Meet Our Board

Our Board of Directors

Arkansas Community Foundation was built by and for Arkansans. This statewide group of leaders representing every part of the state provides vast experiences and knowledge of our communities. The board members guide the Community Foundation as we grow our impact across the state.

These state board members embody a spirit of optimism for our state’s future and challenge us to be more effective in our work. Our board is committed to helping Arkansas communities become places where your kids will want to raise their kids.

In addition to our organizations statewide governing Board, we work locally through a network of 29 affiliate offices across Arkansas. Each affiliate has a staff person and local advisory board to help us understand the special needs of each town and city. Our affiliates also provide in-person support for the donors and nonprofits we partner with in each community.

Click here to see a full list of our affiliate board members.

Board

Ramsay Ball

Bentonville (District 3)

Ramsay Ball has a background in real estate, private investment, operating companies, community development and non-profits. He focuses on community development and works to create sustainable projects & ventures that improve quality of life.

Ramsay is Principal Broker with Cignus Real Estate, a commercial real estate company in Bentonville, Arkansas. He is also a Managing Member of Savant Development, focused on time-sensitive and complex real estate projects.

In addition to real estate, Ramsay founded and is a manager of Cannon Capital – investing in early-stage companies – and HighGround Hospitality, focusing on outdoor adventure hospitality projects.

Ramsay is a member of the Board of Directors of CardioWise and Nob Hill Therapeutics. He is a Manager of Torch Fund, Alpha Fund and VIC Growth Fund, and serves on the governing boards of the House of Songs and the Arkansas Community Foundation.

Ramsay supports the entrepreneurial programs of the University of Arkansas Walton College of Business, the U of A Collaborative & Heartland Forward. Ramsay received an Honorary Associate Degree in Entrepreneurial Leadership from the Northwest Arkansas Community College.

Kandice Bell

White Hall (District 4)

Senior Counselor and District Representative to Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, Kandice is a lawyer and public servant. Licensed since 1998, Kandice has practiced across the state of Arkansas representing individuals and businesses in administrative, local, state, or federal courts or on appeal. In 2016, prior to serving in Governor Hutchinson’s administration, the Governor appointed her to the Arkansas Supreme Court as a special justice in a case. For the past two consecutive years, Kandice has been the Presidents’ choice to receive the Arkansas Bar Association’s Golden Gavel Award. This award is in recognition of excellence in her work as co-chair of the Bar Benefits Committee and the Disaster Preparedness Task Force. As a public servant, Kandice represents the Hutchinson Administration in southeast Arkansas, and among other duties, she helps to ensure that the Governor’s policies and directives are shared directly with Arkansans across a 12-county district. She was selected as an inaugural member to the Arkansas Public Service Academy, sponsored by the Arkansas Bar Association and the Clinton School of Public Service. Additionally, Kandice serves on the governing or advisory boards to the Arkansas Supreme Court, Arkansas Bar Association, Children’s Advocacy Centers of Arkansas and the Pine Bluff Salvation Army. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Arkansas School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.  Kandice resides in White Hall.

Alyson Bradford

Chair-White Hall (District 4)

Alyson is a small business owner and agent for State Farm Insurance Company in White Hall. Alyson earned a bachelor’s degree in Communication and Statistics from Kansas State University as well as her Minister’s Credentials. In 1994 she moved to North Little Rock for State Farm.  Her entire career path changed in 1997 when she became the first State Farm agent to open an emerging market agency in State Farm’s Mid-South region. The objective of the emerging market was to disprove previous held claims of industry “red-lining”. Alyson opened her insurance business in the heart of the lower to moderate income area of North Little Rock where she focused on growing the African American and Hispanic markets.  Alyson resides in White Hall. 

Elizabeth Burns Anderson

Lonoke (District 1)

A fifth-generation banker and native of Magnolia, Elizabeth Burns Anderson is Senior Vice President of Farmers Bank and Trust and Executive Director of the Farmers Bank Foundation. She is a graduate of the University of Arkansas with a degree in Finance. In 2020, Governor Asa Hutchinson appointed Elizabeth the patient representative of the Arkansas State Medical Board where she will serve until 2027.

As an elected member of the Lonoke School Board, Elizabeth chaired a successful mileage tax campaign and capital campaign to raise over $15 million to bring agriculture and rural healthcare education to Lonoke Public Schools. The Lonoke Business Academy is a workforce education facility geared towards the cultivation of students and businesses within the realm of agriculture and rural health. In 2022, she was awarded the vision and leadership award by Lonoke Public Schools.

Elizabeth comes from a family where giving back is your greatest responsibility. She has been on many boards across Central Arkansas and chairman of almost all of them. Lonoke Community Fund, an affiliate of the Arkansas Community Foundation, Lonoke Century League, Youth Home, Arkansas State Police Foundation Board, Lonoke Partners in Education. and many more. In 2021, Elizabeth joined the statewide board of THE CALL, which supports foster families in Arkansas, she serves as their board Vice Chair. Elizabeth is a recipient of the Lonoke Chamber Acorn award in 2020, for her economic impact in Lonoke, Arkansas. Elizabeth is also a member of the Arkansas Chamber Leadership Arkansas Class XVII and a member of the F.B.I. citizen’s academy.

Elizabeth and her husband Jamie have two boys and live in Scott, Arkansas.

Tracy Cude

Bentonville (District 3)

Tracy Cude has served as chief financial officer of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art since 2006. As CFO, she is responsible for the business services division of the museum including accounting, investments, purchasing, museum store, restaurant, special events, catering and information technology.  As a founding member of the leadership team, Tracy was actively involved in the development of the museum.  Prior to joining Crystal Bridges, she led the accounting and operational support team at the Walton Family Foundation and served as vice president for finance and planning at the Walton Arts Center where she led strategic planning functions.  In addition to her nonprofit career experience, Tracy spent nine years as a private consultant and served on a merger and acquisition team for Raytheon Corporate Jets. She has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Arkansas and holds a Certified Public Accountant license.  She was named Nonprofit CFO of the Year by the Arkansas Business Journal and Accountant of the Year by the University of Arkansas in 2015.

Holly Dunsworth

Clarksville (District 4)

Holly Dunsworth is the Presidential Spouse at University of the Ozarks. She regularly supports the University in roles that range from serving as the acting Dean of Students and visiting instructor of communication to co-hosting events throughout the United States and Central America.

Holly and her husband, Rich, are deeply committed to their community. Holly has served as a member of the Johnson County Community Foundation since 2015 and is a founding member of the Johnson County Imagination Library. She is also a member of the board of Arkansas River Valley Aquatics, an organization that provides competitive swimming opportunities for youth.

Prior to moving to Arkansas in 2013, Holly was an administrator and adjunct faculty member for more than a decade at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois. Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Holly earned a Bachelor’s degree in Interpersonal Communication from the University of Evansville (IN) and a Master’s degree in College Student Personnel/Higher Education Administration from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.

Holly resides in Clarksville with her husband and their three children, Nicolas, Matthew and Emma.

Don Greenland

Conway (District 2)

Don Greenland III is the Vice Chairman of The Nabholz Group and Leadership Coach for Nabholz Construction Corporation, a privately held Arkansas-based construction services organization.  Don also facilitates company strategic planning conferences and large project partnering conferences that include owner, design, and construction Teams.

Nabholz is an ENR Top 400 general contractor with 1,200+ employees based in 15 permanent offices in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Mississippi, and Tennessee.  Nabholz maintains over 30 distinct groups specializing in construction, service, industrial, excavation, millwork, environmental, equipment, and energy.

Since 1984, Don has enjoyed a long career within the Nabholz organization serving in a variety of positions including Estimator/Project Manager, Specialty Group Manager, Executive Vice President of Operations, Operations President, 18+ years as Chief Operating Officer, and Strategic Growth Officer. 

 

Don is a graduate of Stuttgart High School (Stuttgart, Arkansas) and the University of Louisiana at Monroe (formerly Northeast Louisiana University) with a BS degree in Construction Management.  He continues to serve on the ULM School of Construction Management Industry Advisory Council (past Chairman).

Don is a former National President of the American Society of Professional Estimators.  He is a graduate of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO).  He remains an active member of YPO-Gold.  He has previously served on non-profit boards including Habitat for Humanity, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Conway Interfaith Clinic, and the Conway Symphony Orchestra.  Don currently serves on the board of Quapaw Area Council (Boy Scouts of America), Arkansas Community Foundation (past Chairman), Community Foundation of Faulkner County (past Chairman), Faulkner County Emergency Food & Shelter Program Board, and the Conway Airport Advisory Committee.

Don is married to his college sweetheart Angela, since 1983.  She is a retired instructor at the University of Central Arkansas in early childhood education.  They have a daughter Megan, Vice President of an Industry Association, and a son Carter, a real estate agent.  Don is a semi-professional musician for the classic rock band Yesteryear and plays in a contemporary Christian group for church services.  His hobbies include mission trips, service projects, hunting, fishing, travel, and family activities.

Lisa John-Adams

Community Investment Chair-Blytheville (District 1)

John-Adams has been Quality Systems director at Nucor Steel Arkansas since 2000, has been with Nucor for 28 years and is a certified Quality and Environmental Systems lead auditor. She is a past president of the Greater Blytheville Area Chamber of Commerce and serves as board president of The Haven of Northeast Arkansas Domestic Violence Shelter. John-Adams is a member of the Great River Economic Development Foundation Board, chairs the Board of the KIPP Delta School and is a board member of The National Cold War Center.

Heather Larkin

President & CEO

Heather Larkin joined Arkansas Community Foundation in 1998 and became its President and CEO in January 2008. She is committed to and enjoys engaging people and connecting resources to build stronger communities in Arkansas.

Heather has been named one of the top 20 Influential Women in Arkansas by Arkansas Business. She was also named as a “Scholar in Residence” at the Clinton School of Public Service Center on Community Philanthropy for exemplary contributions in the field of community philanthropy.

Heather is a Hull Fellow and attended the Hull Leadership Program, a program to nurture and inspire the Southeast’s philanthropic leaders. In 2005, she was selected as one of five Americans to be a Transatlantic Community Foundation Fellow. The Fellowship enabled her spend three weeks in Europe exploring issues of nonprofit governance, strategic planning, grantmaking, investments and public/private partnerships.

Heather is a native of Charleston, Ark. She attended Hendrix College in Conway and while at Hendrix, she competed in several sports including cross-country, track and basketball. Upon graduating with distinction in economics and business, she went to work for Ernst and Young, LLP and became a Certified Public Accountant. After working at Ernst and Young for a couple of years, she returned to the academic arena and graduated from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Law. While at the UALR School of Law she served as survey/comments editor for the UALR Law Journal.

Heather serves or has served on the boards of Just Communities of Arkansas, Keep Arkansas Beautiful Foundation, Rotary Club 99 and Acansa Arts Festival. She was inducted into the Hendrix Athletic Hall of Honor in 2007. She is also a member of various organizations and is a graduate of Leadership Greater Little Rock class 19 and of Leadership Arkansas Class 1. 

 

Steve Nipper

Past Chair-Magnolia (District 4)

Steve is retired as president of BancorpSouth in Magnolia in 2014. He is on the Magnolia Arts Council Board and Treasurer of First United Methodist Church. He is a member of the Rotary Club of Magnolia and Treasurer of the Columbia County Democratic Central Committee. He is City of Magnolia Councilman and a Biscuit Boy.

Rachael Oberste

Little Rock (District 2)

Racheal Oberste graduated in 2004 from University of Arkansas with a degree in fashion merchandising. She worked for Walmart’s corporate office as a merchandising buyer before returning to central Arkansas.  She is the founder of PeachLayne a retail manufacturing company.   She and her husband, Dan, have two young children.  Rachel will bring to the board age diversity, a business perspective, and an understanding of family philanthropy. In addition, she has a deep network in central Arkansas.

Dr. Eduardo R. Ochoa

Little Rock (District 2)

Dr. Ochoa, a pediatrician in Little Rock affiliated with multiple hospitals, launched the Latino Clinic for special needs children at Arkansas Children’s Hospital in May 2009 and the West Little Rock Primary Clinic in 2010. He led the building project and was named medical director of the Children’s Hospital Southwest Little Rock Community Clinic opened in June 2017. His research interests include Latino health, health disparities, children with special health care needs and community engagement. 

Andy Peeler

Jonesboro (District 1)

Andy is Managing Director for Benjamin F. Edwards & Co. in Jonesboro. He attends St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Jonesboro, serving several terms on its Vestry and as Stewardship chair. He also has served on the Episcopal Diocese of Arkansas’s Executive Committee, Board of Trustees, and its committee to nominate candidates for the Bishop of Arkansas. He has served several terms on the Community Foundation’s Craighead County affiliate board, including as its chairman. In addition, he has previously served several terms on the boards of directors of both the NEA Baptist Hospital and the United Way of Northeast Arkansas. He is a member of the MidSouth Community Advisory Board of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Dr. Jack Porter

Hot Springs (District 4)

Dr. Porter retired from dentistry after thirty-seven years of service. During that time, he served his profession in various leadership roles at local, state and national levels. In addition to his professional service, Dr. Porter has served on numerous committees, boards and commissions that focus on community service and quality of life issues. He currently serves on the boards of Garland County Habitat for Humanity, Oaklawn Center on Aging, Cooperative Christian Ministries and Clinic and Hot Springs Area Community Foundation. In addition, Dr. Porter is actively involved with Hot Springs First Baptist Church as Trustee, Deacon and choir member. He has been married to his wife, Janet since 1969. They share three children and ten grandchildren.

Jennifer Ronnel

Little Rock (District 2)

Jennifer Ronnel is a Huntsville, Alabama native and graduated with highest honors from the University of Texas with a bachelor’s degree in government in 1990. She also graduated with honors from Harvard Law School, with a J.D. in 1996. She was admitted to the District of Columbia and Arkansas Bars in 1996.

Jennifer was a corporate and international tax attorney with Covington & Burling in Washington, D.C. from 1996-98. She was an insurance regulatory attorney with Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard from 1999-2005, a Leadership Greater Little Rock Class XXI member, president of the Junior League of Little Rock from 2006-07 and past board member of Congregation B’nai Israel. She has served the State of Arkansas on the Arkansas Development Finance Authority Board. She was the 2017-2018 president of the Pulaski Heights Middle School PTSA and is a past president of the Forest Park Elementary School PTA (2012-13). Jennifer also served as the Little Rock Central High PTSA President (2020-21) and is currently serving on the Tiger Foundation Board. She received the Volunteers in Public Schools Jane Mendel Award in 2021. She is on the UAMS Hospital Board of Advisors, the UAMS Rockefeller Cancer Institute Board of Advisors and the UAMS Rockefeller Cancer Institute Envoys Board. She is a founding member of the Envoys Board, with a mission of increasing public awareness of cutting-edge cancer treatment and prevention available at UAMS.

Jennifer is Senior Counsel at Metal Recycling Corporation. She and her husband, Steve, are residents of Little Rock. They have three children: Jason, Marilyn and David, all who have attended Little Rock public schools.

Walter “Vance” Smiley III

Finance Chair-Little Rock (District 2)

Vance is founder (2018) of System61, a new “fintech” that partners with progressive banks to digitize and automate legacy products and processes.  Starting in 2002, Vance spent 15 years leading a family-owned business, Smiley Technologies, Inc., that builds and services core banking technology solutions for community banks.  Earlier in his career, Vance spent time in private equity and IT services businesses in Texas and Tennessee. 

Vance holds degrees in Finance and Organizational Behavior including an MBA from Vanderbilt University in Nashville.  Vance and his wife Angela have three children and are both elders at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Little Rock.  He enjoys work, family, sailing, and flying.

Scott Van Horn

Russellville (District 3)

Scott Van Horn is co-owner of Sugar Creek Foods International and is managing partner of Van Horn Family Partnership. Scott is a past board member of the Pope County Community Foundation of which his father, Mac Van Horn was a founder. He is on the board of directors of Friendship Community Care, River Valley Children’s Advocacy Center and a former board member of River Valley Bank. Scott is a former board officer lifetime member of the Russellville Chamber of Commerce Red Coat Committee.

Scott is the father of three: sons Ryan Van Horn and Dalton Van Horn, and daughter Madison Van Horn.

Sharon E. Wilson

Forrest City (District 1)

Sharon E. Wilson, CPA, B.S.B.A.’90 – Life Member, is a native of Lake Village, AR, currently residing in Forrest City, AR. In 1990, she received her bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.  After graduating from the university, Sharon went on to obtain her license to practice as a certified public accountant from the State of Arkansas. She is currently the owner of a public accounting practice in Forrest City, Arkansas.

Sharon began her accounting career in 1990, with the Coopers and Lybrand accounting firm’s audit department (currently known as Price-Waterhouse Coopers) where she realized her passion for working with not-for- profit organizations and their causes coupled by witnessing her mother’s unwavering love for others and service to her community growing up.

Wilson currently serves as the Chairman of the St. Francis Community Foundation. Sharon is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and the assistant director of her church’s youth department. She is a member of Sam Walton’s College of Business Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Board. She has served in various other capacities in her community, including serving on the Forrest City School Board. She and her husband, Judge E Dion Wilson have three children, Haley, Kobe and Kenn.