State Auditor Andrea Lea is promoting her communications director Skot Covert to chief of staff, effective Nov. 1, Lea announced on Friday.
Covert, who has been the Russellville Republican's communications director for the past two years, will get a pay raise from $75,750 to $100,000 a year in his new job and continue to manage the office's communications, Covert said. Covert created the plan for the Great Arkansas Treasure Hunt to shift to digital advertising and upgraded the office's disaster response and recovery plan, Lea said in a news release.
The state auditor's previous chief of staff, Wes Smith, was paid a salary of $97,970 a year before he retired in April 2016, Covert said. Smith's predecessor, George Franks, resigned in July 2015 after six months on the job.
Lea on Friday also announced that accounting manager Melanie Wilson will be promoted to manager of the office's accounting and warrants department, effective Nov. 1. Wilson will get a pay raise from $84,576 to $94,000 a year.
Lea has been the state's auditor since January 2015. She is paid a salary of $86,700 a year .
The state auditor is the general accountant of the state and serves as the payroll officer for the executive, legislative and judicial branches, according to the office's website.
In addition, the state auditor administers the unclaimed property program that also has been called as the Great Arkansas Treasure Hunt.
Metro on 10/21/2017