Speakers Bureau

The UCA Speakers Bureau spotlights the talented pool of faculty and staff at the university.  The Speakers Bureau is a free public service for civic groups, schools, and non-profit organizations. Contact the university's Division of University & Government Relations to have a faculty or staff member speak at an event.

National, state and local media can also tap into the university's pool of experts to gather information on topics such as health care, the economy, education and social issues.

To schedule a speaker contact us at (501) 450-5114 or news@uca.edu. Please contact us four weeks prior to your event so we can help make arrangements and schedules.

College of Business

Management

Dr. Michael B. Hargis, assistant professor of management
Topics: Human Resources Management, Organizational Behavior, and Management

Dr. John Bratton, professor of insurance and risk management
Topics: Property/Liability Insurance and Risk Management

Dr. Don Bradley III, professor of marketing and executive director of Small Business Advancement National Center
Topics: Small Business, Entrepreneurship, Retailing, Marketing, Non-Profit Management and Marketing. Economy Development, Banking, Small Business Public Policy

College of Education

Dr. Diana G. Pounder, dean of College of Education
Topic: Educational Leadership

Dr. Debbie Barnes, assistant dean, College of Education
Topics: National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), Pathwise, Praxis III, and Teacher Education.

Mara Jane Cawein, National Board Certified Teacher, clinical instructor
Topic: National Board Certification for Teachers

Dr. Nancy P. Gallavan, professor, Master of Arts in Teaching
Department of Teaching and Learning; and Master of Arts in Teaching Program
Topics: Performance-Based Assessments, Cultural Competence, Social Studies Education, and Reflectivity

Dr. Mark J. Cooper, L.P.C., professor, Department of Early childhood and Special Education
Director of Mashburn Center for Learning
Topics: Guidance and Management for Preschool Through Elementary Grades, Promoting Positive Behaviors and Demoting Negative Behaviors, and Building Hope Among Struggling Learners

Dr. Terri Hebert, assistant professor, Department of Teaching & Learning
Topics: Technology Integration, Differentiated Instruction, and Children's Literature and Science Integration

Dr. Tammy Benson
, associate professor, Master of Arts in Teaching
Chair for the Department of Teaching and Learning in the College of Education
Topics: Eearly Childhood Education, Child Development, Behavior Management, Reading Instruction, and Assessment

Marilyn A. Friga, instructor , Department of Teaching & Learning
Topics: National Board Certified Teacher Social Studies, AR Licensed Middle/Secondary Social Studies Teacher, Praxis III Assessor, and Pathwise Trainer and Supervisor Pre-Service Interns

Dr. Gary Bunn, assistant professor, Department of Teaching & Learning
Program Coordinator, Master of Arts in Teaching
Topics: Leadership Development, Motivation, Effective Teaching Strategies, and Professional Development Topics

Heather Fisher, instructor, Master's of Arts in Teaching
Topics: Classroom Management and Reading/Writing Instruction (K-6)

Dr. Patty Phelps, professor, Department of Teaching & Learning
Topics: Instructional Improvement, Teacher Leadership, and Classroom Management (middle/secondary level)

Dr. Donna Wake, assistant professor, Department of Teaching & Learning
Topics: Digital Storytelling, Writing Process, Writing for Different Audiences, Writing Craftmanship, and Media Literacy

College of Fine Arts and Communications

Art History

Dr. Reinaldo ('Dito') Morales Jr, assistant professor, Art History
Topics: Pre-Columbian Art (art in the Americas before AD 1500), Prehistoric Art, Rock Art ('pictographs', 'petroglyphs', cave painting), and Indigenous Arts of Brazil

Mass Communication and Theatre

John Gale, associate professor and chair, Department of Mass communication and Theatre Department
Topics: Copyright, Freedom of the Press, Privacy, and Free Press - Fair Trial.

Music

Ryan Fisher, assistant professor of music education, Department of Music
Topics: Choral Music, Music Education, Choral Music Education, Orff-Schulwerk Method of Early Childhood Music Education.

Izzy Getzov, assistant professor of music, Department of Music
Music director of the Conway Symphony Orchestra
Topics: General Music and Orchestral Music

Christian Carichner, visiting assistant professor of music, Department of Music
Topics: Brass Music, Breathing and Tone Production in Wind Music, Drum and Bugle Corps, and General Music

Steven Smyth, assistant professor of music, Department of Music
Topics: Conducting, Marching Band, and Band Music

Dr. Jeffery Jarvis, associate professor, chair of the Department of Music
Topics:  General Music, Music and Society, and Music and Human Development

Speech and Public Relations

Dr. James W. Hikins, professor and chair, Department of Speech and Public Relations
Topics: Human Response to Disaster and Political Communication

College of Health and Behavioral Science

Family & Consumer Services

Dr. Nina Roofe, instructor of nutrition, Department of Family & Consumer Services
Topics: Pediatric Nutrition, Pediatric Obesity, Parenting Premature Infants, Nutrition and Autism, and Service Learning.

Dr. James Guinee, instructor, Department of Health Sciences
Topics: Communication and Conflict Resolution, Dream Interpretation, Ethics, Supervision and Training, Religious Issues and Mental Health, and all Mental Health Topics

Addiction

Lisa Ray,  MS, LADAC, CCS, clinical instructor II, Department of Health Sciences
Topics: Addiction, Treatment and Prevention, Alcohol, Tobacco, other Drugs and Gambling

Nursing

Julie Meaux, PhD, RN-C, CNE , associate professor, Department of Nursing
Topic: Attention Deficit Disorder

Barbara Williams, PhD, RN, chairman, Department of Nursing
Topics: Nursing Workforce and Nurse Educator Shortage

Physical Therapy

Steve Forbush, PhD, PT, assistant professor, Department of Physical Therapy
Topic: Physical Therapy

Speech-Language Pathology

Dr. Brent Gregg, assistant professor, Department of Speech-Language Pathology
Topic: Stuttering

Dr. Kim McCullough, assistant professor, Department of Speech-Language Pathology
Topics: Communication Impairments Caused by Stroke, Brain Injury and Dementia

Dr. Mary Jo Cooley Hidecker, assistant professor, Department of Speech-Language Pathology
Topics: Augmentative and Alternative Communication, Cerebral Palsy and Communication,  Autism, Evidence-Based Practice,  Epidemiology in Communication Disorders, Hearing Loss and Prevention, and World Health Organization International Classification of Function, Disability and Health.

Dr. Susan Moss-Logan, associate professor and co-director, Communication Sciences & Disorders Doctoral Program Consortium
Topic: Childhood Apraxia

Jeff Adams, clinical instructor, Department of Speech-Language Pathology
Topic: Traumatic Brain Injury

Dr. Dee Lance, associate professor, Department of Speech-Language Pathology
Topics: Language Development and Disorders and Reading Impairment

Kinesiology and Physical Education

Steve Tucker, PhD, ATC, assistant professor, Department of Kinesiology & Physical Education
Topic: Mechanism, Treatment and Prevention of Chronic Shoulder Injuries

Steve Hornor,  MA, LAT/ATC, Assistant Athletic Trainer/ Clinical I Instructor
Topics: Athletic Trainers in the Secondary School Setting, Injury Management, and Specialized Taping Techniques.

College of Liberal Arts

Political Science

Dr. Gary Wekkin, professor, Department of Political Science
Topics: U.S. Government & Politics, American Presidency, Politics of Presidential Selection, Interest Groups & Money in Politics, Political Parties & Electoral Problems, Political Behavior and Campaign Management

History

Dr.  Kenneth C. Barnes, Chair, professor of history
Topics: 19th-century Arkansas, 20th-century Germany ,and the Reformation

Dr. Lorien Foote, associate professor, Department of History
Topics: The American Civil War and Reconstruction

Dr. Roger Pauly, assistant professor, Department of History
Topic: Modern Britain, Imperialism, Science and Technology.

Philosophy and Religion

Dr. Jesse Butler, assistant professor, Department of Philosophy and Religion
Topics: Self-Knowledge, Mind and Consciousness, Language and Thought

Dr. Clayton Crockett, associate professor, director of religious studies
Topics: Modern and Contemporary Western Religious Thought, Postmodernism, and Contemporary Continental Philosophy

Dr. Jim Deitrick, associate professor, Director, Humanities and World Cultures Institute
Topics: Comparative Religious Ethics, Asian Philosophy and Religion, and Religion in the US

Dr. Charles W. Harvey, professor and chair of Department of Philosophy and Religion
Topics: Existentialism, Phenomenology, and Philosophy of Art

Dr. Jacob Held, assistant professor, Department of Philosophy and Religion
Topics: Philosophy and Pop Culture, Theories of Punishment, and Marx and Marxism

Ms. Tanya Jeffcoat, instructor, Department of Philosophy and Religion
Topics: Classical American Pragmatism, especially John Dewey, Philosophy and Diversity,  and Philosophy of Food

Dr. Peter J. Mehl, professor, associate dean, College of Liberal Arts
Topics: Ethics and Liberal Arts Education

Dr. Benjamin Rider, assistant professor, Department of Philosophy and Religion
Topics: Happiness and the Good Life, the Ethics of Death, and Longevity

Dr. Jim Shelton, professor, Department of Philosophy and Religion
Topics: Logic (e.g., reasoning, fallacies and scientific method), Evolution and Creation Science, and Parapsychology.

Phillip Spivey, lecturer, Department of Philosophy and Religion
Topics: Judaism, World Religions, and History of Western Philosophy

College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics

Biology

Dr. Ben Cash, professor and chair of biology
Topics: Behavioral and Physiological Ecology, Wetland Ecology, Amphibian and Reptile Biology

Chemistry

Dr. Patrick Desrochers, professor, Department of Chemistry
Topics: Chemistry of Metals, including biochemistry of metals, metals in the environment and bacterial enzymes, Alternative Fuels, including hydrogen preparation and storage, and Metal catalysts for Industrial Processes.

Dr. Karen Steelman, assistant professor, Department of Chemistry
Topic: Archeological Chemistry

Dr. Kyle Felling, assistant professor, Department of Chemistry
Topic: Environmental Chemistry

Dr. Faith Yarberry, visiting assistant professor, Department of Chemistry
Topic: Chemistry Demonstrations for K-12 Students

Computer Science

Dr. Chenyi Hu, professor and chairperson, Department of Computer Science
Topics: Computing is Cool and Fun, Computer Science in the Core Curriculum for K-14, Starting Programming with Game in Python, Interval Computing and Application, Knowledge Processing with Interval Methods

Mathematics

Dr. George Bratton, associate professor, Department of Mathematics
Topic: Mathematics Education/Statistics

Dr. Linda Griffith, professor, Department of Mathematics
Topic: Mathematics Education

Dr. Damber Singh Tomer, associate professor, Department of Mathematics
Topic: Hinduism/Vedic mathematics