Jay Whisker was hired as Engineer Supervisor for the Water Planning Section of the Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Division in September of 2022. As Engineer Supervisor he is responsible for the Water Plan Compliance for the State as well as Riparian and Non-Riparian permits. He also provides oversight to Act 605 which provides rules for Water Provider Boards. He is also the lead in the Arkansas Water Plan update for 2024. This plan was last updated in 2014.

Before coming to the Natural Resources Division, Jay was a Project Manager for McClelland Consulting Engineers for 4 years. There he was a Project Engineer for private, municipal, and state clients. Prior to his time at McClelland, he was the City Engineer for Jacksonville, Arkansas for 17 years. Jay is a Registered Professional Engineer and a Certified Floodplain Manager. He received his degree from the University of Arkansas in Civil Engineering. He is married and has 2 children.