Dr. Shannon G. Davis (1988) – B.A. in Political Science, University of Central Arkansas; M.S. in Political Science, University of Arkansas-Fayetteville; Ph.D. in Political Science, University of Kansas; Technology Manager, Office of Research Support and Sponsored Programs, University of Arkansas-Fayetteville, 1997-1999; Director of Research, College of Education & Health Professions, University of Arkansas-Fayetteville; Assistant Director, Office of Research Support and Sponsored Programs, University of Arkansas-Fayetteville, 1999-2004; Director of Research, College of Education and Health Professions, Office of the Dean, University of Arkansas-Fayetteville, 2004-2007; Assistant Dean for Research, Office of the Dean, College of Engineering, University of Arkansas-Fayetteville, 2007-2015; Managing Director, Cybersecurity Center for Evolvable Energy Delivery Systems (SEEDS), Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Arkansas-Fayetteville, 2015-2022; Managing Director, GRid-connected Advanced Power Electronic Systems (GRAPES), Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Arkansas-Fayetteville, 2018-present.
Dr. Mark C. Ellickson (1982) – B.S. in Political Science, University of Central Arkansas; Ph.D. in Political Science, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois, 1986; Professor of Political Science, Missouri State University (formerly Southwest Missouri State University), Springfield, Missouri, 1986-present.
James D. Gingerich (1977) – B.A. in Political Science, University of Central Arkansas; J.D., University of Arkansas-Fayetteville, 1980; LL.M., University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom, 1982; Legal Counsel, Assistant to the President, and Associate Professor, University of Central Arkansas, 1980-1988; Director, Administrative Office of the Courts, Little Rock, Arkansas, 1988-2017; Director, State Courts Partnership, William H. Bowen School of Law, University of Arkansas-Little Rock, Little Rock, Arkansas, 2017-2022; Interim Dean, Institute for Court Management (ICM) Fellows Program, National Center for State Courts, Williamsburg, Virginia, 2022-present.
Sarah K. Goldfuss (2011) – B.A. in International Studies, University of Central Arkansas; Lead Recruiter and Logistics Coordinator, The Washington Center, Washington DC, 2012-2014; Sales and Marketing Manager, ClearPoint, Hoboken, New Jersey, 2014-2015; Project Manager, InVision Communications, New York, NY, 2015-2016; Marketing Manager and Head of Brand Engagement, DealCloud, New York, NY, 2016-2020; Head of Brand Engagement, Marketing Events, Intapp, New York, NY, 2020-present.
Bruce Hawkins (1979) – B.S. in Political Science, University of Central Arkansas; Owner, Hawkins Insurance Agency, Morrilton, AR, 1979-present; Member, Arkansas House of Representatives, 1983-1995; Partner, H & H Employee Benefits Specialists, Little Rock, AR, 1992-present; DBH Management Consultants, Morrilton, AR, 1996-present.
Harry S. Hurst, Jr. (1985) – B.S. in Political Science, University of Central Arkansas; J.D., University of Arkansas-Fayetteville, 1988; Associate, Wright Lindsey & Jennings, Little Rock, Arkansas, 1988-1998; Partner, Wright Lindsey & Jennings, Little Rock, Arkansas, 1994-1998; Partner, Mixon Parker & Hurst, PLC, Jonesboro, Arkansas, 1998-2008; Partner, Hurst & Burnett, Jonesboro, Arkansas, 2012-present.
Paul W. Kimbrough, Sr. (1981) – Paul Wayne Kimbrough, Sr. was born in Little Rock, Arkansas on October 4, 1958. Paul graduated from Parkview High School in Little Rock in 1977. He attend the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, where he pursue a major in Political Science and served as Secretary-General of the Arkansas Model United Nations (AMUN) in 1980. Paul earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from UCA in 1981 and a J.D. degree from the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville in 1984. Paul served as president of the Black Law Students Association at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville. Paul worked on the staff of Congressman Ray Thornton, and he unsuccessfully ran in the Democratic Primary Election for a seat in the Arkansas House of Representatives in 1996. Paul worked in the Inspector-General’s Office in the U.S. Department of Transportation in Washington DC. Paul served in the U.S. Army Reserves. Lt. Col. Kimbrough was assigned to the 416th Engineer Command, Team 28, U.S. Army Reserve, Fort Benning, Georgia. While serving in Afghanistan, Lt. Col. Kimbrough was medically evacuated from Baghram, Afghanistan to Incirlik, Turkey. He died of cardiac arrest en route to Turkey October 3, 2003.
Kelly A. Madden (1979) – B.A. in Political Science, University of Central Arkansas; Master of Divinity, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, 1997; Ph.D., Political Philosophy, University of York (UK), 2006; Director of Graduate Studies, International Leadership Foundation, 2006-2012; Founder and Executive Director, Boston Fellows, Boston, Massachusetts, 2009-present.
John W. Martin (1976) – B.S. in Political Science, University of Central Arkansas; J.D., University of Arkansas-Fayetteville, 1980; District Judge, Brinkley, Monroe County, Arkansas, 1989-present; Special Chancery Judge, 1st Judicial District, November 1990-May 1991.
W. David Moody (1982) – B.S. in Public Administration, University of Central Arkansas; M.A. in Public Administration, University of Houston, 1984; Program Analyst, NASA Kennedy Space Center, 1984-1992; Aerospace Consultant, Vision Analytics, 1992-1994; Senior Program Analyst, NASA Space Station Program Office, 1994-1996; President and Founder, Innovative Corporate Solutions, 1996-1998; President and Co-Owner, First Arkansas Insurance, Cabot, Arkansas, 1998-2003; Vice-President, First Security Insurance, LLC, 2003-2005; Co-Owner, DavidMarcus, Inc., Conway and Little Rock, Arkansas, 2005-present; Insurance Agent, McElhanon/Standridge Insurance, 2005-present; Senior Consultant, The VMP Group, LLC., 2007-.
James Lionell Owens (1976) – B.A. in Political Science, University of Central Arkansas; J.D., University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas (1980); Judge Advocate in the United States Air Force (U.S.A.F.) at Keesler AFB, Mississippi and Clark AFB, Republic of the Philippines (1980-1985); Special Agent with the U.S.A.F. Office of Special Investigations (OSI) at various locations in the U.S. and Saudi Arabia until retiring from active duty in the U.S.A.F. (1985-2003); and Civilian Special Agent, U.S.A.F. OSI. (2003-present), including serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom as Deputy Director of Counter-Intelligence for the Coalition Provisional Authority’s (CPA) in Baghdad, Iraq (June 2003-December 2003), Instructor at the U.S.A.F. Special Investigations Academy in Glynco, Georgia (April 2004-February 2006), Force Protection Attache at the U.S. Embassy in Sana’a, Yemen (February 2006-September 2006), and Chief of Counter-Intelligence, U.S.A.F. OSI, 4th Field Investigations Region (FIR), Randolph AFB, Texas (September 2006-).
Rhonda Parish (1978) – B.S. in Political Science, University of Central Arkansas; J.D. degree from the University of Arkansas School of Law, Fayetteville, Arkansas; Attorney, Fayetteville, Arkansas, 1981-1983; Corporate Counsel, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., 1983-1990; Assistant General Counsel, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., 1990-1994; Vice President, Legal Counsel, Denny’s Corporation, Spartanburg, South Carolina, 1995-1998; Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary, Denny’s Corporation, Spartanburg, South Carolina, 1998-2008; Attorney, Spartanburg, South Carolina, 2008-2010; Chief Legal Officer and Secretary, Einstein Noah Restaurant Group, Lakewood, Colorado, 2010.
Dexter Pearson (2001) – B.S. in Public Administration, University of Central Arkansas; M.A. in Public Administration, Webster University; Projects Director and Legislative Assistant, Office of Congressman Vic Snyder, Little Rock, Arkansas and Washington DC, February 2003-January 2010; Senior Professional Staff Member, Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, U.S. Senate, Washington DC, January 2010-April 2011; Senior Adviser to the Director of the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization-OSDBU, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington DC, April 2011-July 2011; Director, National Scholars Program, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington DC, August 2011-October 2022; Acting Director, Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization-OSDBU, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington DC, October 2011-May 2012; Associate Director, Office of Advocacy and Outreach, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington DC, May 2012-January 2014; Outreach Advisor for Community & Economic Development, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington DC, January 2014-present.
Ursula Polk (1975) – B.A. in Political Science, University of Central Arkansas. Ursula Sue Polk died of complications related to breast cancer on June 26, 2005 at Providence Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas. She was born on December 20, 1952 at Fort Hood, Texas to Howard and Ilse Kalmering Nunn. As a child, Ursula lived in Germany and Turkey. Ursula graduated from Jacksonville High School in Jacksonville, Arkansas in 1971, and was married to 2nd Lt. Fred Lee Polk in West Point, New York on June 5, 1974. Ursula graduated with a degree in political science from the University of Central Arkansas in 1975, and received her commission as 2nd Lt. in the U.S. Army in 1976. Throughout their careers in the U.S. Army, Ursula and her husband were stationed in many locations, including Germany and Panama (where Ursula participated in the planning and execution of Operation Just Cause and became one of the first post-Vietnam War female soldiers to earn a combat patch). Ursula received her master’s degree in public administration from American University in 1983. Ursula and her husband served as assistant professors at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York. Ursula attended the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth in 1990, and then served as an instructor at the college in 1991. Ursula later taught government, economics, and international relations at Immaculata High School in Leavenworth, Kansas. Ursula’s final rank in the U.S. Army Reserve was Lt. Colonel. She was survived by her husband Fred, son John, and daughter Jessica.
Gail Ponder Gaines (1980) – B.S. in Political Science, University of Central Arkansas; J.D., University of Arkansas-Little Rock, 1986; Law Clerk, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Arkansas, Little Rock, Arkansas; Attorney, Barber Law Firm, Little Rock, Arkansas, 1986-present.
Dr. Stephen C. Powers (1988) – Ph.D. in Political Science, University of Central Arkansas, Florida State University; Associate Professor, Tallahassee Community College, Tallahassee, Florida.
David Reynolds (1977) – B.A. in Political Science, University of Central Arkansas; J.D., William H. Bowen School of Law, University of Arkansas-Little Rock, 1981; Circuit Court Judge, Arkansas 20th District, Conway, Arkansas, 1990-2012; Circuit Court Judge, Arkansas 9th District, Conway, Arkansas, 2012-2020.
Tyrone D. Scott (1989) – B.A. in Political Science, University of Central Arkansas; Master’s degree from Auburn University, Montgomery, Alabama, 1996; Chief Historian for Headquarters Fifth Air Force, Yokota Air Base, Tokyo, Japan; Field Historian, Office of Army Reserve History, U.S. Army Reserve Command, Ft. McPherson, Georgia; Staff Historian, United Nations Command (UNC)/Combined Forces Command (CFC), United States Forces in Korea (USFK).
Preston Scroggin (1989) – B.S. in Political Science, University of Central Arkansas; State of Arkansas House of Representatives, Little Rock, Arkansas, 2001-2007; Judge, Faulkner County, 2007-2013; Director, Livestock and Poultry Commission, Arkansas Department of Agriculture, 2013-2015; Mayor, City of Vilonia, 2019-present.
Anatoliy Shatkovskyy (2010) – B.A. in International Studies, University of Central Arkansas; Master of Public Service, William J. Clinton School of Public Service, University of Arkansas, Little Rock, Arkansas, 2012; Central & Eastern Europe Area Program Intern, Heifer International, Little Rock, Arkansas, 2011-2012; Program Analyst, Heifer International, Little Rock, Arkansas, 2012; Social Innovation and Business Efficiency Project Manager, Danone Corporation, Kiev, Ukraine, 2012-2015; Adviser to the Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, Government of Ukraine, 2015-2019; Senior Analyst, Department of Global Affairs, Government of Canada, 2019-present.
Dr. Aimee Dunn Shouse (1989) – B.S. in Political Science, University of Central Arkansas; Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Western Illinois University, Macomb, Illinois; Chair and Professor, Department of Women’s Studies, Western Illinois University, Macomb, Illinois, 2008-2017; Dean, College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences, Southwest Minnesota State University, Marshall, Minnesota, 2017-2021; Associate Provost and Associate Vice President for Curriculum and Faculty Affairs, Tarleton State University, Stephenville, Texas, 2021-present.
Taylor Ray Slaton (2011) – B.S. in Political Science, University of Central Arkansas; J.D., William H. Bowen School of Law, Little Rock, Arkansas, 2015; passed the Arkansas Bar Examination, 2015; LL.M. in Taxation, Frederic G. Levin School of Law, University of Florida, 2016; Attorney, Hyden, Miron & Foster, PLLC, Little Rock, Arkansas, August 2016-present.
Joe Randall (Randy) Thurman (1975) – B.A. in Political Science, University of Central Arkansas; MPA, University of Arkansas-Fayetteville; M.A., Human Resource Development, Webster University, Little Rock, AR; Member, State of Arkansas House of Representative, 1989-1995; Executive Director, Arkansas Environmental Federation (AEF), Little Rock, AR, 1995-; Partner, Government Solutions, Little Rock, AR, 1998-.
Dr. Kim Uhiren Hoffman (1989) – B.S. in Public Administration, University of Central Arkansas; M.P.A., Public Administration, University of North Texas, 1991; Ph.D. in Political Science, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, 2003; Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Central Arkansas, Conway, AR, 2003-2009; Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Central Arkansas, Conway, AR, 2009-2022; Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Central Arkansas, 2022-present.
Roy (Keith) Vaughan (1974) – B.S. in Political Science, University of Central Arkansas; J.D., University of Arkansas-Fayetteville, 1977; Attorney, Jacksonville, Arkansas, 1977-1991; Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, Pulaski County, Arkansas, 1982-1986; City Attorney, Jacksonville, Arkansas, 1983-1990; City Attorney, Holiday Lakes, Texas, 1991-1993; Attorney, Angleton, Texas, 1991-2007; City Attorney, Angleton, Texas, 1991-1997, 1998-2008; Senior Assistant City Attorney, General Counsel Division, Houston, Texas. Keith was born to Arthur Wesley Vaughan and Lucille Marie Phillips in Searcy, Arkansas on August 27, 1951. He graduated from Kensett High School in 1969. He died in Houston, Texas on December 16, 2018.
Mark D. Wankum (2005) – B.A. in Political Science; J.D., University of Arkansas-Little Rock School of Law, Little Rock, Arkansas, 2008; Law Clerk, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Arkansas, Little Rock, Arkansas, 2007-2008; Attorney, Anderson, Murphy, & Hopkins, L.L.P., Little Rock, Arkansas, 2008-present.
Andrew White (2001) – B.S. in Political Science, University of Central Arkansas; MS in Applied Computing, University of Central Arkansas, Conway, AR, 2010; Software Developer, Acxiom, Conway, AR, June 2000-March 2010; Technical Support Analyst II, Medical Associates Clinic, March 2010-July 2011; System Administrator, Medical Associates Clinic, July 2011-March 2012; Software Developer, Senior Software Engineer, Expert Software Engineer, and Software Engineering Team Leader, Acxiom, Conway, AR, April 2012-present.
Tobin C. Williamson (2009) – B.A. in International Studies and B.S. in Geography, University of Central Arkansas; M.A. in Bioethics/Medical Ethics, University of Louisville, 2009-2011; M.A. in Political Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2011-2013; Community Liaison, Honorable Jim McDermott, 7th Congressional District, State of Washington, 2015-2017; Communications & Event Assistant, Consulate General of the Czech Republic, Chicago, IL, 2017-2018; Congressional Aide, 3rd District, State of Kentucky, Louisville, KY, 2018; Special Assistant to the Executive Director, KentuckianaWorks, City of Louisville, KY, 2019-2021; Advocacy & Policy Manager, Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition (MIRC), Portland, Maine, 2021-present.
Mitchell E. Wood (2004) – B.S. in Political Science, University of Central Arkansas; J.D., University of Arkansas-Little Rock School of Law, 2007; Attorney, Overland Park, KS; Attorney, The Halbrook Law Firm, P.C., Prairie Village, KS, 2010-2017; Attorney and Shareholder, Halbrook & Wood Attorneys at Law, Prairie Village, KS, 2017-present.
Robert Wright (1982) – B.S. in Public Administration, University of Central Arkansas; MPA, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University; JD, University of Arkansas-Little Rock, Little Rock, Arkansas, December 2007; Director, Illinois Department of Public Aid; City Manager, City of Texarkana, Arkansas; Director of Research and Policy, Arkansas Department of Human Services, Little Rock, Arkansas; Chief Financial Officer, Arkansas Medicaid Program, Little Rock, Arkansas; Associate (Health Law), Mitchell Blackstock Ivers & Sneddon Law Firm, PLLC, Little Rock, Arkansas.
John J. Zimmerebner (2005) – B.S. in Political Science, University of Central Arkansas; Director of Advance, Clinton Foundation, New York, NY, 2008-2011; Director of Advance, Trip Director, Office of Former President William J. Clinton, New York, NY, 2012-2017; Senior Advisor, ConsenSys, New York, NY, 2018-present.