Northwest Arkansas but Mrs Hunt is known not even just in our state or our country but around the world as being a Visionary and Legend in business and so to have somebody like that in our state and get to interact and know that person but also to see people uh in their greatest moments of need and their greatest moments of vulner ability uh just recently there were horrific storms that came through this part of our state and I was on the ground within a few hours and you're seeing people at a moment when they have no direction and no understanding of what to do next and so uh the way that you get to interact and be with people um both at their greatest moments their lowest moments and everything in between between I think gives you a great perspective but also if you don't love people and you don't have a willingness and a desire to serve uh then it's going to be really difficult to be successful anywhere in public service and it's one of the things I love most is that you do get the opportunity to meet and interact with so many different people um some that love you some that don't but that's part of the the great part of serving in this capacity and certainly one of the best and most incredible moments is the way that our state comes together and you certainly saw that in the aftermath of those storms my my guess is so many of you were the people that we saw on the streets helping uh their neighbors helping pick up the pieces and people didn't ask questions they just jumped in uh and were willing to serve and we see that in Arkansas Community so often uh in those moments and as Governor you get to see that a lot and that's certainly um one of the things I love about this job and one of the things that I hope people will see in the way that I lead our state um when I'm finished you had would have had some people that you would have looked up up to as a leader when you were growing up and you were in your formative years before you were 39 years old for the third year in a row second year in a row I was going for 29 but sure 39 is fine to I've totally aged out of the 40 under 40 group so um your father would have been one of those Role Models one of those leaders I would think and your mother too not just in politics but in the church which is another area where you see a lot of people give of service and you see a lot of servant leadership talk to me a little bit about the two of them in terms of how they formed your thoughts on leadership but if there are other mentors too please share those uh certainly incredibly blessed to have two parents who loved me and and didn't care what I did we're going to be supportive uh but very proud and uh great resources in this role uh one of I think the the best ways I can illustrate is through a conversation that I had with my dad not too long ago um my entire life I got to hear my dad talk all about how being Governor is the greatest job in the world and he had the privilege to serve our state for almost 11 years and one of the longest serving Governors um in our state's history and he absolutely loved this job and so getting to hear and see him talk about and serve and tell stories growing up certainly has an impact on you and so after I got elected i' had been in office a short amount of time it had a particularly rough couple of days and so I call my dad um because he's a very good phone of friend and having him on the other line I asked my dad you know I hear you talk all the time about even to this day how being Governor is the greatest job in the world I said when does that happen and my dad in a very loving way but in a way that only a parent can uh cut through and be very candid he goes well Sarah you haven't done anything yet and he said once you do you will be out at a grocery store one of your kids' baseball games somewhere totally unexpected and somebody will come up to you and they will tell you that because of the work that you've done because of a policy that you passed or because of something that you created their life is better their kid is now going to a school that they never would have had an opportunity to set foot in before you were in office or because of the work that you did and the quick action after a storm they got the help that they needed he goes that's when it becomes the best job in the world and you fast forward and now it's pretty rare that I go into a community across Arkansas where we don't get to hear about the things that we have done in this first year and a half that have not changed people's lives for the better whether it is passing Arkansas learns uh I'm proud of the fact that we now have almost 12,000 students that are able to take advantage of Education Freedom accounts here in the state 50% of those students are students with disabilities that means that some of our most challenged vulnerable students in the state were likely not getting the education that they needed and deserved and now they are and I get to meet those parents and hear their stories and hear how their kids who were once struggling are now thriving I called my dad back I said I get it now this is uh truly the most incredible experience I could ask for and the best state that I could have the opportunity to serve in uh speaking of uh policy anything you got going here in the fall that we might be hearing about in terms of your agenda for things you want to accomplish are you just biding time right now well we're never biing time in our office but certainly uh looking forward to the legislative session and we have incredible legislative Partners a couple who are here today state senator Bart Hester representative Robin lenstrom who does do such a great job of representing this area uh and really serving the entire State and we wouldn't be able to do and accomplish the things that we have if we didn't have great leadership and a great relationship ship in the legislature and so uh extremely thankful for their partnership and and we'll continue to work together over the course of the next several months to build on what we were able to do in the last almost two years I'm hopeful that when I'm finished one of the things I'm known for is being the education Governor we focused really heavily on uh prek through 12th grade in the first session and I think our our position needs to and our attention needs to turn towards higher education and what we're doing to make sure we're preparing the workforce of Tomorrow the two biggest questions that I get no matter what type of industry or what part of the state I'm in when we're either trying to get a business to expand or to come to Arkansas first and foremost they want to know do you have the workforce that we need to meet the demand and do can you supply the energy that we will need to operate in your state those are Far and Away the two biggest concerns that most companies have and so one of the areas that we can really lean into as a state is building a qualified skilled Workforce we've started that by focusing on a really strong foundation and K through2 education one of the other things and learns that I'm really proud of is the Dual track diploma now every High School in the state is required to offer a dual track diploma that focuses in very specific industri there are 18 industries that we've identified that Arkansas has the right to win and the ability to really excel in now every high school has to offer that dual track diploma in one of those key target areas so we're really focusing on building that skilled qualified Workforce in some big ways and some smaller and higher education plays a huge part in that and so I hope that our Focus shifts significantly to that um and and will continue to grow and build from there what will be one thing that will surprise us on the legislative agenda next year Well if I told you it wouldn't be a surprise well I know but I always thought you might want to share with 500 of your closest friends so well we'll we'll hold out for uh all the surprises I I know that you would hate to break news at an event like this and take away from the recognition of the the 40 under 40 recipients and so I certainly would not want to play a part in in taking away from from their day I try media's back there in the back of the room I tried guys I tried you are the media Roby they in the front of the room too all right we are in Northwest Arkansas which is booming as uh we have witnessed for the last you know two decades for sure not longer but I am young I'm sorry I'm old enough to remember when i49 wasn't even built so um I can remember when this area the state I dreaded coming up here for anything other than maybe Dixon Street but um that's a different story but uh anyhow what what does this region need to do to keep the momentum going when you see what's happening here with the the business climate and the um success that you see with startups and everything from the communities that are thriving here what what's what's important to keep that momentum going right now everything Northwest Arkansas is doing is working um so I hope that we will continue that uh and it will expand around the state I think there are a couple things that have really uh allowed this area this state to thrive and continue to be successful um and I don't see any of the factors that have contributed changing or going away anytime soon uh one is the fact that you have uh a few Fortune 500 companies that exist right here and these are companies that could be anywhere in the world but yet they've chosen to be in Arkansas and they don't just exist here they invest here and that makes a huge huge difference you look at uh the the people who have really helped create an anchor and build this area of the state whether it's the Hunts the Tyson The Waltons uh people may not love or appreciate everything but it is hard to ignore what they have done for this part of the state but also all of Arkansas without their existence we would not see the level of growth and again it's not just that they do business here it's that they over and over and over again invest into the community uh and in often many times it's in ways that people don't see and never know about and they won't tell anybody so I'm happy to say that without them being here things would look a lot different but because of their presence you get to see the growth and success of so many other companies that have either come here or just been inspired by their ability to succeed and I think that's one of the great things about them continuing to operate in Arkansas is that any kid in our state can have an idea and say I can grow and build one of the most successful businesses in the world and I can do it here because it's been done and they know that there's a pathway to success so I think that's one piece of it one of the other big parts and I think you see that in the room that is present and the people that are reflected here today is when people talk about this area they don't say I'm going to Bentonville I'm going to Fort Smith I'm going to Rogers or Springdale or syum Springs they so I'm going to Northwest Arkansas you have figured out how to function as a region and that gives you great strength and great capacity to really Build and Grow and I'm hopeful that other parts of the state can see that and follow that lead Northeast Arkansas has frankly started to do that in a big way and you're seeing that area of the state really grow and succeed in large part because they are now functioning like a region instead of fighting and competing with the communities around them they're working together and realizing that there is great strength and power in that partnership uh and so uh things like the Northwest AR Arkansas Council that bring a lot of players to the table in public service and business the nonprofit sectors all in one place that makes a huge difference and has a big impact uh one of the other things and certainly one of my favorites is the Outdoor economy it is a huge asset not just to this part of the state but to anywhere at this point in uh our country people are not just looking for a great job they also want a great quality of life and the ability to offer so many different things in that space everything from the existence of Crystal Bridges one of the nicest uh greatest art museums that you'll find anywhere in the country here in your backyard to amazing Trails state parks and outdoor experiences there's a little bit of something for everybody and Northwest Arkansas has done a great job of telling their story and defining themselves and not letting anybody else do that for them the more and more that we can do that for our entire State the more successful we're going to be so often I think people look at Arkansas and they have an idea about what they think it is or what they think it should be and frankly Northwest Arkansas has broken the mold on that and said you know what we're not going to let anybody else tell us who we're going to be we're going to go out and show everybody exactly who we are and when people see that frankly they want to be part of it and I think that will continue to be a huge part of the success story here and hopefully all across our state all right Governor Sarah hgab Sanders thank you for spending time with us today appreciate you