About / Board of Directors

Jeff Schomburger, Chair
Jeff Schomburger lives in Fayetteville with his wife, Eileen, his daughter, Isabel and son Keenan. He is active in the community serving as a member of the Northwest Arkansas Council Executive Board and the United Way of Washington County Board. Additionally, he served as the United Way of Washington County Campaign Chairman for 2005.

After graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a BA in Honors Economics, Jeff began his career with P&G joining the company in Sales. He held a variety of Sales positions in the P&G Paper business before joining the original Wal-Mart Team in 1989. Currently, Jeff is the President, Customer Business Development at Procter & Gamble.

Steven J. Collins, Vice Chair
Steve Collins is currently the Wal-Mart team leader for Mars Snackfoods, US, a company with which he's been for 21 years. Prior to his career with Mars, he spent 5 years at Unilever. He is a graduate of Creighton University in Omaha, NE, and holds a BSBA in Marketing with a minor in Communications. Steve is an active board member at Walton Arts Center. In addition to his service on the board, he is the leader of the Board Development committee and also serves on the Marketing and Feasibility Study committees. Steve is the co-chair of the Will Golf for Kids and chair of the Color of Hope Charity Gala benefiting Arkansas Children's Hospital.

Steve and his wife, Lori, live in Rogers and have two children, Jon and Amber.

Hershey Garner, Vice Chair
Bio to come

Jeffrey J. Gearhart, Vice Chair
Jeff Gearhart lives in Fayetteville with his wife Lisa, and his son Jake and his daughter Abby. Jeff is the Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Jeff is responsible for handling all legal matters affecting the company in its domestic and international markets. Prior to becoming General Counsel in February 2009, Jeff served as Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel since December 2007. He has also served as Walmart's Vice President and General Counsel, Corporate Division. Before joining Walmart in 2003, Jeff was a partner with Kutak Rock LLP and the Rose Law Firm.

Jeff is currently a member of the American Bar Association, Arkansas Bar Association and the Association of General Counsel. He also sits on the Board of Directors of the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform, Constitutional Rights Foundation, New School of Fayetteville and the Board of Directors of the Fayetteville Public Education Foundation.

Jeff attended law school at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. He served as an editor of the Arkansas Law Review and graduated with high honors.

Judy Schwab, Vice Chair
Judy Gregson Schwab is the associate vice chancellor for administration at the University of Arkansas. During the university's $1 billion Campaign for the Twenty-First Century, she served as assistant vice chancellor for advancement, managing and coordinating all activities related to Constituent Relations and Special Events. Prior to coming to the University of Arkansas in 1993, Judy was language arts coordinator for the Fayetteville Public Schools (K-12) and a teacher of English at Fayetteville High School.

She holds a bachelor's degree from Hendrix College and a master's degree from the University of Arkansas and has attended and presented at the San Francisco Bay Area Writing Project, the National Writing Project, the Mid-South Writing Project, and the Arkansas Writing Project. She has served as president of the Fayetteville Public Education Foundation, co-chair of the University of Arkansas United Way Campaign, and president of the Twentieth Century Club.

Jerry Walton, Secretary/Treasurer
Jerry Walton is the retired Executive Vice President of Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. J.B. Hunt Transport is one of the largest surface transportation companies in North America that provides a wide range of transportation services to a diverse group of customers throughout the continental United States, Canada and Mexico. Walton joined the Company in 1991 and was responsible for the direction of the Accounting, Human Resources, Information Services, Insurance and Risk Management, Office Services, Real Estate, Tax, Telecommunication, Travel and Treasury departments before retiring in the fall of 2009.

Active in local community affairs, he serves or has served on the Walton Arts Center Foundation and Council and a wide range of other Boards. Mr. Walton received his BBA in Accounting from the University of Texas at Austin and is a certified Public Accountant with Executive Education from Harvard, UCLA. He is married to his wife Brenda of 42 years. They have two sons, Jason and Matt and three grandchildren.

At-Large Appointees

Bob Alexander
Bob Alexander operated an art and antiques business for 22 years in partnership with his wife Becky. After retiring in 2002, he has remained active in the art world as a collector of 19th century American folk art.

Bob grew up in Fayetteville and earned a BSBA degree in Data Processing and Quantitative Analysis from the University of Arkansas.

He has served on several museum boards, including the American Folk Art Museum in New York City and the Historic Arkansas Museum in Little Rock. Bob currently serves on the board of the George Billingsley Northwest Arkansas Razorback Club.

 

Danté Anderson
Dante Anderson is the Vice President of International Business Systems Implementation for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Most recently, she served as Vice President of International Marketing for Wal-Mart and as Vice President of Marketing and Insights for Sam's Club. She has also served as Senior Director of Corporate and Brand Strategy for Sam's Club.

Prior to Sam's, she most recently came from Procter & Gamble. She has spent many years as a strategic management consultant working with several multi-national Fortune 500 companies, including Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Sony, Unilever and Philip Morris. Danté holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School, a bachelor's degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a MFA from New York University.

David Banks
David Banks is the retired CEO of Beverly Enterprises, a New York stock exchange listed company. During his tenure with Beverly, Banks amassed a considerable and coveted record of achievements including the acquisition of more than 900 nursing homes, a record unmatched by any other industry executive.

Banks has served on the Boards of Ralston-Purina, Wal-Mart and Wellpoint Health Network and currently serves on the Board of Ralcorp and National Health Properties. Banks was recently reappointed to his second term on Walton Arts Center Board. He is a father of 3 and is an avid fisherman. He also is a major collector of contemporary American art and contemporary pottery.

Greg W. Lee
Greg retired in April 2007 from Tyson Foods, Inc. after 27 years of service. He retired as Chief Administrative Officer and President of Tyson Foods International. He joined Tyson in 1980 as a regional sales manager in the foodservice division and rose progressively through the ranks in sales, marketing, operations, and general management both domestically and internationally. He served as Chief Operating Officer of the company when IBP was acquired in 2001, then Co-Chief Operating Officer until 2003 when he became CAO and International President. Before his career with Tyson, Greg spent two years with Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. in management training and nine years with Swift and Company.

His community involvement is diverse and meaningful. He serves on the boards of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of NWA, the Fayetteville Public Educational Foundation, and the American Heart Association of NWA. Lee is also an Ambassador for the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks, a member of the Northwest Arkansas Business Council and member of the boards of Signature Bank of Arkansas and the Washington Regional Medical System. He serves on the Dean's Advisory Board for the Walton College of Business and on the 2010 Commission, Board of Advisors, and board for the Technology Development Foundation at the University of Arkansas. Greg is a lifelong resident of Fayetteville, AR, with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Arkansas. He and his wife, Hannah, have two children and two grandchildren.

Sara Lilygren
Sara Lilygren is senior vice president, external relations for Tyson Foods, Inc. at the company’s headquarters in Springdale, Arkansas. Tyson is the nation’s second largest publicly traded food company and the leading U.S. producer of chicken, beef and pork. Sara is responsible for the company’s public and community relations efforts, state, federal and international government relations, corporate communications and charitable giving. Prior to assuming her current role in July 2009, she led the company’s federal government relations efforts in Washington, DC for seven years. Tyson opened its first Washington, DC office when Sara joined the company in 2002.

Before Tyson, Sara worked at the American Meat Institute, a Washington, DC-based, non-profit trade association representing U.S. beef, pork, lamb, veal and turkey processors. Tyson is a member of AMI. During her 18-years at AMI, she served in a variety of public relations and legislative affairs positions, culminating in eight years as senior vice president for legislative and public affairs.

Earlier in her career she worked for the National Food Processors Association, now called the Grocery Manufacturers of America, representing the nation’s leading food processors, and for a public relations agency called Fraser/Associates.

Sara serves on boards or advisory councils for the Ozark Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, The Poultry Federation, the Arkansas World Trade Center, the U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce and the Walton Arts Center.

She holds a B.A. in foreign affairs from the University of Virginia and lives in Rogers, Arkansas with her husband Alex May, an attorney for Walmart, their sons Ryan and Connor and two very spoiled Irish Wolfhounds.

Craig Nowokunski
Craig is Vice President of Customer Development for the Walmart Global Team. He has more than 25 years’ experience in the consumer packaged goods industry.

In his current position at Kimberly-Clark, Craig provides the vision and leadership for the Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Sam’s Club Global Team by constantly building the customer relationship and leading his team to drive volume, continued growth and profit. Before joining Kimberly-Clark in 2007, he served in several key sales-management, trade-marketing, business-development and marketing positions with Pepsico, ConAgra Frozen Foods and Marketing Specialists.

Craig received a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is also a board member of the Northwest Arkansas Children’s Shelter and the Rogers/Lowell Chamber of Commerce. He and his wife, Kim, have four boys and currently reside in Rogers where they are actively involved in the Boy Scout of America.

Jack Sinclair
Jack Sinclair is Executive Vice President of Grocery Merchandise for Walmart Stores, Inc. Sinclair oversees the grocery business for Walmart's U.S. division and will integrate planning, category management and store experience into the overall grocery business unit. Sinclair joins Walmart with broad experience in grocery retailing in the United Kingdom. He spent 14 years at Safeway serving as group marketing and trading director, and prior to that he worked at Tesco Stores Ltd.

Sinclair holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and marketing from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland.

City of Fayetteville Appointees

Steve Clark
Bio to come

Bill Waite
Bill owns and operates Dickson Street Liquor Store in Fayetteville. He has a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Arkansas. He lives in Fayetteville with his wife Lara and daughters Finley and Callan.

Bill is a lifelong resident of Fayetteville and is actively involved in the community. In addition to the Walton Arts Center Board, he currently serves as a member of the Fayetteville Parks and Recreation Advisory Board as well as a member of the Fayetteville Sidewalk and Trails Taskforce Committee. He is involved in the Dickson Street Festival and Event Committee, working to promote and enhance Fayetteville's Dickson Street Entertainment District. He also participates in several local volunteer organizations including the Komen Race for the Cure, the Humane Society of the Ozarks and the Boys and Girls Club of Fayetteville.

Tina Hodne
Tina Hodne is a litigation attorney with the Springdale law firm of Cypert, Crouch, Clark and Harwell. She and her husband, Nate, along with their two children, Alexis and Joseph, have been residents of Northwest Arkansas for 5 years. Since moving to the area, Ms. Hodne has been involved with a variety of not-for-profit and volunteer organizations including Leadership Fayetteville, the Jones Center for Families, where she sits on the Board of Directors, and the United Way of Northwest Arkansas, of which she is a founding member of the Young Women's Alliance. She was also named to the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal's 40 under 40 in 2007.

Ms. Hodne joined the Walton Arts Center Council in June 2005.

University of Arkansas Appointees

Carolyn Henderson Allen
Carolyn Henderson Allen is the dean of the University Libraries at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Prior to that, she served as Deputy Director of University Libraries at the University of Florida and Director for Support Services, managing the administrative operations of the University of Florida Library system. Recently, Dean Allen established a major collaborative body called the Council of University of Arkansas Research Libraries consisting of the library deans and directors of the six four-year UA institutions in the state.

Dean Allen has served as chair of the Greater Western Library Alliance, chair of the ACRL Committee on the Status of Academic Libriarians, member of the Board of Trustees for the regional library consortia Amigos, chair of the Council on University of Arkansas Research Libraries, the Walton Arts Center Foundation Board, chair of the Washington Regional Medical Center Foundation Board Eagle Awards committeee, and member of the Washington Regional Medical Center Gala steering committee.

Andy Gibbs
D. Andrew Gibbs is Professor and Chair of the Department of Drama, University of Arkansas. In addition to his administrative responsibilities, he serves as director of the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) Lighting program and teaches courses in lighting design and technology, theatre architecture, theatre management and scene design. His educational background includes a PhD. in Theatre from the University of Illinois, an MA in Drama/Design from the University of Washington and a BFA in Theatre from the University of Connecticut.

Involvement with professional organizations includes service as a national and regional officer of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. At the local level, Andy was a founding member of the Walton Arts Center Council and was involved in the early development of the project and the planning of the theatre facilities. He and his wife, Mary Lemon Gibbs have two sons and two grandsons.

Mike Johnson
Mike Johnson has been the Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities Management at the University since 2004. He oversees the operation of 320 buildings with over 7 million gross square feet. While utilizing best practices and benchmarking to support the institutions academic mission he has transformed the organization into a focused, efficient and effective team. Along with support from the top leadership through the Board of Trustees, Facilities Management has embarked on a multi-year Facility Renewal & Stewardship Plan which will enhance our academic mission for decades into the future. Mike was also instrumental in initiating the early campus sustainability efforts.

Prior to arriving in Arkansas, Rear Admiral Johnson served in the U.S. Navy for almost 34 years. He was Commander, Naval Facilities Engineering Command and Chief of Civil Engineers in his last assignment in Washington, D.C. Mike holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Colorado, Boulder and a bachelor’s in business/economics from Chapman College. He also holds a master’s degree in civil engineering and in public works from the University of Pittsburgh. Mike holds many professional affiliations such as Registered P.E. (PA), Fellow ASCE, Fellow SAME, and a member of NSPE, APWA, ASPA, and APPA. Inducted into the National Academy of Construction in 2005 and in 2006, he became an honorary member of the Arkansas Academy of Civil Engineering at the University of Arkansas. He most recently was elected into the National Academy of Engineering in 2010.

Mike has been very civic minded since moving to our area and has or is serving on various boards or committees such as NWA Regional Airport Authority, Mack-Blackwell Transportation Center, NWA Regional Planning Council, Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce, Fayetteville Downtown Partners, Habitat for Humanity. He was the campus United Way chair in 2006-2007.

Dr. David Gay
David Gay is University Professor of Economics, Sam M. Walton College of Business, U. of A. David has been a season ticket holder at the Walton Arts Center Broadway since it opened in 1992. He specializes in microeconomics, tax and spending policies, and wineries and vineyards. He has taught at De Paul University, Brigham Young University, Texas A&M University, the University of Colorado at Boulder, the Private Institute for International Business Studies in Munich, Germany, the Consortium of International Schools of Business in Italy, Justus-Liebig University in Germany, and the Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia. He is a Senior Research Fellow at the International Centre for Economic Research in Turin, Italy.

David received the Arkansas Alumni Association Faculty Distinguished Achievement Award for Service, Research, and Teaching in 1996 and was later Co-Director of the Teaching and Faculty Support Center. David also served as the first Chair of the Faculty Senate, and continues to serve on the Faculty Senate. The Texas A&M University College of Liberal Arts named him an Outstanding Graduate in 1995. He was elected to membership in the free market oriented international Mont Pèlerin Society in 1984 at Cambridge University. He serves as Vice President/President-Elect of the UA Teaching Academy.