Class Notes Fall 2016

Lt. Col. Kenneth Lucas ’48 was interviewed for Salute to Veterans, a series by Sen. John Boozman, recognizing the service and sacrifice of Arkansas veterans.

Patricia (Robins) Harrison ’56 and Monroe Harrison ’59 celebrated their 60-year wedding anniversary on August 5, 2015.

Sheffield Nelson ’63 was appointed by Gov. Asa Hutchinson to the University of Arkansas System Board of Trustees.

Jim Howard ’63 celebrated his 50th anniversary as a chemist for Clariant, a specialty chemical company.

Carolyn Lewis ’65, ’78 was inducted into the Conway Public Schools Foundation Hall of Honor on March 15, 2016.

Billy F. Hankins ’66, retired Air Force Captain, has been serving in Lions Clubs International. After being a district governor for the northeast quadrant of Arkansas for two terms, he was elected Arkansas Lions Council Chair.

Dr. Terry Fiddler ’70 was honored with the John Jack Logan Humanitarian Award during the Arkansas State Dental Association’s 129th Annual Scientific Session.

Sandy Stroupe ’70 was reappointed by Gov. Asa Hutchinson to the Arkansas Motor Vehicle Commission. Her appointment expires Jan. 14, 2023.

Beatrice ‘Betty’ (Lanni) Diehl ’71, ’75 retired after teaching a combined 17 years in the UCA School of Nursing.
Suzanne (Vining) Kunkel ’71 received the 2016 Arkansas Arts Council Governor’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Dr. Barbara (Garner) Williams ’71 retired as chair of the UCA School of Nursing.

Atty. Hayward M. Battle ’72 was elected chair of the Board of Visitors for the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Science and the Arts (ASMSA). He is in the fourth year of a seven-year term of service on the board.

William ‘Bill’ Ott ’72 was awarded the 2015 Historic Hotels of America Ambassador of the Year Award. The award recognizes an individual with a Quarter Century of Distinguished Service to the hospitality industry.

Debbye Smith ’73 was appointed by Gov. Asa Hutchinson to the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission.

Sarah (Daugherty) Thornton ’73, ’92 retired from teaching in the UCA School of Nursing.

Mischa Martin ’75 was named director of the Children and Family Services Division for the Arkansas Department of Human Services.

Bob Qualls ’76 received the Journalism Educator of the Year Award at the Arkansas Press Association’s convention in Bentonville.

Alicia Reid ’80 was inducted into the United Arts Alliance of Rock County Arts Hall of Fame. She is an artist and owns Raven’s Wish Gallery & Studio in Janesville, Wisconsin.

Anthony Todd McCall ’82 has been promoted to assistant director of the Operational Technology Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. McCall has been a special agent with the FBI since 1990.

Tina L. (Barger) McCall ’82 expanded the company, The Grove Primary Care clinic LLC, with her business partners, by opening a new counseling service and corporate office building in downtown Jackson, Tennessee. Since its creation, The Grove LLC has opened three family care clinics in Henderson, Middleton, and Scotts Hill, Tennessee.

Reginia (Thomas) Kimbrough ’83, ’07 was named director of the Conway Adult Education Center.

Cindy (Burnett) Beckman ’84, ’85 recently released a new book about 1930 graduate, Arch Ford, titled Man of Vision: Arkansas Education and the Legacy of Arch Ford.

Cathy (Martin) Cunningham ’84 was inducted into the Arkansas Women’s Hall of Fame on August 25, 2016.

Derek Rudkin, CAE ’84 is the executive director of the Pulaski County Medical Society, Pulaski County Medical Exchange and PCMS Healing the Healer Foundation.

Cassandra (Curry) Steele ’84 is the new director of the Little Rock School District special programs division, which provides special education services to students with disabilities.

Denise (Langley) Neill ’85, ’97 was appointed interim director at the School of Nursing at Sam Houston State University.

Doug Stanley ’85 was recently named a partner of Bryan Cave LLP, an international law firm.

J. Kelly Robbins ’86 was named the executive vice president of the Arkansas Chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America based in Little Rock.

Kim (Hathaway) Kollar ’87 was elected as the Albuquerque Charter Chapter President of the American Business Woman’s Association for the 2016-17 year and voted the Woman of the Year of the Albuquerque Charter Chapter.

Donna Short ’87, ’88 was hired at Michael J. Hennessy Associates, Inc. She is the executive vice president in oncology and works with leading oncologists across the United States to provide education in their respective disease specialties.

Eric Bayne ’90 was appointed municipal judge for the city of Del Rio, Texas in June 2016.

Michael Carter ’90 was elected president of the Arkansas Football Coaches Association earlier this year. He is the Conway Christian athletic director and head football coach.

Wanda (Adams) King ’90 was promoted to federal employee program operations manager at Arkansas Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Little Rock.

Oscar Washington ’90 was promoted to vice president of customer service for Entergy Arkansas.

Stacey Hammons ’91 was named chaplain of Presbyterian Village in Little Rock.

Amy Leet ’92 was appointed to the Museum Broken Arrow Board of Directors in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

Linda Means ’92 was appointed by Gov. Asa Hutchinson to the Dietetics Licensing Board.

Donna Townsell ’92 was promoted to the director of marketing for Centennial Bank.

Dr. Shawn (Thompson) Bediako ’94 was named the inaugural recipient of the Marilyn E. Demorest Award for Faculty Advancement at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Angie Longing ’94 was named chief nursing officer at Conway Regional Health System effective June 1, 2016.

Dr. Eric Robbins ’96 received the special service award from the Arkansas Optometric Association (ArOA) during the 2016 spring convention for contributing greatly to the optometry profession and the ArOA.

Jamie Gates ’00 was named to the Arkansas Business 40 Under 40 class of 2016. He is executive vice president of the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce and Conway Development Corp.

Christopher Wallace ’00 is the new director of Government and Industry Affairs for the National Transportation Safety Board.

Vincent Dunlap, Ph.D. ’01 was promoted to associate professor in the chemistry department at Henderson State University.

Douglas Isanhart ’01 volunteered with USAID in Senegal in May 2016. This was his 10th assignment for USAID, spanning three continents. He trained Senegalese trainers on business planning for women and youth co-operatives.

Jacob Ishee ’01 has been named procurement manager for Tennessee Operations at ALCOA.

Dr. Tonya Martin-Dunlap ’02 opened her own practice, Arkansas Breast Surgery, in Little Rock.

Shannon (Samples) Newton ’02 was named to the Arkansas Business 40 Under 40 class of 2016 and to Little Rock Soiree’s 2016 Women to Watch list. She is president of the Arkansas Trucking Association.

Chris Bell ’03 was named to the Arkansas Business 40 Under 40 class of 2016. He is founder and principal consultant of Complete Consulting in Little Rock, a full-service public accounting firm.

Dr. Shaneil Ealy ’03 was promoted to assistant vice president of Outreach and Community Engagement at UCA after receiving her Doctor of Education in higher education in May 2016 from the University of Arkansas Little Rock.

Lindsay (Wygal) Henderson ’03, ’04 was elected to a seven-year term on the Conway Corporation Board of Directors.

Jeremy S. Owoh ’03 recently obtained a doctorate degree in educational administration and supervision. He is the assistant superintendent of curriculum, instruction and desegregation in the newly formed Jacksonville North Pulaski School District.

Kelvin Hudson ’04 was promoted from assistant superintendent to superintendent of the Flippin School District on July 1, 2016.

Debbie Koch ’04 was recently named the Nurse Educator of the Year by Publishing Concepts, Inc., publisher of the Arkansas State Board of Nursing Update magazine.

Jennifer (Miller) Mallette ’05 graduated with her Ph.D. in English from the University of Arkansas in May 2015 and was hired in a tenure-track position at Boise State University in Boise, Idaho, as an assistant professor of English-Technical Communication.

Chasse Conque ’06 was named to the Arkansas Business 40 Under 40 class of 2016. He is athletic director at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Mary Beth Hatch ’06 was one of 52 educators nationwide selected as a 2016 PBS Learning Media Lead Digital Innovator.

Jonathan Jameson, D.C. ’06 opened a new chiropractic clinic, Pinnacle Chiropractic, in Little Rock.

Jennifer (Bickers) Morehead ’06 joined the Hendrix College Office of Development as the director of Annual Giving.

Bonnie Earleywine ’07 is helping to restore Arkansas waterways through innovative conservation efforts at the Nature Conservancy.

Walter Washington ’07 was honored on April 17, 2016 at Shackelford-Elders Greek Legends.

Blayne Sharpe ’08 joined the University of Nebraska’s Global Engagement team and is active with the university’s Africa programming.

Park Tipton ’08, ’11, a physical therapist at South Arkansas Rehabilitation in Monticello, was named a 2016 Emerging Leader Award winner by the American Physical Therapy Association Board of Directors.

Emily Gassman ’09 is the community development coordinator for the Arkansas Foodbank in Little Rock.

Richelle (Vanwagoner) Hammock ’09 is head athletic trainer for the Keiser University Seahawks in West Palm Beach, Florida. She was recognized by the Athletic Trainers’ Association of Florida for saving the life of a security guard who collapsed on campus.

Billy Henry ’10 is the new director of clinic management services for Conway Regional Health System.

Brandye (Wingard) Bisek ’11, ’13 was recognized among the Top 40 Under 40 nurses in Arkansas in June.

Greg Brooks ’12, ’14 joined Iovate Health Sciences International Inc. as Texas Area distribution representative.

Ashlea West ’12 received the honor of Nurse of the Year, Surgical/Ancillary at Arkansas Children's Hospital in June during the Excellence in Nursing awards during Nurses' Week.

Larry Hart ’13 rejoined the UCA community as the new football defensive line coach for the UCA Bears.

Elise Hampton ’14 was appointed by Gov. Asa Hutchinson to the Black History Commission. Her appointment expires Jan. 14, 2023.

Jordan King ’14 co-founded Bold Folks Home, a video series to feature many of the overlooked senior citizens living in the Central Arkansas area.

Paige Murphy ’14 co-founded Bold Folks Home, a video series to feature many of the overlooked senior citizens living in the Central Arkansas area.

Elise Williams ’14 co-launched a career, personal finance and lifestyle website called Earn Spend Live.

Sam Belk ’15 co-founded Bold Folks Home, a video series to feature many of the overlooked senior citizens living in the central Arkansas area.

Meleah Bowles ’15 co-launched a career, personal finance and lifestyle website called Earn Spend Live.

Leslie (Impson) Mann ’15 joined Conway Regional Health System as a physician liaison, in which role she will focus on network development as part of the medical staff administration department.

Jonathan Woodard ’15 was the No. 226 overall pick and the seventh player chosen by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2016 NFL draft.