Coding a New Future
Mary Dunlap ’14 works to create lasting change for Arkansas communities and corporations through technology education.
Dunlap is the Little Rock campus director at The Iron Yard, a fully immersive coding academy that takes its students from little to no experience as a developer to qualifying for junior level positions in 12 weeks.
“A huge purpose of The Iron Yard is to fill a hole in the workforce, which is developers, and we are here to create a pipeline of developers and engineers that have been lacking here,” said Dunlap.
Dunlap attributes her time as a public relations major at the University of Central Arkansas for influencing her success and accomplishments at The Iron Yard. Dunlap was an active leader in student organizations, including Delta Zeta, where she served as president, chaplain and representative on All-Greek Council. She also interned for the campus police department.
“The management course taught by Dr. Amy Hawkins [assistant professor, Department of Communication] taught me more than just tactical skills, it taught me to be self-aware, kind and thoughtful,” said Dunlap. “My time spent as a member of Delta Zeta helped me understand the value of time management, leadership and the ability to love others without condition.”
At The Iron Yard, she is responsible for student recruitment and retention, as well as logistics and campus operations. She also helps with career support after students graduate.
“Not only are we involved in producing developers and helping them find jobs, but we are also helping them leap into starting their own companies and being involved with the entrepreneur community here in Little Rock, which is pretty neat,” said Dunlap.
Another aspect of her position is networking with individuals, groups and industry leaders. “I’ve been able to meet and get to know the central Arkansas community especially well, and I am very thankful for their open arms,” said Dunlap. “I am continually inspired by The Iron Yard’s mission and the feedback from the community confirms that belief.”
As Dunlap continues her journey of helping to build a new and innovative workforce in the state of Arkansas, she has some advice for current UCA students.
“Take time to slow down and to listen,” said Dunlap. “I gained a lot from personal conversations and putting down my phone or my notebooks and being able to actually talk to people and kind of slow down — to step away from that for a minute was very influential for me.”