Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson. (File photo)
PRESS RELEASE
LITTLE ROCK – Governor Asa Hutchinson today announced that Bill Gossage will resign as Deputy Chief of Staff. Gossage has been named as the vice president of governmental affairs for the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas. He replaces Kirkley Thomas, who retired on August 1 after more than 24 years of service with the cooperatives.
"It is a privilege to represent the interest of the 1.2 million electric cooperative members throughout Arkansas," Gossage said. "My career in education along with my service as an elected and appointed state official has provided me with opportunities to assist our great citizens. My new role with the cooperatives will enable me to continue this service while advancing the cooperatives' mission of ensuring a safe, affordable, reliable, and balanced power supply for members."
Gossage was elected to the Arkansas House of Representatives representing District 82 in 2012. He resigned from his office in August 2016 to become Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson's deputy chief of staff of external affairs. Gossage is a retired assistant superintendent for the Ozark School District with 34 years of experience as an educator.
He received his bachelor's degree from Arkansas Tech University and earned a master's degree from the University of Arkansas."Bill has been an extraordinary asset to my administration as well as a longtime friend who has helped me shape my vision for the future of our state," Governor Hutchinson said. "He contains a gentle kindness that anyone who meets him can immediately feel, and it will be a hard task to find someone as dedicated to the state of Arkansas as him."
The Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas comprise 17 electric distribution cooperatives; Arkansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc. (AECI), a Little Rock-based cooperative that provides services to the distribution cooperatives; and Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp. (AECC), a generation and transmission cooperative. The distribution cooperatives provide electricity to approximately 600,000 homes, farms and businesses in Arkansas and surrounding states.