When CEO Ed Clifford asked Zelda Parson to join him in turning around the Jones Center for Families, she didn’t have to think very long about it.
Parson, 51, had fond memories of the Jones Center, a 220,000-SF recreational and educational facility in downtown Springdale. Parson, who grew up in Springdale, graduated from the University of Arkansas with degrees in accounting and data processing.
“I remember bringing my son here for ice-skating parties,” Parson said. “It was such an awesome gift to the community.”
Parson, of course, was quick to join Clifford, the former head of the Bentonville/Bella Vista Chamber of Commerce, at the Jones Center. The center, donated by Bernice Jones, opened in 1995 but was concerned with keeping itself self-sustaining without having to charge for many of its services.
“It was a very easy sell,” Parson said.
The Jones Center was helped by a $20 million donation from the Walton Family Foundation and the Care Foundation in 2012. The center, which started as a free-use facility, also began to charge for some services in 2008.
“They were worried about sustainability,” Parson said. “They really needed to see the Jones Center getting used the way Bernice Jones envisioned it.”
It takes a lot of money to operate a charitable 220,000-SF facility that sees as many as 1 million visitors a year. Parson, who had held executive positions with several companies before joining the Jones Center, helps the center and trust manage its investments and keeps that process transparent and accountable.
“My experience in the for-profit world helped a lot,” Parson said. “I am exactly where I was meant to be. I don’t want to feel like I’m a number. I like to be involved with the day-to-day operations.”
Sign up for Daily E-news
