William L Cravens

William L. Cravens is Oaklawn's Director of Finance. He has served on the Board of Directors of Oaklawn since 1977.

Cravens, now retired, was Chairman of ALLTEL Information Services.  He joined ALLTEL in October, 1994 as vice chairman and chief administrative officer and was named vice chairman, president and chief operating officer in February, 1995, prior his appointment as Chairman  in August 1996.  He retired in 2002.

Prior to joining ALLTEL, Cravens served as a senior executive in several Arkansas financial institutions, including chairman and chief executive officer of Worthen Banking Corporation, president and director of First Commercial Bank, and president, CEO and director of First National Bank in Little Rock.  He began his career as an engineer for General Electric and is a professional engineer and certified public accountant.

A graduate of the University of Arkansas, where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering, he is also a graduate of the Columbia University of New York's Commercial Bank Management Program.

Cravens' extensive financial background and long association with Oaklawn made him a logical choice for his position.