SELF PORTRAIT

Wes Ward

DATE AND PLACE OF BIRTH: July 6, 1982, Little Rock FAVORITE CHILDHOOD MEMORY: I have three sisters, and I have a lot of good memories with them and spending time with family.

I JOINED THE MARINES OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL for many reasons, including patriotism, discipline and being part of “The Few, The Proud.” Growing up in a small town in northeast Arkansas I was also drawn to the opportunity to get to travel throughout the United States and the world.

FAVORITE FOREIGN COUNTRY VISITED Cuba. The first trip was with Gov. Hutchinson in 2015 on a trip where he was the first governor to visit the country since the reopening of the U.S. embassy in Havana. The second trip was also primarily to promote Arkansas agriculture, but my wife, who works for the Arkansas rice industry, was able to attend that trip.

I DRIVE a Chevy Silverado extended cab Z71. Chevy Silverado is the only make and model of vehicle that I have ever owned.

I GET NERVOUS WHEN: I don’t often get nervous, but I did get nervous when I took my wife to the top of the Capitol rotunda to propose. I was nervous that she would say no and I was also nervous that if she said yes I would drop the ring off the top of the Capitol and it would be lost forever.

THE LAST GOOD BOOK I READ: I’m currently about

200 pages into Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America by John M. Barry.

I RELAX BY hunting or fishing. I don’t get to do either as much as I would like.

MY FRIENDS SAY I’M very competitive.

ONE THING I’D CHANGE ABOUT AGRICULTURE IN

ARKANSAS: I don’t think I would change anything about Arkansas agriculture (except to get higher prices for our producers).

ONE WORD TO DESCRIBE ME: dedicated