Roberts to replace Miller at federation

A vice president for the Arkansas Bankers Association will lead the Arkansas Environmental Federation, according to a news release from the federation this week.

Ava Franks Roberts will replace Charles Miller, who has been the director for the past five years and announced his plan to resign in June.

The Arkansas Environmental Federation is a nonprofit that works with industries and utilities — generally, entities subject to environmental regulations — to educate them on how to comply with environmental regulations while also prospering economically. The federation hosts training and an annual conference and submits public comments on environment-related proposals on behalf of regulated entities.

Roberts graduated from Southern Methodist University in Dallas with a bachelor’s degree in English, medieval literature, cinema television, and from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law, according to the announcement and her LinkedIn page.

Roberts also served as deputy director of finance for then-Gov. Mike Beebe’s re-election campaign. She was associate counsel at the Arkansas Insurance Department and has most recently been a vice president and director of government relations for the Arkansas Bankers Association.