Marty Ryall is the director of the Division of Heritage. He was appointed to the position by Gov. Sarah Sanders effective July 1, 2023. His duties include oversight of the Old State House Museum, Delta Cultural Center, Historic Arkansas Museum, Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, Arkansas State Archives, Arkansas Arts Council, Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission and the Arkansas Food Hall of Fame. Marty also continues to serve as the director of Legislative Affairs for the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism, appointed to that position by then-secretary Mike Mills in January of 2023. In this role, he takes the lead in representing the department with the legislature and other government related activities. Prior to joining the department, Marty was the director of Governmental Affairs at Arkansas PBS for 7 years, where in 2020 he was named Public Television’s National Advocate of the Year for his work. He has over 30 years of extensive government and political experience having worked in multiple states and in Africa. He served as the in-country program director for Liberia, and later for Nigeria, both with the International Republican Institute. Marty also serves on the War Memorial Stadium Commission and he previously served on the Martin Luther King Commission. He is a native of Star City, Arkansas and is a graduate of Florida State University with a degree in international relations.