Arvest Bank has hired Dana Hedger to the position of mortgage lender at the bank’s Greensborough Village branch in Jonesboro. Hedger has 15 years of banking experience and previously served as a mortgage loan officer and a financial center manager for regional banks. She earned her bachelor’s degree in marketing management from Arkansas State University.
A-State’s RESTORE Program Hires New Employees
The RESTORE (Research, Education, Service, Transition and Outreach through Reflective Engagement) Hub at Arkansas State University (A-State) has hired new employees.
Charles Bartholomae, of Hot Springs, accepted the position of research assistant. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from A-State in 2020, and a master’s degree in psychological science from A-State in 2024.
RamaKoti Peram, of Andhra Pradesh, India, has accepted the position of clinical researcher. He earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the Andra Loyola Institute of Engineering and Technology in 2022, and a master’s degree in engineering management from A-State in 2024.
Courtney Mohr, of Judsonia, has accepted the position of graduate assistant. She graduated from Riverview High School in Searcy in 2020, and earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology at A-State in 2024. She is pursuing an education specialist degree in school psychology at A-State.
Leo Tapia Anguiano, of Lepanto, has accepted the position of graduate assistant. He graduated from East Poinsett County Public Schools in 2019, and earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology. He is in the school psychology graduate program. Anguiano is a member of the National Association for School Psychology, the Arkansas School Psychology Association, and A-State’s School Psychology Student Association.
Dhanraj Gaddam, of Hyderabad, India, has accepted the position of graduate assistant. He graduated in 2014 from Sri Sai degree and P.G college, Dilsukhnagar, Hyderabad, India, with a degree in business communications. He completed a master’s degree in human resources business management from Vishwa Vishwani School of Business in 2018. He is pursuing a master’s degree in management science in cybersecurity from A-State.
Bailey Whitaker, of Dexter, has accepted a part-time undergraduate position. She graduated from Dexter High School in 2022. She is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in accounting at A-State.
Beth Enger, of Munford, Tenn., has accepted the position of IDD (intellectual and developmental disabilities) grant manager for the A-State H.O.W.L. and A.T.L.A.S. Transition Programs. She graduated from Munford High School in 2018, earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Middle Tennessee State University, and a master’s degree in psychological sciences from A-State in 2025.
Alexander Williams, of Jonesboro, has accepted the position of graduate assistant for the A-State H.O.W.L. and A.T.L.A.S. Transition Programs. He graduated from Valley View High School in 2020, and earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from A-State in 2024.
Teresia Duncan, of Newport, has accepted the position of internship coordinator for the A-State H.O.W.L. and A.T.L.A.S. Transition Programs. She graduated from Newport High School in 1987, and earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from A-State in 1993.
BRTC, EACC To Share EMS Program Director
Black River Technical College (BRTC) has created a partnership with East Arkansas Community College (EACC) to help alleviate the need for an Emergency Medical Services (EMS) instructor at EACC. The partnership allows BRTC EMS Director Brandon Johnson to instruct courses at both institutions.
Paramedic instructors have become a rare find in the state of Arkansas, according to the schools. The terminal degree for the EMS profession is an associate’s, but institutions require a bachelor’s to teach. Before hiring Johnson in July of 2024, BRTC searched two years for an EMS instructor.
BRTC President Dr. Martin Eggensperger knew about the need and believed it was an opportunity for BRTC to be a leader in EMS education. Johnson floated the idea to Dr. George Hatch, executive director of the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions (CoAEMSP), at a CoAEMSP meeting. Hatch said it was not uncommon for two programs to have the same director, but it was rare for it to be in the form of a partnership.
Arvest Bank Raises $18,396 For NEA Food Bank Efforts
Arvest announced that the bank’s 15th annual Million Meals campaign raised $18,396 to benefit the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas.
The Million Meals campaign, which runs from April to May each year, raises awareness and money to fight hunger in the bank’s four-state footprint. Money collected goes directly to the bank’s food partners to help them meet an increase in demand, especially during the summer months when many children don’t have the benefit of free or reduced lunches at school. In many parts of the region, one dollar can help provide up to five meals for someone in need. Every local dollar donated went directly to that local food partner.
The campaign raised more than $616,000 bankwide, which will help provide more than 3 million meals to more than 80 food partners in Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Kansas.
To celebrate the 15th year of Million Meals, the bank set a goal to increase bankwide donations by 15%, equating to more than 3 million meals. The campaign originally began with a goal of raising 1 million meals.
Now in its 15th year, the bank has more than tripled its original annual campaign goal.
Last year, the Million Meals campaign raised 2.6 million meals for local food partners. Since 2011, the initiative has helped provide more than 28 million meals and collected more than $5.1 million in donations.
St. Bernards Offers New Heart Procedure
St. Bernards Medical Center has successfully performed the first minimally invasive mitral valve repair in Northeast Arkansas and southeast Missouri. The procedure is a new option for heart patients at high risk for traditional open-heart surgery.
St. Bernards physicians used a mechanical clip device and delivery system called MitraClip to help fix the mitral valve in the heart after it failed to close properly. This condition, called mitral valve regurgitation, can make people feel tired, short of breath or weak. Implanting a MitraClip device through a minimally-invasive procedure, known as mitral transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) therapy, helps the valve close. If successful, patients see improved heart function and regurgitation symptoms. In addition, they can avoid open-heart surgery, minimizing the risks that come with these procedures while also easing recovery from surgery. After a successful MitraClip procedure, most patients only stay in the hospital one night before going home.
Stone Named To AgHeritage Farm Credit Services Board
Black River Technical College’s (BRTC) Vice President of Finance and Administration Rhonda Stone was one of three recently elected to a 4-year term on the AgHeritage Farm Credit Services (FCS) Board of Directors.
Stone has served on the AgHeritage FCS Board since 2021. She is also a member of the Audit Committee and Risk Committee. Stone also is a member of Southern Association of College and University Business Officers, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (CPAS), and Arkansas Society of CPAS.
ASBTDC’s Laura Miller, Robert Bahn Receive Awards
Arkansas State University’s Laura Miller and Robert Bahn were recognized with awards at a recent Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center (ASBTDC) meeting in Little Rock.
Miller, director of the A-State regional office, received the inaugural Legacy of Impact Award. The award recognizes the dedication and expertise Miller brings to ASBTDC to advance programs, mentor colleagues, and enhance support for entrepreneurs. She was recognized as a member of the $3 Million Club, based on the dollar amount of loans and other capital investments she helped her clients attain. She was one of six statewide staff honored for the number of funded capital projects she assisted clients with last year.
Bahn, an ASBTDC business consultant, was named a Values Champion for demonstrating ASBTDC’s core values of service, integrity, collaboration and impact.
Located in the Delta Center for Economic Development, the regional office is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration through a partnership with the Neil Griffin College of Business.
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