Challenge Week 2025 – Change-Makers
As we attend Challenge Week events here in Conway, the United Nations General Assembly will be meeting in New York City and marking the 10-year anniversary of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): “The Agenda remains the world’s roadmap for ending poverty, protecting the planet and tackling inequalities. The 17 SDGs, the cornerstone of the Agenda, offer the most practical and effective pathway to tackle the causes of violent conflict, human rights abuses, climate change and environmental degradation and aim to ensure that no one will be left behind.”
The work of the United Nations may feel very far away, but this year’s Challenge Week theme, Change-Makers, highlights the actions being taken by alumni and local and regional individuals that are helping to further the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals one step at a time.
The goal of Challenge Week 2025 is to inspire our community with diverse examples of people making positive SDG impacts in their community through grassroots efforts, from the inside of organizations, through their profession, or all three. Each speaker will offer a different model for how to not only make ends meet after graduation, but live a meaningful, impactful life that has global resonance.
Schedule-at-a-Glance
Monday, September 22, 5:00-6:00 pm (with refreshments starting at 4:30 pm)
College of Business Auditorium
“Fashion as Activism: How local communities can reclaim control and drive a global movement” with Dr. Heather Masson-Forsythe, Ph.D.
Tuesday, September 23, x-period, 1:40-2:30 pm (with refreshments after)
Schichtl 115
“Banking with a Purpose” with Martie North
Wednesday, September 24, 6:00-7:30 pm (refreshments starting at 5:30 pm)
College of Business Auditorium
“Global Changemakers” panel discussion with Shmuel Tamao, Jose Guzzardi, & Tobin Williamson
Thursday, September 24, x-period, 1:40-2:30 pm (with refreshments after)
Schichtl 115
“Pathways to Civic Leadership: Growing Your Impact in Community Change” with Dr. Henry Jones, Ph.D.
Thursday, September 24, 7:00-8:00 pm (with refreshments after)
Windgate Recital Hall
“The Future of Rural America in a Time of Crisis” with Monica Potts
Monday, September 22, 2025
Fashion as Activism: How local communities can reclaim control and drive a global movement
Dr. Heather Masson-Forsythe, Ph.D.
College of Business Auditorium
5:00-6:00 pm (with refreshments starting at 4:30 pm)
Sustainability has a marketing issue. There is no shortage of information about the harms of unsustainable practices, and still, wide-spread behavioral shifts and meaningful policy adoption is too slow to meet the climate challenges we’re already facing. And yet, most individuals want clean water, safe food, beautiful natural spaces to visit, and to not perish in an unprecedented extreme weather event. When it comes to reaching our sustainable development goals, we’re lacking clear, accessible, and scalable pathways for action. In this talk, we will dive into why the fashion industry is one of our biggest environmental threats and explore clothes-swapping as a case study for building community and driving sustainable action that can grow and last. I will share my experience making this change as the entrepreneurial co-founder of Communitique, a community-driven clothes-swapping social app aimed at building a more sustainable fashion ecosystem.
Dr. Heather Masson-Forsythe is a science communicator, science policy analyst, writer, editor, dancer, and founder building a circular fashion economy. After graduating from the University of Central Arkansas Schedler Honors College in 2016 with a degree in Biology, she completed her Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Biophysics at Oregon State University, where she specialized in protein interactions underlying cataracts disease and COVID-19 – and in dancing in the lab. Her viral science communication work has been featured in Forbes, International Business Times, and more. Heather served as an Executive Branch AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the U.S. National Science Foundation, Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering. She is also the co-founder of the clothes-swapping social app Communitique.
Tuesday, September 23, 2025
Banking with a Purpose
Martie North
Schichtl 115
X-period, 1:40-2:30 pm (with refreshments after)
In this talk, Martie North will share her unconventional, anything but straight-forward, path to becoming a change-maker in banking and non-profit management. She went from majoring in dietetics at Harding University to building a career supporting low-income individuals by connecting them with financial services and affordable housing. Her story will challenge us to lean into uncertainty while not giving up our aspirations.
Martie North is Senior Vice President of Community Development and Engagement for Cadence Bank. She is also on the board of Arkansans for Stronger Communities which works on landlord/tenant law reform and is president of ACHANGE Arkansas, which works on developing affordable housing.
Wednesday, September 24, 2025
Global Changemakers
Shmuel Tamao, Jose Guzzardi, and Tobin Williamson
College of Business Auditorium
6:00-7:00 pm (panel discussion)
7:00-7:30 pm (breakout session)
In this panel discussion we will hear from 3 UCA Honors College alumni who have made careers out of making positive change at the global scale. Shmuel Tamao works to ensure the stories and voices of Indigenous people around the world are heard through film, music, and oral history. Jose Guzzardi works in the field of international business, helping companies be environmentally sustainable. Tobin Williamson works to support the human rights of refugees who have been displaced from their homes by war, violence, and natural disasters.
After the discussion you will have a special opportunity to receive professional advice from one of the panelists. At 7:00 each panelist will head to a breakout room and you are invited to join them to not only hear more about their professional path after UCA, but to ask them questions and get advice. What should you be doing now to set you up for getting a foothold in your chosen field after graduation? What experience, skills, and qualities do they look for in colleagues or new hires?
Shmuel (Samuel) Joseph Tamao is the founder and President of Indigenous Roots Production, a nonprofit that “amplifies the self-empowerment of Indigenous communities around the world through collaborative oral history, research, filmmaking, and folkloric music production.” Shmuel was born in Little Rock, AR as a member of the diasporic Assyrian nation – an indigenous group originating over 5000 years ago in Mesopotamia. He double-majored to acquire his B.A. in International Studies – Diplomacy & Sociology with an Honors Interdisciplinary Studies Minor from the University of Central Arkansas and Norbert O. Schedler Honors College. By 2014, Shmuel earned an MA Social Justice & Human Rights – NGO Management at Arizona State University. In the following seven years, Sam taught 6th grade world history and coached middle and upper school cross country in Little Rock, AR.
Jose E. Guzzardi is currently the Business Development Manager for LRQA, a consulting firm that helps businesses achieve environmental and security goals, everything from sustainable supply chains to cybersecurity.
Tobin Williamson is the Senior Manager of Policy & Partnerships with the Refugee Advocacy Lab, a state & local policy and advocacy-focused organization housed at Refugees International. Prior to joining the Lab, Williamson served as the Manager of Advocacy & Policy with the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition (“MIRC”). He started his career as a Congressional intern on Capitol Hill for former U.S. Rep. Vic Snyder (AR-02) and later as an intern with the World Affairs Council of Seattle. Williamson earned a Master’s Degree in Political Science from the University of North Carolina. A native Arkansan from Pope County, his undergraduate degrees include a B.S. in Geography and a B.A. in International Studies from the University of Central Arkansas, where he was part of the Honors College.
Thursday, September 25, 2025
Pathways to Civic Leadership: Growing Your Impact in Community Change
Dr. Henry Jones, PhD
Schichtl 115
X-period, 1:40-2:30 pm (with refreshments after)
This session explores the pathways to civic leadership and how individuals can expand their influence to create meaningful change within their communities. Participants will gain an understanding of civic and political action, including advocacy leadership, elected leadership, policy leadership, and organizing leadership.
Through interactive discussions and real-world examples, attendees will learn strategies to deepen their impact, navigate the political landscape, and mobilize community members toward shared goals. Whether aspiring to influence policy, serve in elected office, or lead grassroots organizing efforts, this session provides insights and tools for cultivating impactful civic leadership and driving sustainable community change.
Henry Jones Jr., PhD, a passionate community organizer, visionary leader, and unwavering advocate for social justice, is transforming the way communities come together and create change. As the founder of The Organizing Expert, a pioneering political and community engagement firm, he specializes in meeting people where they live, work, worship, and play—building authentic connections that drive real impact.
Currently serving as the Director of Strategy for LEE, Henry’s work is rooted in empowering communities of color, fostering grassroots leadership, and inspiring collective action. Throughout his career, he has built vibrant grassroots organizations, recruited and mentored emerging leaders, and crafted innovative programs that motivate communities to show up, speak out, and shape their future.
As a dedicated organizer and mentor, Henry founded Change the Game, a Community Organizing and Civic Engagement Fellowship, building the next generation of youth leaders committed to transforming their neighborhoods from the ground up. His doctoral research at the University of Central Arkansas delved into grassroots leadership development through community organizing, connecting his lifelong dedication to equity, empowerment, and systemic change.
The Future for Rural America in a Time of Crisis
Monica Potts
Rural American economies and cultures have been shifting for decades. The decline in agriculture, aging populations, loss of young people to colleges and bigger cities, and infrastructure challenges have meant that many small communities are often being left behind. With proposed cuts to Medicaid that could threaten the economic viability of rural hospitals, and proposed tariffs that could impact the service sector on which many rural communities depend, the near future could present even more challenges. How can we all ensure that rural communities survive—and thrive?
Monica Potts is a staff writer at The New Republic. She has previously worked at 538 and The American Prospect magazine, and her work has appeared in national outlets including The Atlantic and The New York Times. She is the author of The Forgotten Girls: A Memoir of Friendship and Lost Promise in Rural America.
