BENTON, ARK. – Mike Rogers, who previously served as senior director of maintenance and refrigeration at Tyson Foods Inc., was named chief workforce officer (CWO) for the state of Arkansas.

Rogers was appointed to the role by Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders who created the Governor’s Workforce Cabinet and the new position of CWO in early February.

“It’s time for our state to build a strong pipeline of skilled, qualified workers. Mike’s expertise will be crucial to getting that done,” Sanders said. “He has been on the ground floor of companies across our state, training young workers and developing technical education programs, making him the clear choice to lead our whole-of-government approach to this issue. I look forward to working together as we roll out a host of new programs to unleash a new era of growth and prosperity in our state.”

Before taking this new position, Rogers traveled around the United States conducting training for industrial maintenance, refrigeration and reliability engineering. He also started technical programs close to Tyson facilities. 

During his career, Rogers taught agriculture and industrial maintenance at Siloam Springs High School for 20 years and was the energy manager for the Siloam Springs School District for 16 years. 

He holds his Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Arkansas and later completed his Master’s in Education.