First woman to serve as Arkansas Senate secretary prepares for retirement
July 28 - August 3, 2025
Ann Cornwell plans to retire in December after 45 years in the Senate Ann Cornwell has been the soundtrack of the Arkansas Senate for decades.
Standing behind a lectern in the well, Cornwell has read thousands of bills, resolutions and governor’s letters and recited senators’ names as they cast their votes.
The first and only woman to be Secretary of the Senate and its director, colleagues describe Cornwell as a dedicated public servant who’s led with grace and a commitment to excellence while directing staff and legislators through the intricacies of creating state law.
After 45 years in the Senate, Cornwell plans to retire in December.
During the waning days of her final legislative session in April, a staged argument erupted between two senators. The distraction allowed staff to slip into Cornwell’s hands a resolution honoring her years of service.
Cornwell began to read the text aloud but paused when she saw her name. Lawmakers laughed and applauded, while family and friends hiding in side rooms spilled onto the Senate floor..
The surprise was a welcome one, perhaps the first for a woman who’s had her hand in the meticulous details of running the Senate for years.
“I was totally shocked, especially with the kids coming in from out of state. It was a big surprise, it really was,” she said.
Overcome, Cornwell handed the resolution to a colleague to read.
“For forty-five (45) years, Ann Cornwell has been the heart and soul of the Senate because of her dedication to the institution and its processes, loyalty to the first branch of government, unmatched work ethic, affection for each senator, and support of Senate and legislative staff,” the resolution read, in part.
While Cornwell feels fortunate to have a job she absolutely loves, she’s looking forward to spending her retirement visiting family, traveling with legislative colleagues from around the country who’ve become close friends and learning to play Mahjong.
“I love the Senate, I always have. I still love it and I know I’m going to miss it, but it’s time,” she said. “I’m ready, and I think the Senate’s in a good place right now for me to leave.”
Origin story
Sabrina Lewellen said she has one of the world’s best jobs as deputy director and assistant secretary to a “superhero.”
Having worked alongside Cornwell
for two decades, Lewellen said she’s blessed to have learned from a “fearless, dedicated public servant” who’s committed to the details.
“Her grace, her unmatched dedication to all things Senate…I have had the honor to be in the presence of true greatness, and I am going to miss her.”
Though she’s now synonymous with the Senate, politics was not Cornwell’s obvious destiny. Growing up in Russellville, she was an athletic child who loved swimming and diving. She also studied physical education at Arkansas Tech University where her dad coached.
“I dropped out of that when they plopped a rat in front of me I had to dissect and I said, ‘I’m out of here.’ So I changed to business,’” Cornwell recalled with a laugh.
While in college, Cornwell married her husband and gave birth to their son. She had twin girls two years later, and the young family moved to Tennessee and Texas before ultimately settling in North Little Rock.
Cornwell cared for her children, played tennis and bridge, and was active in Junior League. One day friends suggested Cornwell join them at the Capitol for session work because “it’s fun,” and she did.
She began her career in the Senate in 1981 as a journal clerk. Cornwell became assistant Secretary of the Senate in 1991 and the full-time Secretary and fiscal officer in 1995. She’s served in her current role since 2009.
When she started four decades ago, did Cornwell think she’d still be here? “Absolutely not,” she said with a hearty laugh.
Cornwell, who loves being in session and busy, has seen lots of change during her time in the upper chamber. Women are now elected to Senate seats instead of serving temporarily after their husband’s death. Technology has evolved. Many things are now digital, but the process remains the same so staff can still run a session if the computers go down, Cornwell said.
Institutional legislative staff are the “indispensable facilitators of democracy,” according to Lewellen, who said she’s grateful for Cornwell’s “legacy leadership.”
“It’s quite a machine and it doesn’t happen by accident, and the Anns of the world who help construct it, it’s just true brilliance,” Lewellen said.
During Lewellen’s first day in the Senate in 2003, Cornwell taught her some important lessons. One is “this is a very big deal and never treat it less than that,” Lewellen said.
Another, Cornwell said, is “there’s no job that you’re too good for,” including taking out the trash.
“Everybody works together and helps each other, and that’s what you’ve got to understand: is that if something needs done, you’ll help somebody, you’ll do it,” Cornwell said. “I don’t expect anyone to do something that I would not do, and I’ve done everything.”
Lewellen remains in awe of her hero, who’s “touched hundreds of thousands of pages of history.”
“There is some real strength and intelligence and integrity and intentionality, commitment and sacrifice that goes on behind the scenes, and she is one of those warriors whose strength has just been unmatched,” Lewellen said.
Like family In 2010, Missy Thomas Irvin, a newly-elected Mountain View Republican, was lost in the Senate chamber the first time she met Cornwell.
“She just immediately embraced me with a hug and just said, ‘Welcome to the Senate,’ and then directed me to the office I needed to go to…I’d still never forget her demeanor of…you are now in the Senate and you’re a part of the Senate family,” Irvin said.
The following summer, Fayetteville Democrat Greg Leding, a new House representative, was wandering around San Antonio alone during a legislative conference. Cornwell spotted him and insisted he join her and other legislators on a riverboat tour.
“I just always remember that because I was still very much a new member of the House, I wasn’t even in her chamber, but still made me feel incredibly welcome,” Leding said.
Cornwell is a warm and pleasant person who loves to socialize, according to Leding, who grew to know her better after being elected to the Senate in 2018.
“Even if you’ve never met her, she can make you feel like you’ve been friends for years within minutes of meeting her,” he said.
Lt. Gov. Leslie Rutledge said working with Cornwell provided “a great deal of relief” when she began presiding over the Senate in 2023.
“She is a selfless leader, she enjoys life, she has an incredible, witty personality, hardworking, someone you want to be around,” Rutledge said.
Irvin said she also appreciated Cornwell treating all lawmakers equally.
“What you do for one senator, you do for the next one…doesn’t matter if it’s the number one in seniority or if it’s the 35th in seniority, you treat them all the same. It’s totally nonpartisan,” Cornwell said.
The Senate stalwart’s mark on the body is “indelible and it’ll never be the same,” Leding said.
Never one to sit idle, Cornwell said she’s exploring volunteer opportunities during her retirement, and can provide assistance behind the scenes at the Capitol if she’s needed.
As she prepares for this next chapter, Cornwell hopes she’s remembered as someone who worked hard and always tried to do her best.
“And that I was fair. That I’ve always been fair and tried to uphold the institution…45 years is a long time to be up here…it’s been a good ride,” she said.
Antoinette Grajeda is a multimedia journalist who has reported since 2007 on a wide range of topics, including politics, health, education, immigration and the arts for NPR affiliates, print publications and digital platforms
Photo Captions:
1. Arkansas Senate Director Ann Cornwell (left) and Deputy Director Sabrina Lewellen (right) listen to lawmakers speak on the Senate floor on April 16, 2025.
2. Sen. Greg Leding, D-Fayetteville, holds a note honoring Secretary of the Senate Ann Cornwell on April 15, 2025. Cornwell is retiring at the end of the year.
Photo Credit:
1. and 2. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate)
