See more of this week’s Movers & Shakers, and submit your own announcement at ArkansasBusiness.com/Movers-Shakers.
Banking & Finance
Eric Casias has joined Farmers Bank & Trust of Blytheville as treasury services officer. Casias has 19 years of banking experience and earned his bachelor’s degree from Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth. He holds the Certified Payment Professional designation.
Jake Reid has joined the Harrison branch of Anstaff Bank of Green Forest. A graduate of Arkansas Tech University in Russellville, Reid has served with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency for 17 years.
Leslie Jackson has joined the Heber Springs branch of Eagle Bank & Trust of Little Rock as vice president, loan officer. With more than 15 years of experience in banking, Jackson has an extensive background in lending and personalized service.
Nick Mooneyhan has joined First Community Bank of Batesville as a national sales representative in the dealer direct department. He has 10 years of customer service experience and earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration. Joe Smith has rejoined the bank as vice president, commercial deposits officer. He will be responsible for bringing in new commercial deposit accounts and assisting in managing existing accounts across the Searcy, Cabot, Batesville, Bald Knob and Beebe markets. He has been in banking for nine years, spending the majority of his career at First Community Bank.
Education
Shea Barham and Satia Spencer have been appointed co-directors of the new Arkansas Symphony Orchestra Children’s Choir in Little Rock. Barham is a certified music teacher with a master’s degree in opera performance from Oklahoma City University and teaches at Pulaski Academy in Little Rock. Spencer is a certified Pre-K-12 music specialist with a bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and is an elementary music specialist at Forest Heights STEM Academy in Little Rock.
Sue Ellen Wilkerson, Lee Whitaker, Dr. Mida Milligan and Jerry Glidewell have been elected to the board of trustees of the University of the Ozarks in Clarksville. All are alumni of the university and will serve three-year terms, starting in 2026.
Consulting
Megan Caldwell has been promoted to partner, senior vice president-marketing and strategic initiatives at SafeHaven Security Group of Rogers. She previously served as vice president of marketing and strategic initiatives.
Monte Mills has been promoted to partner, deputy principal consultant, after previously serving as vice president of protective strategies, and Brent Normington has been promoted to partner, senior vice president-finance, administration and compliance. Michael Johnson has been promoted to vice president of threat management and consulting after serving as director of threat management, and Jason Gates has been hired as vice president of security operations.
Government
Noah Haynes has rejoined the Arkansas State Broadband Office of Little Rock as a full-time IT infrastructure analyst, following his prior work as an AmeriCorps member. He will focus on permitting, data management and stakeholder communication. Ryan Henriksen has joined the office as an AmeriCorps member. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration in economics from the University of Central Arkansas in Conway.
Health Care
Craig Wilson has been named president and CEO of the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement in Little Rock. Wilson has served as the organization’s interim leader since January and previously worked as ACHI’s director of health policy. He joined the health policy center in 2011.
Dr. German Corrales has joined the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock and will see patients at the UAMS Health Neighborhood Clinic on Capitol Mall. He will also serve as an assistant professor in the UAMS College of Medicine Department of Family & Preventive Medicine. Corrales earned his medical degree from Universidad Nacional de Cordoba in Cordoba, Argentina, and recently completed a residency in family medicine at UAMS.
Dr. Aline Andres and Dr. Joe Thompson, both UAMS professors, have been elected to the National Academy of Medicine of Washington, D.C. Andres is a professor of pediatrics and interim chief of the UAMS Department of Pediatrics Section of Developmental Nutrition. She is also a core director at Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center. Thompson is a professor of pediatrics and public health and president emeritus of the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement.
Dr. Bradley Houston joined the UAMS Department of Urology in Little Rock as an assistant professor. Houston comes to UAMS from Arkansas Urology in Conway. He earned his medical degree from UAMS in 2017 and completed a urology residency at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis.
Hospitality
Justin Murrah has been appointed executive chef of The Restaurant at the Stonebreaker Hotel in Fayetteville. With more than 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Murrah has experience spanning from Michelin-starred restaurants to large-scale dining operations.
Veronica McKnight has been hired as senior sales manager at the Capital Hotel in Little Rock. She will oversee group sales including events, conferences, meetings and guest rooms.
Legal
Alexis Jones, Clifford McLeod and Madeline McCulloch have joined Mitchell Williams Selig Gates & Woodyard PLLC of Little Rock as associates. Jones and McLeod will work in the firm’s Little Rock office, while McCulloch will practice at its Rogers office. Jones and McCulloch earned their degrees from the University of Arkansas School of Law in Fayetteville. McLeod earned his degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law.
Manufacturing
Brad Nikkel has been promoted to maintenance and engineering manager at FutureFuel Chemical Co. of Batesville. He previously was maintenance manager and capital project manager, working at the company since 2003. Michael Thompson has been named chief information technology officer. An electrical engineering graduate of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, Thompson has been with the company since 2006.
Eder Garcia has been promoted to vice president of supply chain at Central States of Tontitown. Garcia joined Central States in 2018 and has held multiple leadership roles across logistics, manufacturing and regional operations, most recently serving as vice president of operational excellence.
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