Jo Luck, the former CEO and president of Heifer International -- a Little Rock-based nonprofit dedicated to combating hunger and poverty around the world -- died on Nov. 26 the age of 83, the organization announced Monday.

Described 15 years ago by Heifer board chair Doug Smith as "a force to be reckoned with," the Little Rock native and Hendrix College graduate was the first woman to hold a cabinet-level position in the state of Arkansas.

She worked at Heifer from 1989 to 2009 , becoming CEO in 1992, and serving as president from 1992 to 2001.

A decade before joining Heifer, Luck became the first executive director of Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families in 1978, according to her online obituary. Within a year, Luck made state history when Governor-elect Bill Clinton appointed

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