See more of this week’s Movers & Shakers, and submit your own announcement at ArkansasBusiness.com/Movers-Shakers.
Banking & Finance
Ash Bhumbla, senior vice president and CFO of the chicken and international segments at Tyson Foods of Springdale, has been named to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis’ Agribusiness Industry Council.
Jodie Cochran has joined Simmons Bank of Pine Bluff as national sales and production manager of mortgage warehouse lending. She holds a degree from Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford and is a certified mortgage banker and certified mortgage leader.
John Craig has been promoted to president of the Fort Smith market at Cadence Bank of Tupelo, Mississippi. Craig has been a banker for nearly 30 years and with Cadence for more than nine years. He will assume a strategic leadership role overseeing seven bank branches throughout the River Valley, employing 38 team members.
Communications
Kennedy Murphy has been hired as strategic project manager at AM Group of Fayetteville. She previously served as U.S. community engagement lead at Zipline of South San Francisco, California.
Education
Derek Boyce has been promoted to director of alumni, corporate and foundation relations at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock after 16 years of service. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in human services from UA Little Rock and is a certified volunteer manager. Meaghan Milliorn has been promoted to senior director of web strategy and operations. A graduate of UA Little Rock with a bachelor’s degree in mass communication, Milliorn has led the university’s web team since 2016. Stephanie Purifoy has been named director of development at Enduring Opportunities and the College of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences & Education. She previously worked in development roles at several nonprofit organizations, including CareLink of North Little Rock, the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance of Little Rock and Audubon Arkansas of Little Rock. Muriel Schrepfer has been promoted to senior graphic designer. She graduated from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro and previously worked as a graphic designer for A-State’s Publications & Creative Services office.
Energy
Anna Swaim has been named executive director of the Arkansas Independent Producers & Royalty Owners of Little Rock. Rodney Baker was named director of government relations. AIPRO promotes mineral exploration and production and represents all segments of the state’s oil and natural gas community.
Health Care
Dr. Maheen Khan has joined St. Bernards Healthcare of Jonesboro as a neurosurgeon specializing in the treatment and removal of complex tumors of the skull and spine. She served as an assistant professor of skull base and neuro-oncology at Saint Louis University Hospital, where she also completed a neurosurgery residency and a fellowship in complex spine surgery.
Dr. Omar Yacob has joined the team at Arkansas Cardiology of Little Rock’s Conway clinic. A native of Lahore, Pakistan, he received his medical education from Aga Khan University Medical College in Karachi, Pakistan, and completed his interventional cardiology fellowship from the University of Connecticut Hartford.
Dr. Sheldon Riklon, a professor in the Department of Family & Preventive Medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, has been named to the Arkansas Minority Health Commission of Little Rock. Riklon joined the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus faculty in August 2016 and is one of only two Marshallese doctors practicing in the U.S.
Legal
Tim Cullen has been named president-elect designee of the Arkansas Bar Association of Little Rock. He will begin his one-year term as president-elect in June 2026 and will assume the office of president at the Bar Association’s 2027 annual meeting. He earned his law degree from the University of Arkansas School of Law in Fayetteville.
Nonprofits
Dr. Brad Holloway, chief executive officer of Birch Tree Communities of Benton, has been elected president of the Arkansas Council for Behavioral Health, headquartered in Little Rock. Holloway brings more than 40 years of clinical and administrative experience to the statewide leadership role and was named CEO of Birch Tree Communities in 2022.
Krista Cupp has been promoted to executive vice president of partnerships and events and executive director of the Heartland Summit at Heartland Forward of Bentonville. Cupp previously served as vice president of development and has held leadership roles at the Runway Group of Bentonville, Tyson Foods of Springdale and The Herald Group of Washington, D.C. J.T. Geren has been promoted to vice president of communications. He previously served as director of strategic communications and led communications and marketing for the Runway Group.
Marty Sullivan and Chris Bahn have joined the board of directors of the Eli Talley Foundation of Little Rock. Sullivan has served as director of the Arkansas Administrative Office of the Courts since 2017 and was recently elected to a three-year term on the board of the Conference of State Court Administrators. Bahn is the founder of C. Bahn Strategic Partners of Little Rock, a communications consultancy specializing in storytelling for higher education, executives, nonprofits and mission-driven organizations.
Sarah Newman has been promoted to vice president of operations at the Arkansas Trucking Association of Little Rock. Newman has served as director of operations since 2002 and holds degrees in marketing and finance from the University of Central Arkansas in Conway. David O’Neal has been named vice president of engagement. O’Neal brings three decades of transportation industry experience and previously was director of safety services and vice president of safety programs and industry engagement at the association.
Real Estate
Heather Barnes has joined Cushman & Wakefield | Sage Partners of Rogers as senior property manager. She has more than 20 years of corporate real estate and property management expertise and previously led real estate strategy and site selection for Publix Supermarkets and Walmart. Javier Solis has been hired as director of facilities and project management. He brings more than a decade of experience leading Class A office, residential and large-scale facilities. He most recently managed operations at Ledger Bentonville.
Tourism
Lauren Anderson has been named interim CEO of the Arkansas Hospitality Association of Little Rock after previously serving as director of membership.
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