Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders: NWA's doing it right

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders spent part of her 42nd birthday addressing the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal's annual Forty Under 40 class .

State of play: The group gathered Tuesday for a luncheon at Embassy Suites in Rogers, where Sanders fielded questions from Roby Brock, CEO of Natural State Media.

What she said: Sanders wouldn't directly reveal plans for the next legislative session, set to begin early next year, but noted her record on passing the LEARNS education act and hinted at her thoughts.

• "We focused really heavily on pre-K through 12th grade in the first session, and I think … our attention needs to turn towards higher education and what we're doing to make sure we're preparing the workforce of tomorrow," she said.

The latest: Even as she took the stage, news broke that a judge will continue to allow a lawsuit to proceed challenging the constitutionality of some parts of the LEARNS Act.

On NWA: "Right now, everything Northwest Arkansas is doing is working, so I hope that we will continue that and it will expand more around the state," Sanders said.

• She noted the investments made by the area's Fortune 500 companies and the family founders of those companies.

The bonding — rather than fighting — of the cities that make up NWA as a region is another factor.

• "You have figured out how to function as a region — and that gives you great strength and great capacity to really build and grow — and I'm hopeful that other parts of this state can see that and follow that," she said.

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