Gov. Sanders appoints Susannah Marshall as Commissioner of the Arkansas Securities Department
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (August 11, 2023) – Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders has appointed Susannah Marshall as Commissioner of the Arkansas Securities Department effective immediately. She becomes the state’s 19th Securities Commissioner.
The appointment is a result of the passage of Arkansas Act 475 of 2023 which, as part of Gov. Sanders’ continuing efforts to create efficiencies and streamline state government, placed the Arkansas Securities Department under the Arkansas State Bank Department. Act 475 transferred the administrative functions of the State Securities Department to the State Bank Department and amended the law concerning the organization of the department. The act also stipulates that the Governor appoints the Securities Commissioner who will report to the Bank Commissioner, or the Bank Commissioner may act as the Securities Commissioner. Marshall, who was reappointed Commissioner of the State Bank Department in June by Gov. Sanders, will serve as both the state’s Securities Department Commissioner and the state’s Bank Department Commissioner.
“Susannah has been a tremendous leader for the Arkansas State Bank Department, and I have no doubt her experience and expertise in the financial industry will enable her to effectively lead the Arkansas Securities Department,” said Secretary of Commerce Hugh McDonald. “Serving dual roles has unique challenges, but I am confident that Susannah is up to the task of continuing the excellent service that ASD has provided Arkansans for more than half a century.”
Campbell McLaurin, who has served as the interim Commissioner since March 2022, will continue serving the department in the role of Deputy Commissioner. McLaurin successfully led the department through an orderly transition in the merger with the State Bank Department.
Established in 1959, the primary functions of the Securities Department are to protect Arkansas consumers, educate investors, and safeguard the state’s financial markets. It became part of the state Department of Commerce in 2019. Since its inception, the department’s duties have evolved to now include responsibility for the oversight of the securities industry, non-depository mortgage lending industry, money services industry, state-chartered credit union industry, and state-chartered savings and loan industry.
“I am honored to receive the appointment to serve as the state’s Securities Commissioner,” said Marshall. “I believe the alignment of the Arkansas Securities Department with the Arkansas State Bank Department will serve to enhance our oversight and supervision of the financial services sector in Arkansas. I look forward to working with Governor Sanders, Secretary McDonald and the Securities Department team to build on the history and strong foundation of the ASD. Together, we will work to further develop the mission and focus to help protect consumers, enhance financial services education and provide a safe and opportunistic economic environment in Arkansas.”
Marshall has worked for the Arkansas State Bank Department since 1995 and was appointed Deputy Bank Commissioner in 2007. From 1995 to 2003, she served as a commercial bank examiner. She became a financial analyst in 2005 and was promoted to financial analyst supervisor before being named the Deputy Bank Commissioner.
Marshall earned an undergraduate degree in accounting from Arkansas State University in May 1994, and she graduated from the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking in Dallas in 2002. She serves on the board of the Conference of State Bank Supervisors and is chair of the association’s education foundation board of trustees. On April 1, 2023, Marshall was reappointed to serve a two-year term on the FFIEC’s state liaison committee. Arkansas Business named Marshall to its 40 Under 40 list in 2011 and she has been named to the Top 100 Women of Impact in Arkansas for 2023.