Governor names Tennille, Bryles as agency directors

LITTLE ROCK, AR - Governor Beebe Tuesday named Grant Tennille as Director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission and Steve Bryles as Director of the Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission. Tennille had been serving as Interim Director at AEDC and Bryles has been a Deputy Director at Livestock and Poultry.

Tennille, 43, previously served as a Deputy Chief of Staff and Communications Director in Beebe's office beginning in the fall of 2007. He was Beebe's liaison for economic-development issues, and was named Interim Director after the death of Maria Haley in the summer of 2011.

Bryles, 54, has been a Deputy Director at Livestock and Poultry since January of 2011. Prior to that, he served ten years as an Arkansas State Senator representing Mississippi and Poinsett Counties. The Commission's previous Director, Jon Fitch, passed away last year.