Charles Morgan wears many hats, from chairman of the board to chief data inspector to race car driver and even author. He founded First Orion, which provides call transparency with in-network call control, in 2008 in Little Rock. Morgan has extensive experience managing and investing in private and public companies, including Acxiom, the information services company based in Conway that he founded and grew to $1.4 billion in annual revenue with 7,000 employees worldwide.
Morgan served as Acxiom board chair for 30 years when he also held various leadership roles with the Direct Marketing Association (DMA). In addition to First Orion, Morgan currently serves on the board of Inuvo and was bestowed the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award from Marketing EDGE. Today, Morgan is leading the efforts of the Arkansas Center for Data Sciences, a public-private partnership devoted to upgrading the real-world computer and data analytic skills of the Arkansas workforce. A self proclaimed “gadget geek” from childhood, the Fort Smith native has raced motorcycles, flown jets and built and driven race cars in a professional racing career. He graduated from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville in 1966 with a degree in mechanical engineering.
READ MORE: 2021 Influencers of the Year: The Full List