Yurachek lands on task force

FAYETTEVILLE — University of Arkansas Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek was appointed last week to Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s Arkansas Economic Recovery

Task Force.

Hutchinson announced the appointments via executive order in a Saturday news conference at the Arkansas Department of Health.

The task force, to be chaired by Steuart Walton, is composed of representatives from various fields that are instrumental to the state’s economy. The panel, expected to include 26 or 27 members, includes three Arkansas cabinet secretaries: Stacy Hurst (Parks, Heritage and Tourism), Mike Preston

Yurachek (Commerce) and Wes Ward (Agriculture).

The first meeting of the task force is expected this week.

“It is an honor and privilege for me to serve our state and my fellow Arkansans as a part of the Arkansas Economic Recovery Task Force,” Yurachek said in a statement released by the UA. “I sincerely appreciate Governor Hutchinson appointing me to be part of the team to help address the economic challenges our state faces as part of this global health emergency.

“Razorback Athletics has always played an important role in bringing our state together, especially in difficult times. When it is determined to be safe to resume Razorback events, we look forward to the opportunity to not only raise the spirits of Arkansans, but also play a substantial role in contributing to the revitalization of the Arkansas economy.”

Razorback athletics was estimated to have an economic impact of more than $160 million per year on the state in a study commissioned in 2015.