State Archives director retiring

Richter cites health; applicants to replace her in post sought

FILE — Wendy Richter, shown in her office at the state Capitol in Little Rock.
FILE — Wendy Richter, shown in her office at the state Capitol in Little Rock.

The director of the Arkansas State Archives, who also is the state historian, is retiring, and the Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism is seeking applicants for a replacement.

Wendy Richter served as director of the agency when it was known as the Arkansas History Commission from 2005-12 before leaving to work as a library archivist and faculty member at Ouachita Baptist University. She then returned to the post in May of last year.

Richter wrote in a letter dated Aug. 1 and submitted to the department that "[i]t is with sadness that I submit this notice of my retirement due to ongoing health issues.

"Effects linger from recent chemotherapy, radiation treatments and a car wreck, necessitating that I make my physical well-being a priority," she wrote in her letter.

Richter said that serving as state historian and director of the State Archives for a second time has been "a great honor.

"I am confident that the State Archives will continue to be Arkansas' premier archival institution for many decades to come, and hope that I've made at least a small contribution toward that ongoing success," she wrote. "Thank you for the opportunity to serve as director. I will be forever grateful."

Richter's last day is next Friday because department Secretary Stacy Hurst asked her to stay and assist in the transition, and she agreed, said Melissa Whitfield, a spokeswoman for the Parks, Heritage and Tourism Department. The Arkansas Times first reported Richter's resignation on Thursday.

Hurst hired Richter to fill a vacancy created when Lisa Speer, who had held the job as archives director and state historian since June 2013, departed in February 2018. Speer cited what she called an intolerable work climate when she left.

Speer was retained by Hurst in June 2016 when the Department of Arkansas Heritage took over the smaller agency from the Department of Parks and Tourism under legislation by the Legislature and Gov. Asa Hutchinson. Hurst said she regretted that Speer abandoned her post in such an acrimonious way, and said Speer was respected for her knowledge and expertise.

Speer has been university archivist and associate professor at Ouachita Baptist University since July 2018.

The Department of Arkansas Heritage and the Department of Parks and Tourism were consolidated into the Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism on July 1 of this year under Hutchinson's plan to reduce the number of state agencies reporting to him from 42 to 15.

The director of Arkansas State Archives job was posted on Wednesday on the Arkansas State Jobs website, which lists a salary range for the position at $62,531 to $62,531 per year. "That's a glitch in the Web site listing," said Whitfield.

The Office of Personnel Management confirmed $62,531 is the entry-level salary for this position and state agencies in many cases list the salary they are prepared to offer, said Scott Hardin, a spokesman for the state Department of Finance and Administration. The maximum salary for the position is $90,670 a year, he noted.

"We realize we may need to offer above the starting salary because we want to hire the most qualified candidate," Whitfield said.

Richter's salary is $90,055 a year, according to the Arkansas Transparency website.

Whitfield said Friday that the Parks, Heritage and Tourism Department has received two applications so far.

"I want to point out that the application template lists a bachelor's degree as required, but the preferred qualifications ask for a Ph.D., which is what we will be looking for," she said.

There is no deadline for people to submit an application for the job, so it's open until it's filled, Whitfield said.

Metro on 08/10/2019

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