LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (June 1, 2023) – Forty-seven community leaders walked across the stage Wednesday as they celebrated successfully graduating from the 38th class of Leadership Greater Little Rock (LGLR).
Established in 1985, (LGLR) is a nine-month community leadership program created by the Little Rock Regional Chamber. It is designed to develop effective leaders by enhancing their civic, social, and professional awareness to positively impact our community.
“This was my first class as Executive Director, and I was honored to be on the sidelines as all these impressive leaders took a deeper dive into the greater Little Rock area,” said Kellen Davis, Executive Director of Leadership Greater Little Rock. “The LGLR program has a storied history of producing incredible leaders, and I have no doubt that Class XXXVIII will carry the mantle.”
This year’s class is chaired by Drew Harrison, Vice President of Operations at Harrison Energy Partners and co-chaired by Suzanne Peyton, Director of Properties, Planning & Development at the Clinton Airport. Both are graduates of LGLR. Steven Person with the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service was chosen as the class speaker.
"Striving for greatness is something I've always believed in," said Person. "Being a leader is more than about how you speak and how you dress, because at the end of the day, it's not on you, it's in you. At the end of the day, it's not about you, it's about others. In order to be a good leader, you must be able to follow."
Participants met every month at a different Central Arkansas location to explore topics through expert speakers, panelists, tours, and group presentations.
The graduates of Class XXXVIII are:
Sunetta Alexander, CHI St. Vincent
Allison Atkinson Niadj, SWEAP Connections
Priscilla Barnes, Our House
Madison Beal, Pulaski County Title
Lisa Brumley, Arvest Bank
Ross Burnett, representing the Rotaract Club of Little Rock, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Little Rock
Sasha Denise Cerrato, Garver
Jason Chacko, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management
Joshua Cook, Ghidotti
Chuck Davis, Essick Air Products
Dustin Earl Davis, WDD Architects
Tammy Diamond-Wells, Arkansas Children’s Hospital
Daniel R. Dinkins III, Arkansas Air National Guard
Dovie Dockery, Fanatics Betting & Gaming
Steve Edwards Jr., Edwards Food Giant
Lael Foster, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Little Rock
Kathy French, AR Kids Read
Nicole Gore, Rose Law Firm
Josh Hallenbeck, Mitchell Williams
Shannon Y. Heard, University of Arkansas Walton College of Business
Mollie Mae Henager, University of Central Arkansas
Jeremy Hill, City Year Little Rock
Justin A. Hinton, Southwest Power Pool, Inc.
Kayla Huffstutter, Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts
Annabeth Johnson, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Esther Jones, Little Rock School District
Sara Leader, Junior League of Little Rock
Matthew Lewis, Regions Mortgage
Lawrence Montgomery, Baptist Health
Clay Parker, Westrock Coffee Company
Steven Person, University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service
Ashley Peterson, Entergy Arkansas, LLC
Daron Plummer Jr., BizTek Connection
Syed “Hamza” Qadir, The Venture Center
Erin Scoggins, USAble Life
Sam Smith, Harrison Energy Partners
Alex Smith, McClelland Consulting Engineers, Inc.
Brittany Janae Straw, University of Arkansas at Little Rock
James Sullivan, AMR Architects, Inc.
Jeff Tabor, MEMS
Sarper Turker, Arkansas Lighthouse Charter Schools
Rosa Ángela Velázquez, The Foundation for Social Impact
Amie Wilcox, Friday, Eldredge & Clark LLP
William Wilder, Citizens Bank
Detrich Wiley, Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield
Chemia Woods, MISO Energy
Ramy Zimmerebner, Relyance Bank
Leadership Greater Little Rock is always looking to help train community leaders on local public policy issues and concerns. You can apply for the upcoming 2023-2024 Class by clicking here.