Rex Nelson is an American college sports broadcaster, columnist, reporter, author, political appointee, and chronicler of Arkansas history. He is a

Senior Editor A managing editor (ME) is a senior member of a publication's management team. Typically, the managing editor reports directly to the editor-in-chief and oversees all aspects of the publication. United States In the United States, a managing edito ...

and columnist for the

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette The ''Arkansas Democrat-Gazette'' is the newspaper of record in the U.S. state of Arkansas, printed in Little Rock with a northwest edition published in Lowell. It is distributed for sale in all 75 of Arkansas' counties. By virtue of one of ...

. He was policy and communications director for governor

Mike Huckabee Michael Dale Huckabee (born August 24, 1955) is an American politician, Baptist minister, and political commentator who served as the 44th governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate for the Republican Party presidential nominat ...

. In 2005 Nelson was appointed by U.S. president

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

to the

Delta Regional Authority The Delta Regional Authority (DRA) is a Federal-State partnership whose mission it is to improve the quality of life for the residents of the Mississippi Delta. The Delta Regional Authority serves 252 counties and parishes in parts of eight state ...

. Nelson is a native of

Arkadelphia Arkadelphia is a city in Clark County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,714. The city is the county seat of Clark County. It is situated at the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains. Two universities, Henderson ...

. He graduated

summa cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...

from

Ouachita Baptist University Ouachita Baptist University (OBU) is a private Baptist university in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. The university's name is taken from the Ouachita (pronounced WAH-shi-tah) River, which forms the eastern campus boundary. It is affiliated with the Ark ...

in 1982 and he announces their college football games. He received a B.A. in Mass Communications from the school. Nelson was inducted into the Arkansas Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame and was named Rural Advocate of the Year for the state of Arkansas in 2016 by Governor

Asa Hutchinson William Asa Hutchinson II (, '' AY-sə''; born December 3, 1950) is an American attorney, businessman, and politician who is the 46th and current governor of Arkansas. A member of the Republican Party, he was the U.S. attorney for the Fort Smit ...

and the Arkansas Rural Development Commission.

Career

Nelson was Washington Bureau Chief for the ''Arkansas Democrat'', edited the ''

Arkansas Business Arkansas Business Publishing Group is a magazine and newspaper publisher based in Little Rock, Arkansas, United States. The company produces a variety of annual, biannual, monthly and weekly publications for various niche audiences in the state, ...

'', was the Political Editor of the ''Arkansas Democrat-Gazette'' from 1992 until 1996, hosted a daily political talk radio show, and was campaign manager and Director of Policy and Communications for Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. In 2011 he became president of the Arkansas Independent Colleges and Universities association. He published a blog called Rex Nelson's Southern Fried. In 2017 he initiated an Arkansas Food Hall of Fame. In 1994, ''

'' named him one of their "40 under 40". He hosted the "Respond to Rush" show on KARN-AM and was a regular panelist on AETN's "Arkansas Week" program.

Bibliography

* Southern Fried: Going Whole Hog in a State of Wonder, October 1, 2016 *Giving Until It Feels Good: Ben M. Elrod: Arkansas Educator and Fundraiser, July 19, 2016, by Rex Nelson and Ian Cosh * The Hillary Factor: The Story of America's First Lady. (1993) cowritten with Phillip Martin
Articles by Nelson
at the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Rex Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American sports journalists