Griffin: ‘When it comes to cybersecurity, we are only as strong as our weakest link’

LITTLE ROCK – Attorney General Tim Griffin today issued the following statement announcing a $1 million grant to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock to establish a Cyberspace Operations Research and Education (CORE) Center:

“When it comes to cybersecurity, we are only as strong as our weakest link. UA Little Rock is providing a shield and sword for Arkansans as one of the nation’s top cybersecurity programs. Its faculty is focused on providing real-world knowledge to its students. The CORE Center will enhance the program’s ability to produce well-prepared students who will, in turn, protect our citizens and their businesses, and join the fight against foreign and domestic adversaries in cyberspace.”

UA Little Rock Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Dr. Ann Bain provided this statement:

“This funding and support are not merely investments in our programs; they are investments in the security and prosperity of Arkansas. With this backing, we are able to educate and prepare the cyber experts who will protect our state’s infrastructure, businesses, and communities for years to come.”

UA Little Rock Associate Professor Dr. Phillip Huff provided this additional statement:

“We are deeply committed to driving cybersecurity education forward—not only for our students’ futures but for the protection and prosperity of Arkansas. We are grateful to Attorney General Tim Griffin because this support will help ensure that UA Little Rock remains a leader in this vital field and that Arkansas businesses, communities, and critical infrastructure are equipped to meet future cybersecurity challenges head-on.”

About Attorney General Tim Griffin

Tim Griffin was sworn in as the 57th Attorney General of Arkansas on January 10, 2023, having previously served as the state’s 20th Lieutenant Governor from 2015-2023. From 2011-2015, Griffin served as the 24th representative of Arkansas’s Second Congressional District, where he served on the House Committee on Ways and Means, House Armed Services Committee, House Committee on Foreign Affairs, House Committee on Ethics and House Committee on the Judiciary while also serving as a Deputy Whip for the Majority.

Griffin has served as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps for more than 28 years and currently holds the rank of colonel. In 2005, Griffin was mobilized to active duty as an Army prosecutor at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and served with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) in Mosul, Iraq.

He is currently serving as the Commander of the 2d Legal Operations Detachment in New Orleans, Louisiana. His previous assignments include serving as the Commander of the 134th Legal Operations Detachment at Fort Liberty (née Bragg), North Carolina, and as a Senior Legislative Advisor to the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness at the Pentagon. Griffin earned a master’s degree in strategic studies as a Distinguished Honor Graduate from the U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.

Griffin also served as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Political Affairs for President George W. Bush; Special Assistant to Assistant Attorney General Michael Chertoff, Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice; Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Arkansas; Senior Investigative Counsel, Government Reform and Oversight Committee, U.S. House of Representatives; and Associate Independent Counsel, Office of Independent Counsel David M. Barrett, In re: HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros.

Griffin is a graduate of Magnolia High School, Hendrix College in Conway, and Tulane Law School in New Orleans. He attended graduate school at Oxford University. He is admitted to practice law in Arkansas (active) and Louisiana (inactive). Griffin lives in Little Rock with his wife, Elizabeth, a Camden native, and their three children.

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