Dr. David F. Rankin is President Emeritus at Southern Arkansas University. He has been a professor at SAU for many years and has taught thousands of students in his field of economics and finance. He holds a B.S.B.A. in management from the University of Arkansas, an M.B.A. in finance from Louisiana Tech University, and a Ph.D. in finance from the University of Mississippi. Dr. Rankin also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.
He has served as Economic Advisor to the Governor of Arkansas and chairman of the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisers for the past 24 years, having been appointed by then Governor Mike Huckabee in 1996. He has been recognized by the Freedom’s Foundation and the Americanism Educational League for excellence in free market education and is current chairman of the Golden Triangle Economic Development Council.
He is married to Toni and they have three children: Curtice, Beth Anne, and John.
Beth Anne Rankin Baker, Ed.D. is a consultant and former policy adviser for Gov. Mike Huckabee. An Ouachita Baptist University graduate, she obtained an MPA from SAU and a doctorate in education from Vanderbilt University. She coordinated the Governor’s Summit on Economic Development, worked as executive director of the Arkansas 529 College Savings Plans, and has served on the Arkansas State Board of Education.