Steve Barnes, Susan Davenport to be recognized at Laurels & Stripes March 6
Steve Barnes
The University of Central Arkansas has selected veteran journalist Steve Barnes and accounting and philanthropic leader Susan Davenport to receive its 2027 Distinguished Alumni awards. They will be recognized at Laurels & Stripes on Saturday, March 6, at the Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts on the UCA campus.
Steve Barnes has spent more than five decades reporting on Arkansas politics, public policy and the events that have shaped the state. Through television, newspapers and national publications, he has helped audiences understand the decisions and issues affecting their communities. In 2023, he was inducted into the Mid-America Emmy Gold Circle of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, recognizing his long career in broadcasting.
Barnes began his journalism career while still in high school, reporting for the Associated Press and United Press International and contributing to local newspapers and trade publications. He attended UCA from 1967 to 1970, studying journalism and political science. While a student, he began working at KTHV in Little Rock in 1968 as a copyboy before becoming a reporter and substitute anchor.
He moved to KATV in 1972 as a reporter and primetime news anchor, then joined KARK in 1986 as an editor and news anchor. For nearly four decades, Barnes has hosted “Arkansas Week,” leading discussions with journalists and newsmakers about Arkansas politics and government. His guests have included UCA faculty members who bring research and expertise to conversations about state policy.
Barnes also built an extensive freelance career in print and broadcast journalism. His reporting has appeared in The New York Times, Time, People, The New York Times Magazine and The Progressive, among other publications. He has contributed to Reuters, NBC and Mutual radio networks and PBS’s former “MacNeil-Lehrer Report.” He also began writing a twice-weekly column in 1987 that has appeared in approximately a dozen Arkansas newspapers.
His reporting spans every Arkansas governor since Orval Faubus, decades of legislative sessions and congressional coverage, and six presidential campaigns involving four Arkansas politicians. He is married to journalist and educator Amy Oliver Barnes.
Susan Davenport, a retired managing partner of Forvis Mazars, is recognized for her leadership in accounting, service to families facing medical crises and support of UCA students. She graduated with high honors from UCA in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a major in accounting and a minor in interdisciplinary studies through the Honors College.
Davenport built her career at BKD, focusing on health systems and hospital clients. Her work included financial statement audits, cost reports, feasibility studies for major hospital construction projects, and reimbursement and management consulting. She became managing partner for BKD’s Arkansas offices in January 2021, becoming the first woman to lead the Arkansas practice. Her leadership encompassed offices in Little Rock, Fort Smith and Rogers, and her career continued through the firm’s transition to Forvis Mazars.
Her professional service includes leadership in the Healthcare Financial Management Association, where she served as Arkansas chapter president and regional executive for a five-state region. She holds the association’s Fellow designation. At BKD, she also supported the firm’s diversity and inclusion initiative and mentored colleagues at all stages of their careers.
Davenport’s commitment to community service is reflected in her longstanding leadership with Ronald McDonald House Arkansas & North Louisiana. She has served multiple terms on the organization’s board of directors, including as board chair, and currently serves on the board and finance committee. Her dedication to the organization also earned her recognition as its Honoree of the Year. Together with her husband, Dean, she also chaired the organization’s Chocolate Fantasy Ball, helping achieve record-breaking fundraising results. In 2024, the Arkansas Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals honored Susan and Dean Davenport as Outstanding Philanthropists of the Year in recognition of their longstanding dedication to Ronald McDonald House Arkansas & North Louisiana.
Her other honors include Arkansas Business 40 Under 40 recognition in 2008, Little Rock Soirée’s Women to Watch recognition in 2012 and the Arkansas Business Lifetime Achievement Award in Accounting in 2016.
At UCA, Davenport has supported the Department of Accounting through personal giving, student recruitment and presentations to Beta Alpha Psi. She has helped direct firm scholarship support to the university and supported BKD’s sponsorship of the accounting department during the College of Business building renovation. Her work connecting students with professional opportunities and mentoring future accountants extends the impact of her UCA education.