Fredricka Sharkey serves as the director of communications and editor of the UCA Magazine.
With over 20 years of work experience as a communicator, Fredricka’s career has included everything from interviews with world leaders and capital murderers to folding and stuffing 2,000 letters and sweeping up after an event that she planned.
Fredricka’s career began in her home state of Mississippi. She started as a staff writer for the Greenwood Commonwealth. She later worked as anchor/reporter/community affairs director for WABG-TV in Greenville before working at WTVA-TV in Tupelo as a reporter and then later at KARK-TV in Little Rock as a reporter.
Since leaving the newsroom, Fredricka has continued to work as a communicator for municipal entities, private consultants and now, higher education. Career highlights for Fredricka include interviews with local, national and international figures including The Earl of Wessex, Prince Edward, and Boys II Men. Fredricka also conceived and executed an award-winning, evergreen consumer information campaign, Can the Grease©. In the private sector, Fredricka worked primarily throughout the delta region of Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana with W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s Mid South Delta Initiative.
Originally from Indianola, Miss., Fredricka is a magna cum laude graduate of Alcorn State University in Lorman, Miss., where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in broadcast journalism. As a college student, Fredricka served as editor of the ASU Herald, on-air news announcer for WPRL and president of the Communications Club.
She earned a Master of Arts degree in communications management at Webster University in St. Louis, Mo., where she earned the Distinguished Graduate designation.
Fredricka is also a Class XXI graduate of Leadership Greater Little Rock. She is a former board member of the Leadership Greater Little Rock Alumni Association and the Arkansas chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.
She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. serving in various leadership roles for the organization including special events chair for the state of Arkansas. Fredricka also served as chair of the 40th anniversary of Delta Presents, the signature event for the Little Rock Alumnae Chapter.
An avid couponer, Fredricka has taught several classes on the art of “couponing” in Little Rock and Conway.
Fredricka is married to Neal L. Sharkey III. The two have three children: Neal IV, Sarah and Frederick.