Division of Agriculture announces LeadAR Class 20 members

By Rebekah Hall
U of A System Division of Agriculture

May 25, 2023

Fast Facts:

18-month leadership program includes monthly seminars, study tours in Washington D.C. and abroad, community leadership project
Class 20 members from throughout Arkansas are leaders in business, non-profits, government and more
Program founded in 1984, now has more than 500 alumni

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(Newsrooms: With group photo of LeadAR Class 20)

LITTLE ROCK — LeadAR, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s leadership program, has selected 21 Arkansans from around the state as members of Class 20. The 18-month program provides an in-depth learning experience about economic and social issues impacting Arkansas.

LEADAR CLASS 20 — Class 20 of LeadAR, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture's leadership program, includes county extension agents with the Division of Agriculture, directors of Arkansas non-profits and leaders of Arkansas businesses. The 18-month program provides participants with in-depth learning experiences about issues impacting Arkansas. (Division of Agriculture photo.)

Operated by the Division of Agriculture’s Cooperative Extension Service, LeadAR was founded in 1984 and originally modeled after the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s leadership training program. LeadAR now has more than 500 alumni serving as leaders in their communities throughout Arkansas.

Members of Class 20 will participate in a team-building and goal-setting seminar at the C.A. Vines Arkansas 4-H Center in Little Rock to kick off the program. Over the next 18 months, they will travel to two-day seminars around the state, covering topics such as infrastructure and public health, natural resources, agriculture, livestock and community and economic development.

“The overall goal of LeadAR is to equip leaders with the knowledge, skills and network they need to make a difference in their communities or organization,” said Julie Robinson, extension associate professor for Community, Professional and Economic Development for the Division of Agriculture. “They will learn about issues affecting rural and urban areas of Arkansas and how the state is interwoven.”

The program includes a national study tour to Washington, D.C., where participants will learn about policy development and meet with their congressional delegation to discuss issues impacting their communities. Members will also travel on an international study tour, where they will learn how international issues and policy decisions impact the United States and Arkansas. The location of the trip will be decided in 2024.

The members of LeadAR Class 20 include county extension agents with the Division of Agriculture, directors of Arkansas non-profits and leaders of Arkansas businesses.

LeadAR Class 20 members:

Rachel Bearden, Hot Spring County extension agent for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
Sherry Beaty-Sullivan, Polk County extension staff chair for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
Chelsea Boozer, government affairs manager for Central Arkansas Water
Arnetta Bradford, owner of HeBrews 11:1 coffee shop in Hope
Sylvia Brown, director of strategic operations for the Ruralorganizing.org Education Fund
Harold Clark Jr., battalion fire chief for Pine Bluff Fire and Emergency Services
Angelique Cooper, community partnerships for Southern Bancorp
Meagan Davis, vice president of government relations and strategic partnerships for inVeritas
Jody Harris, co-owner of Harris Valley Springs Farm
Jason Kaufman, district director of Arkansas Farm Bureau
David Long, northwest Arkansas director of engineering and development for Cromwell Architects Engineers
Michael Mangrum, owner of MLM Farms in Lake City
Desarae Nelson, director of TRIO Student Support Services for the University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Winfrey Norton, outreach editor for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service
Daniel Phillips, state surveyor for the Arkansas Department of Transformation and Shared Services
Wendell Scales Jr., deputy director of innovation for Arkansas Lighthouse Charter Schools
Christel Taylor, director of workforce and downtown development for the Newport Economic Development Commission
Priscella Thomas-Scott, extension instructor and 4-H events coordinator for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
Dan Villamor, research scientist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
Stacy Walley, southern lumber sales manager for Weyerhaeuser Company
Anthony Whittington, director of parks and trails for the City of Hot Springs

LeadAR is supported by program alumni, corporate donors, foundations and the Division of Agriculture. The cost to participants is $3,500, which covers seminar expenses, most lodging, meals and travel expenses. Class members are encouraged to seek tuition support from outside sources, such as their employer, and scholarships are available to help participants with payment.

To learn more about LeadAR, visit uaex.uada.edu/business-communities/leadership/leadar/ or contact Julie Robinson, LeadAR director, at LeadAR@uada.edu.

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk.

About the Division of Agriculture

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.

The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs to all eligible persons without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

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Media Contact:
Rebekah Hall
rkhall@uada.edu
@RKHall_
501-671-2061