Bryan Sanders’ chief of staff resigns
Aide to first gentleman quitting post to pursue career in law, consulting
Teddy Stewart, chief of staff for first gentleman Bryan Sanders, has departed the governor’s office to start a government consulting company and a law firm.
Stewart’s last day on the payroll for the governor’s office was May 1, Alexa Henning, a spokeswoman for Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, said Tuesday.
Asked about who is replacing Stewart, Henning replied, “No personnel announcements at this time.”
Stewart wrote Saturday on Facebook that “I’m happy to share that I’m starting Universal Strategies LLC,” which is a government consulting company.
“Serving the Governor of Arkansas, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and her husband, the First Gentleman Bryan Sanders, was the honor of a lifetime,” he wrote on Facebook. “It’s been a great run.”
Stewart said Tuesday in a Facebook message he also has started a law firm called Capitol Law Firm “to work in the regulatory space and to support my political clients.”
Stewart’s salary in the governor’s office was $125,985 a year, according to the Arkansas Transparency website.
“Teddy Stewart played a vital role in working to advance innovative policies that have grown Arkansas’ outdoor economy and tourism industry to new heights,” the governor said in a written statement. “I am thankful for his service and dedication to the state and wish him nothing but success in this next chapter.”
Bryan Sanders said in a written statement that “Teddy Stewart has been a great asset to our state as the governor’s office policy liaison to the Game and Fish Commission, the Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism, and as my chief of staff.
“Arkansas is shattering records for tourism and every day we are making progress to improve access to outdoor recreation and grow the outdoor economy in the Natural State,” he said.
In January 2023, the governor appointed the first gentleman as chairman of the Natural State Advisory Council to promote outdoor recreation and tourism in Arkansas.
The governor is Arkansas’ first female governor and was sworn in in January of 2023.