Representative Deborah Ferguson, DDS

Representative Deborah Ferguson, DDS is serving a sixth term in the Arkansas Legislature and was recently elected as President of the National Council of Insurance Legislators. She has served on the Executive Committee of NCOIL since 2014 and acted as Chair of several NCOIL committees.

First elected in 2012, Representative Ferguson has made a significant impact on improving the quality of life for all Arkansans, garnering her numerous awards for her legislative work. The Municipal League, the Banker’s Association, the Chamber of Commerce, the Arkansas Medical Society, and the Arkansas Dental Association have all named her as an Outstanding Legislator. She was additionally honored by The Community Health Centers of Arkansas who recognized her with the Legislative Advocacy Award.

Prior to entering public service, Dr. Ferguson was a dentist for twenty-five years and owned her own practice in West Memphis. Dr. Ferguson’s medical training makes her a leader on a variety of important healthcare and health insurance issues in the Arkansas General Assembly where she has served as Vice-Chair of the House Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee and Co-Chair of the Joint Legislative Council Arkansas Insurance Marketplace Subcommittee and Co-Chair of the Employee Benefits Division Insurance Subcommittee. As a State Representative, Ferguson serves on the Arkansas Legislative Council, House Rules, and the Arkansas Legislative Council’s Hospital and Medicaid Subcommittee. She has served as the House Legislative Girl’s State Chair twice.

Representative Ferguson has spent decades working in her community with a variety of non-profits and charities. She has served as a Guardian Ad Litem for foster children, a head coach for Odyssey of the Mind, and has worked with organizations such as the West Memphis Chamber of Commerce, the Arkansas Arts Council, Delta Arts Council, and the American Heart Association. She previously served as the Finance Chair for Junior Auxiliary and taught elementary Sunday school for ten years at the West Memphis First United Methodist Church.

Her tireless efforts have also extended nationally. Representative Ferguson serves on the Executive Committee of the National Conference of State Legislators and serves on the NCSL Health Innovation Task Force. She completed an NCSL Maternal and Infant Mortality Fellowship and sponsored legislation to create the Arkansas Maternal Mortality Review Committee. Her work with the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy lead to the creation of the Arkansas Campaign to Prevent Unplanned Pregnancy. She served on the Governor’s 2015 Healthcare Task Force to reform Medicaid. Additionally, she served as the State Director of Women in Government for ten years.

Representative Ferguson lives in West Memphis with her husband, Dr. Scott Ferguson. They are the proud parents of three children and two grandchildren.