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Kenneth James
| Kenneth James | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Organization: | Arkansas Insurance Department |
| Role: | Communications Director and Legislative Liaison |
| Location: | Little Rock, Ark. |
| Affiliation: | Republican |
| Education: | •Arkansas State University (radio and television, 1993-1999) |
| Website: | Official website |
Kenneth Ryan James is the communications director and legislative liaison for the Arkansas Insurance Department. He has worked for several Republican politicians over the years. He served as chief of staff for Arkansas Representative Bruce Westerman (R) from late 2014 to March 2015.
Career
James studied radio and television at Arkansas State University from 1993 to 1999. While at Arkansas State, James worked as the Women's Sports Information Director until 1994.[1]
Between 2001 and 2006, James worked for three news stations:[1]
- KFSM-TV, internet content manager, 2001 to 2002
- KAIT-TV, assistant news director, 2002 to 2003
- KRGV-TV, executive producer, 2003 to 2006
James served as communications director from 2006 to 2008 for Arkansas Senator John Boozman (R) when Boozman was a member of the House of Representatives. James was responsible for coordinating the office communications strategy with the press.[1]
In 2007, James volunteered for former Governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee's presidential campaign. He helped with campaign events in Washington, D.C., as well as events surrounding the Iowa straw poll and caucuses. In 2008, he served a deputy director of communications for the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn. In that role, he helped with internet content for the convention. Later that year, he worked for Arizona Senator John McCain's presidential campaign as a writer on the regional communications team.[1][2]
From November 2008 to January 2012, James worked as a freelance writer and political consultant for local, state and national clients.[1]
In 2009, James worked as campaign manager for Conrad Reynolds (R) when he ran to represent Arkansas in the United States Senate. He was also deputy campaign manager for Arkansas Representative Tim Griffin (R) during the 2010 election cycle. After Griffin won the election, James became his senior advisor and communications director from January to April 2011.[1]
From November 2011 to December 2014, James worked as a consultant for Paynal Consulting, a Republican political consulting firm in Arkansas.[1]
In 2013, Campaigns and Elections named James among five Arkansas Republican political insiders on their "Influencers 500" list.[3]
With Representative Bruce Westerman
James worked as campaign manager for Arkansas's 4th Congressional District Rep. Bruce Westerman (R) when he ran for office in 2014.[1]
After the election, James worked as Westerman's chief of staff until March 2015. According to Arkansas News, "An unpaid $10 parking ticket cost Kenneth Ryan James his job as chief of staff." The unpaid parking ticket had led to a suspended license and when James was stopped for allegedly speeding while driving the Congressman, the officer "advised him that a bench warrant had been issued for his arrest." James resigned his position as chief of staff the following week.[1][4][5]
Arkansas Insurance Department
In May 2015, James became the communications director and legislative liaison of the Arkansas Insurance Department.[1]
See also
- Arkansas
- Arkansas Commissioner of Insurance
- Bruce Westerman
- Tim Griffin
- Conrad Reynolds
- John Boozman
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 Linkedin, "Kenneth Ryan James," accessed November 6, 2015
- ↑ The George Washington University, "2008 Republican National Convention," July 2, 2009
- ↑ Talk Business & Politics, "Campaigns & Elections Picks 10 Arkansas Politicos," February 5, 2013
- ↑ Bruce Westerman, "We Have a Great Boss," December 4, 2013
- ↑ Arkansas News, "Westerman chief of staff resigns after traffic stop," March 2, 2015
