Gary Baxter Named 2023 Rural Advocate of the Year

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (June 22, 2023) – Mulberry Mayor Gary Baxter has been named the 2023 Rural Advocate of the Year by the Arkansas Rural Development Commission.

The honor was presented to Baxter by Becca Caldwell, director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission's Division of Rural Services, during a luncheon held May 24 at the annual Rural Development Conference at the Oaklawn Event Center in Hot Springs.

“For more than a decade, Mayor Gary Baxter has worked tirelessly to grow and promote the City of Mulberry. His passion for community and economic development makes him a natural choice for the 2023 Rural Advocate of the Year,” said Clint O’Neal, executive director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. “We look forward to our continued partnership with Mayor Baxter and the City of Mulberry.”

Baxter has served as Mulberry's mayor for the past 12 years. As mayor, he has been instrumental in securing numerous grants for economic and community development, bringing millions of dollars to the city. 

He served for more than 27 years on active military duty in the U.S. Air Force, retiring with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He was an instructor, navigator, and flight evaluator with more than 2,000 flying hours. His last assignment was professor of aerospace studies at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville where he commanded the university's Air Force ROTC.

After retiring from the miliary, Baxter served 14 years in several churches as executive pastor in charge of administration. He grew up in Crawford County, Ark., and graduated from Arkansas Tech University. He earned his master’s degree in management from Webster University and is a graduate of the Community Development Institute (CDI) where he was selected by his peers for the coveted Ernest L. Whitelaw award as the top graduate. 

He is a Certified Arkansas Municipal League Official and has received the Adrian White Municipal Leadership Award for six years of dedicated service to Arkansas Municipal League Cities.  

He has completed the Mid-South Basic Economic Development course at the Institute for Economic Advancement at the University of Arkansas Little Rock and is a member of several economic and development organizations. 

He is a past president of the Arkansas Municipal League, the Fort Smith Regional Alliance, and the Western Arkansas Planning and Development District, and he continues to serve on the executive boards of all of three. He currently serves as the president of the board of directors for the Crawford County Senior Citizens Council and is chairman of the advisory council of the Western Arkansas Area on Aging. He is chairman of the board of the Crawford County Conservation District. He was appointed to the board of trustees of the Arkansas Local Police and Fire Retirement System (LOPFI) by former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchison and has been reappointed for a second term as trustee. He received a citation from the Arkansas House of Representatives recognizing his service, volunteerism, accomplishments, and efforts, which have greatly contributed to the betterment of the community. He is a member of several community and regional organizations promoting economic and community development. 

His wife Kay is always by his side in his promotion of his community and region, as well as the State of Arkansas. They have two children: Gary, who is a vice president with CEVA Animal Health, and a daughter, Dr. Dayna Lewis, a principal at an elementary school in Conway. He has seven grandchildren. 

Past recipients have included many outstanding Arkansans who have been dedicated to rural Arkansas: former U.S. Senators Dale Bumpers and David Pryor, former Governor Asa Hutchinson, former Secretary of Agriculture Butch Calhoun, State Senators Missy Irvin, Larry Teague, Randy Laverty and James Scott, State Representatives Sam Angel, Phil Jacobs and Johnnie Bolin, former Arkansas Drug Director Kirk Lane, Lake Village Mayor Jo Ann Bush, Rex Nelson, Annett Pagan, Donna Kay Yeargan, former ARDC Chairman Bruce Leggitt, Sip Mouden, Randy Young, and Bob Summerville.

At AEDC, we know economic advancement doesn’t happen by accident. We work strategically with businesses and communities to create strong economic opportunities, making Arkansas the natural choice for success. AEDC is a division of the Arkansas Department of Commerce. For more information, visit ArkansasEDC.com.