Taylor Hasley has been named executive director of the Startup Junkie Foundation, the nonprofit arm of Startup Junkie Consulting, an entrepreneurial support organization in Fayetteville.
Hasley already leads Startup Junkie Consulting's Fuel Accelerator. He will succeed Haley Allgood, who has served as the foundation's executive director since 2017.
Before joining the foundation as an executive consultant in 2019, he served as a private equity analyst at New Road Capital and as a senior analyst at Zweig Group, supporting the M&A and strategic planning teams.
The foundation has also named a new board chairman, effective March 23. Calvin Smith, co-founder of NowDiagnostics, has been named chairman of its board.
Smith is a native of Mountainburg (Crawford County). He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2003 to 2008 and in Iraq from 2007-08. Smith received his bachelor's and executive master's of business administration from the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas.
After the Marine Corps, Smith worked as the director of business development during the launch and initial years of the UAMS Northwest campus in Fayetteville.
After leaving UAMS, he co-founded NowDiagnostics, helping to raise the company's initial round of funding, acquire its proprietary technology and bringing on the leadership team that is in place today.
Calvin replaces Jeff Amerine, who established the foundation board and has served as chairman since its inception.
