Julie Bates
Executive Vice President at Arkansas State University System
MPA, University of Arkansas Little Rock : BA, Arkansas Tech University
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Executive Vice President at Arkansas State University System
Anne Benoit
NPU Transfer Center Coordinator
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NPU Transfer Center Coordinator
Janet Brewer
ARCUPA President and Associate Vice President of Human Resources at National Park College
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ARCUPA President and Associate Vice President of Human Resources at National Park College
Nathan Butler
Labor Standards Investigator Supervisor
Butler graduated from UCA with a bachelors in Business Administration degree. He began his career with the Arkansas Dept. of Labor in 2005 as an investigator and is now the Investigator supervisor.
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Labor Standards Investigator Supervisor
Jeff Eicholz
Pharmacy Practice Leader, Lockton Companies
Eicholz is a pharmacist by education and training with a PharmD. As Vice President, Pharmacy Practice Leader for Lockton’s Midwest Series, he is responsible for providing Lockton Midwest clients with comprehensive guidance relating to pharmacy benefit strategy. His work includes PBM procurement and renewals, benefit contract negotiation, ongoing vendor and contract management, identification of key trend drivers, as well as plan design and clinical program savings opportunities to improve health and manage total spend.
Prior to joining Lockton, Eicholz had over a dozen years of pharmacy benefit management experience, focused on developing innovative and clinically sound formularies and utilization management programs to help reduce pharmacy spend. His experience managing medication spend spans both pharmacy and medical benefits. As a prior member of PBM account management, he understands clients' unique challenges and has worked directly with them to ensure the quality and cost-effectiveness of their benefit plans.
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Pharmacy Practice Leader, Lockton Companies
Britni Elder
Director of Human Resources, University of Arkansas – Pulaski Technical College
Elder loves PEOPLE. They are a company's most important asset. Maximizing resources, excellence, efficiency, managing teams, productivity, budgets, leadership, operations, project management and creative problem solving are her strengths. Her experience includes management, leadership, finance, accounting, human resources, compliance, contract negotiation, teaching, ministry and school administration.
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Director of Human Resources, University of Arkansas – Pulaski Technical College
Nick Fuller
DHE Deputy Director
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DHE Deputy Director
Shelly Gahagans
Nonresident Tax Coordinator, University of Arkansas HR
Shelly has a BS in Education from Oklahoma State University where she also worked in Human Resources for nine years. At Oklahoma State University, she worked specifically in Payroll and Benefits. When she moved to Fayetteville with her husband in 2009, she applied for the position of Nonresident Taxation Coordinator not ever believing she would be chosen for the position since it is a very specialized field. To her surprise, she was chosen and over the past 10 years, she has been collecting information and learning the ins and outs of the area for foreign nationals, how they should be taxed in payroll, as guests to campus, as royalty recipients, as students with scholarships, as foreign entities, etc. She works very closely with International Students and Scholars in regard to the immigration side of the puzzle. She and her team do all the on-boarding of all foreign national employees which includes the completion of the I-9 to determine eligibility to work at the U of A Fayetteville and all the E-Verify on foreign nationals. Her team works with U of A Athletics to apply for the tax ID, Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, for all foreign student athletes and also helps in the application for an ITIN for the sponsored students from Fulbright, Laspau, Vietnam Education Foundation, or other sponsors of international students. Her team also references USCIS for those on Asylee Status and Temporary Protected Status.
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Nonresident Tax Coordinator, University of Arkansas HR
Graham Gillis Associate Vice President of Human Resources and Risk Management, University of Central Arkansas
AVP Human Resources and Risk Management, University of Central Arkansas
Graham Gillis has a Ed.D in higher education administration, a masters in applied psychology and a bachelors in psychology.
Gillis has over 40 years in higher education, all within the human resources/employee benefits/risk management area. He is currently the Associate Vice President for Human Resources/Risk Management at UCA (9 plus years). Gillis previously served in leadership positions at the University of Arkansas System Office (approx 13 years) and had a tenure at UCA (approx 2.5 years). He also served in multiple staff positions early in his career at UALR (15 years) in the areas of data management, employee benefits, compensation and classification and finally became Assistant Director.
About Graham Gillis Associate Vice President of Human Resources and Risk Management, University of Central Arkansas
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AVP Human Resources and Risk Management, University of Central Arkansas
Chris Goldsmith
Vice President, Senior Consultant, Segal
Mr. Goldsmith is a Vice President, Client Relationship Manager and subject matter expert in total compensation, health and welfare benefits, absence management, population health and applied behavioral economics. He is a member of Segal’s Higher Education Leadership Team, Corporate Market Advisory Group and Wellness Leadership Group. He has more than 30 years of employee benefit and compensation experience. He consults nationally with higher education institutions, private industry, public sector organizations and collectively bargained benefit plans. Mr. Goldsmith lives in Arizona but consults throughout the country.
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Vice President, Senior Consultant, Segal
Greg Hatcher
CEO, The Hatcher Agency
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CEO, The Hatcher Agency
Andrea Henderson
ACC Executive Director
In 1995, Andrea Henderson graduated from JD, Willamette College of Law.
From 2000-2018 she served as the Executive Director for the Oregon Community College Association. Henderson currently serves as the Executive Director for Arkansas Community Colleges.
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ACC Executive Director
Courtney Hodge
Human Resources Specialist University of Arkansas – Fayetteville
BA in Communication Studies with a Minor in Economics and Chinese
Currently: HR Specialist
Past: HR Generalist; Recruiter; ESL Teacher; Teaching Assistant
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Human Resources Specialist University of Arkansas – Fayetteville
John Holst III
Senior VP Employee Benefits, Lockton Companies
John Holst brings over 15 years of enterprise account management experience to his responsibilities at Lockton. John specializes in consulting on large accounts which require complex employee benefit and risk management strategies. His experience and broad technical background are essential to the ability to lead a client service team with the goal of delivering insurance solutions tailored to the unique cultural, financial, and operational characteristics of his clients. Prior to joining Lockton, John worked at Automatic Data Processing as a district manager in their major accounts division. John was responsible for analyzing back office processes for efficiency gains and gained valuable experience helping clients manage large workforces.
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Senior VP Employee Benefits, Lockton Companies
Kelly Johnson
Airport Director, Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport
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Airport Director, Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport
Akaylah Jones
Upward Bound Curriculum Coordinator
Akaylah Jones is a native of Little Rock, AR. She has always had a heart for service and helping others. After receiving her Bachelor of Arts from Henderson State University in 2013, she completed a term of service with AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps. Her service in this organization led her to engage in nonprofit work in Colorado, Arizona, and Arkansas. In 2016, she was honored to receive her Master of Public Service degree from the University Of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service. Her graduate experience included nonprofit consulting, a graduate research assistantship, and a Fellowship with the Arkansas Campaign for Grade-Level Reading.
Since graduating, she has continued her service through education, serving as an educator and the current Curriculum Coordinator for the National Park College Upward Bound program. Akaylah is a member of the University Of Arkansas Clinton School Of Public Service Alumni Advisory Board and Leadership Hot Springs Class 33 . She is a 2019 graduate of the National Park College Leadership Academy and a 2017 Northwest Arkansas Business Journal Fast 15 honoree.
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Upward Bound Curriculum Coordinator
Cal Kellogg
Blue Cross Blue Shield
Kellogg's enterprise responsibilities include oversight of the strategic and annual planning process, diversified activities, Medicaid business development, the Blue & You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas and government and media relations. Kellogg joined Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield in 1995 as director of Plan Development and Integration. He was promoted to vice president of Enterprise Development Services in 1997 and, in 2009, was named senior vice president of Strategy Development and chief strategy officer. In 2013, he was promoted to executive vice president. In 2017, he was named Chief Executive Officer and president of our Subsidiary Organization, USAble Corporation.
Prior to joining Arkansas Blue Cross, he served in various administrative and teaching roles at Arkansas Tech University, Illinois State University, the University of Mississippi and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He received his bachelor's and master's degrees and doctor of philosophy in business administration from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. Kellogg is the former chairman of the board for the Governor's Quality Award, is a member of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Executive Forum Advisory Council, and serves on the Association of Health Insurance Plans Executive Education Advisory Board.
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Blue Cross Blue Shield
Audrina Lange
Community Outreach Specialist
Lange is the Community Outreach and Resource Planning Specialist (CORPS) in the Little Rock District Office of the US Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division. She works to support DOL’s mission of protecting and enhancing the welfare of the Nation’s workforce by creating a greater awareness of federal labor standards throughout Arkansas. Lange educates employers and employees of their rights and responsibilities under the laws and provides resources to enhance compliance.
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Community Outreach Specialist
Jennifer Lyons
Business Chair/Instructor
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Business Chair/Instructor
Nga Mahfouz
Senior Assistant Attorney General, Office of the Attorney General Leslie Rutledge
Mahfouz is a Senior Assistant Attorney General in the Agencies Division of the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office, where she provides day-to-day legal counsel to state agencies and two-year colleges. Nga transferred to Agencies from the Office’s Litigation Division, where she primarily defended state agencies and officials in civil rights lawsuits. Before joining the Attorney General’s Office, Nga defended municipalities across the State in employment, law enforcement, and land use suits and spent 6 years in private practice representing unions and their members in labor and employment law matters. She received a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Scranton in 1991 and a J.D. from the William H. Bowen School of Law in 1996.
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Senior Assistant Attorney General, Office of the Attorney General Leslie Rutledge
Ryan Mayfield
Founder of EVRGRN
Mayfield is a team trainer, consultant, and coach and the founder of Evrgrn, a company devoted to helping your team thrive in every season. He graduated from The University of Tulsa with a BA in Communications, with an emphasis in advertising, and a minor in Deaf Education. Ryan and his wife live in Conway, Arkansas where he is sometimes known around town as "that enneagram guy." He is a gifted teacher and is passionate about helping teams and leaders understand themselves and each other, improve communication and productivity, and love their jobs.
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Founder of EVRGRN
Lisa Milam
Director of Recruitment and Workforce Management, UAF
Milam holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology and a Master of Science Degree in Counseling Psychology. Lisa is a SHRM-SCP Certified Professional (Society for Human Resource Management - Senior Certified Professional Certification).
Lisa has an extensive background in higher education, recruitment, and employee relations. Currently, Lisa is the Director of Recruitment and Workforce Management for the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Prior to assuming the Director role in 2017, Lisa was a Human Resources Partner for University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Lisa's previous roles include Development Director for the Rogers Public Education Foundation, Professional Recruiter for Mercy Health System of Northwest Arkansas, and Director of Residential Life for Radford University (Virginia).
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Director of Recruitment and Workforce Management, UAF
Christi Nation
President of Nation Training and Development
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President of Nation Training and Development
Valerie Pryor
Staff Development Coordinator, University of Arkansas
Pryor has worked in a staff training role at the University of Arkansas for four years. She loves being able to watch employees grow as they learn the necessary skills to help them navigate through their Higher Education careers. Prior to this career, she was a big box retail manager for 20 years. She supervised over 150 employees and led a multi-million dollar store to be ranked among the top 5% in the company. In that time, she created a team that was excited and passionate through training and coaching.
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Staff Development Coordinator, University of Arkansas
Shavon Reed
CEO, Echo-Luv Enterprises, LLC
Shávon Reed-Agard is a life-changing and dynamic speaker, author, and certified life coach with an incredible impact on audiences of all demographics. She is recognized as an inspiring thought leader who has an extraordinary approach to resolving conflict, overcoming challenges, building relationships, and creating strategies for professional and emotional well-being. Shávon is the owner of Echo-Luv Enterprises, LLC (ELE), a communication consulting & personal development company designed to help others achieve clear vision, strategic execution, and breakthrough results. For over 18 years, Shávon has assisted clients with refining and sharing their message through exceptional written, verbal, & video content. She has unwavering drive as an entrepreneur and invaluable experience working in the public and private sectors.
With a bachelor’s in mass communications from the University of Central Florida, she is certified through the Life Coach Institute of Orange County and recognized by her peers in 2018 with an honorary doctorate in philosophy from Global Oved Dei Seminary School. She is the author of, “The Discovery of YOU: Unveil Your True Self” and conducts workshops and keynotes to enhance confidence, staff performance and leadership standards. Through professional and personal growth, Shávon believes that building people from within is key to a better society and a fulfilling life. Shavon also works against human trafficking and the sexual exploitation of children through More Too Life, Inc, a provider of the Open Doors Outreach Network. Her goal is to pursue and grow in her calling while staying active toward a needed cause which collectively creates social change. She is most proud of her role as a nurturing mother and wife along with her spiritual journey with God. Shavon’s hope is that her life, mistakes, successes, pain, and victories can be lessons and inspiration for her children and the world.
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CEO, Echo-Luv Enterprises, LLC
Mark Saine
Senior Director, Client Leadership Solutions, TIAA,
Saine is the Senior Director of Client Leadership Solutions at TIAA. He supports our clients by helping them to build leaders internally that are prepared to take on increasingly complex roles and to manage the demands of a rapidly changing environment. He provides leadership development services including workshops, retreats, consultation and coaching.
Saine holds a bachelor’s degree from Anderson University (Indiana), a master’s in student personnel from Ball State University (Indiana), and a master’s in organizational psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University (New York).
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Senior Director, Client Leadership Solutions, TIAA,
Leah Schonfield
CUPA Southern Region President-Elect/Assistant VP/Chief HRO at The Citadel
Leah Schonfeld is the Chief Human Resources Officer/Assistant Vice President for Human Resources at The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina. She received her bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the College of Charleston and her master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of South Carolina. Prior to The Citadel, Leah worked as a HR consultant with the Office of Human Resources at the SC Department of Administration in Columbia. She served on the South Carolina College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR) board in various capacities over the last decade and currently serves as the At-Large Director for the Southern Region CUPA-HR Board. She was recently elected as Chair-Elect for the CUPA-HR Southern Region Board for 2020. Leah is active in the community, advising the national Church Benefits Board, serving as The Citadel’s institutional representative for the South Carolina Women in Higher Education, and volunteering with several non-profit organizations in Charleston community.
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CUPA Southern Region President-Elect/Assistant VP/Chief HRO at The Citadel
Dr. Christopher Thrasher
Director of Honors Program/Assistant Professor of History at NPC
After realizing that only fools work for a living, Christopher Thrasher abandoned his varied career as a butcher, baker, and candle stick maker to study history. Once denounced by an adviser as “the only jackass I have ever met who can write faster than I can read,” Thrasher completed a doctorate in history at Texas Tech University in 2012. Since then, he has held positions at schools across the country including the John K. Funk Professorship at the New Mexico Military Institute, forever granting him the right to call himself the former Professor of Funk. Thrasher now serves as the Director of the Honors Program and as an Assistant Professor of History at National Park College. In 2015, he published his first book Fight Sports and American Masculinity: Salvation in Violence from 1607 to the Present. His second book Suffering in the Army of Tennessee: A Social History of the Confederate Army of Tennessee From the Battles of Atlanta to Nashville was recently accepted for publication by the University of Tennessee Press.
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Director of Honors Program/Assistant Professor of History at NPC
