
John Ed Chambers III (from left), Benny Harris and Dr. Rose Clarke Nanyonga
John Ed Chambers III of Danville, Benny Harris of Russellville and Rose Clarke Nanyonga of Kampala, Uganda, will be inducted into the Arkansas Tech University Hall of Distinction in 2020.
Chambers will be inducted under the Distinguished Service category, while Harris and Nanyonga will be inducted under the Distinguished Alumnus/Alumna category.
A formal induction ceremony will be held on April 17 as part of the ATU Foundations and Futures scholarship dinner at Tucker Coliseum in Russellville.
Chambers, chairman and CEO of Chambers Bank, served on the Arkansas Tech Board of Trustees from 1994-99 and 2007-17.
He helped plan and construct the Ross Pendergraft Library and Technology Center, Doc Bryan Student Services Center, Baswell Techionery, Baswell Residence Hall, M Street Residence Hall, Rothwell Hall, Brown Hall, the Student Services and Conference Center in Ozark and the Health Sciences and Wellness Building at ATU-Ozark Campus.
His grandfather, Judge John Ed Chambers, served on the ATU board from 1925-37, 1939-53 and 1955-63. His father, John Ed Chambers II, was a trustee from 1965-67 and 1987-88.
Harris earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from ATU in 1969. A member of the Arkansas Army National Guard from 1969-75, he began his career as an Arkansas Department of Human Services manager in Mountain View.
Harris began his 40-year banking career in 1974 when he became branch manager for Batesville Savings and Loan in Mountain View. He settled in Russellville in 1992.
Five years later, he was part of the group that founded First Arkansas Valley Bank by merging First Bank of Arkansas and the Bank of Atkins. Harris served as president of the new bank and took part in two more mergers before retiring from Liberty Bank of Arkansas in 2014.
He has been active with the ATU Foundation Board of Directors and ATU College of Business Advisory Council, among other nonprofits.
Nanyonga is a 2002 graduate of ATU with a bachelor’s degree in nursing. She earned her master of science in nursing degree from Baylor University and her doctor of philosophy degree in nursing from Yale University.
Nanyonga serves as vice chancellor for Clarke International University in Uganda. She is also a senior faculty member at Clarke International.
Nanyonga is an advocate for children’s rights and providing leadership opportunities to health care providers. She serves on several boards.
Stanford University has named Nanyonga a leadership fellow in its Women Leaders in Global Health initiative, while the Yale University School of Nursing has bestowed its Distinguished Alumna award upon her.