Nell Smith

Nell Smith started her career as a journalist for newspapers in Illinois and Arkansas, covering health care for seven years. She led the policy analysis and research section of the Arkansas Bureau of Legislative Research, which serves as non-partisan staff for the Arkansas General Assembly. She joined Arkansas DHS in 2021 as an assistant director for the Division of Medical Services and became the Division’s deputy director in April 2023. She has a master degree in journalism from Columbia University in New York and a master’s in public health from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Public Health.