Owsley to be chief deputy attorney general

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin has promoted Ryan Owsley to be the new chief deputy attorney general for Griffin’s office to fill the vacancy created by the death of Bob R. Brooks Jr., Griffin announced Wednesday.

The Republican attorney general also announced he has named Greg McKay as the new chief investigator for the attorney general’s office’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.

“Ryan Owsley has served in my office as Deputy Attorney General for Opinions and FOIA,” Griffin said in a news release.

He said Owsley has worked in the office for three different attorney generals — two Republicans and a Democrat — and he is widely respected throughout Arkansas’ legal community as one of the state’s foremost experts on the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act.

In addition to his work at the attorney general’s office, Owsley has worked as an attorney at the Bureau of Legislative Research and in private practice, according to the attorney general’s office.

Since rejoining the attorney general’s office last year, Owsley has advised on matters involving nearly every division in the office, Griffin said. With Owsley’s experience in various aspects of the law and strong leadership ability, Griffin said Owsley is the clear choice to step into the role of chief deputy attorney general.

“Ryan succeeds Bob R. Brooks Jr., who passed away unexpectedly earlier this month,” Griffin said. “Bob was a trusted friend and a giant in the legal community, and there is no replacing him. However, Bob had great confidence in Ryan, and I know Bob would be proud of this decision.”

Brooks’s salary as chief deputy attorney general was $181,499.97 a year, according to the Arkansas Transparency website. The website shows Owsley’s salary as a deputy attorney general is $166,999.87 a year.

Owsley’s salary will be increased to $181,500 a year as chief deputy attorney general, said Griffin spokesman Jeff LeMaster.

Griffin said McKay has worked in the Medicaid Fraud Control Division in the attorney general’s office since 2017 as a senior special agent.

“Greg’s backgrounds in law enforcement and accounting uniquely position him to be an excellent Chief Investigator, and I am confident that he will lead our Medicaid investigative team with the same quality of work and character that he has demonstrated throughout his tenure with the Office of the Attorney General,” Griffin said.

McKay has 14 years of experience as a certified law enforcement officer and has previously held jobs as an accountant in the private sector, according to the attorney general’s office.

McKay’s salary is $90,669.90 a year in the attorney general’s office, according to the Arkansas Transparency website. LeMaster said McKay’s salary will be increased to about $100,000 a year.

“It is rewarding to be able to give quality people new opportunities to serve the people of Arkansas,” Griffin said. “I expect great things of Ryan and Greg, and I know they are up to the challenge.”

Griffin has served as Arkansas’ attorney general since January 2023. He previously served as Arkansas’ lieutenant governor, Arkansas’ 2nd District congressman, interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and an aide to then-President George W. Bush.