Mike Malone announced he will leave the Northwest Arkansas Council where he has served as president and CEO of the nonprofit since 2006.
Malone will stay with the council until mid-September when he will being working with Steuart and Tom Walton. The council said a committee led by Tyson Foods Inc. CEO Donnie Smith will soon begin a search for a new CEO.
"Everyone knows how much I've enjoyed my work at the Northwest Arkansas Council over the past decade," Malone said. "I will miss it, but I'm very excited about taking on new challenges that further advance northwest Arkansas as one of the best places to live and work."
Malone worked at the White House in a variety of positions for six years during the Clinton Administration and also worked in both houses of the U.S. Congress before he replaced Uvalde Lindsey as CEO. The council works with business and community leaders to advance regional economic and educational interests.
"We will work hard to find just the right person," Smith said. "The council's leader must be a convener, an ambassador, a diplomat and a peacemaker. He or she will need to be cognizant of how the decisions we make today impact the region’s long-term future, and our leader must be sensitive to what’s best for northwest Arkansas as a whole rather than what's best for any individual community."