LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – Arkansas Health Secretary Dr. Jose Romero, who has led the state’s response to COVID-19 for most of the coronavirus pandemic, announced Tuesday he is resigning to take a job with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Romero said his resignation as the state’s top health official will take effect May 6, and a spokeswoman said he’ll become director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. Gov. Asa Hutchinson did not say who would replace Romero as the head of the state health department.
Romero was named the state’s interim health secretary in May 2020 after his predecessor, Dr. Nathaniel Smith, left for a job with the CDC. Romero was named to the job permanently four months later.
The state Senate last year voted to confirm Romero’s appointment after he faced a rare confirmation fight prompted by pushback from some Republican lawmakers to the state’s response to the pandemic.
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