Agape House announces new board members
Agape House Children’s Home, Inc. has announced the appointment of two members to its Board of Directors: Kimberly Thomas and Allison Brackin.
Kimberly Thomas, director of counseling at El Dorado High School, has many years of experience with children. She has been employed by El Dorado School District for 13 years and in public education for 19 years in Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas. She has held multiple positions from classroom teacher to counselor, dean of students, assistant principal and elementary principal.
Thomas graduated from Grambling State University with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, Southern Arkansas University with a master’s degree in school counseling and an Arkansas State University program of study in Educational Leadership.
She is a current or past member of El Dorado Service League, Delta Kappa Gamma International Society for Key Women Educators and Arkansas School Counselor’s Association. Kimberly also currently serves on the board of directors for the South Arkansas Children’s Coalition and Children’s Advocacy Center of South Arkansas.
Thomas is a lifelong resident of Union County. She is married to Reginal Thomas Sr. and they have three children: Marian, a sophomore at Louisiana Tech University; Mariah, a senior at El Dorado High School; and R.J. Thomas, an eighth-grader at Barton Junior High.
Thomas and her family also are hosting an AFS exchange student, Passamon, from Thailand for the 2017-2018 school year. She is also a member of Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church. She enjoys traveling, spending time with her family and volunteering with youth related activities.
Brackin also will join Agape, joining its efforts to enhance its ministry to local foster children, said Executive Director PJ Yarbrough.
Brackin is the senior staff accountant for The Systems Group and has been employed with Systems since 2012, holding multiple positions. She has served on the Agape House’s Fundraising Committee, as well as a relief house parent.
Brackin graduated from John Brown University with a bachelor’s degree in management. She obtained her Certified Management Accountant Certification in 2015 and is a member of the Institute of Management Accountants as well as the Construction Financial Management Association.
She has assisted in the development of CFMA Educational Modules and as a volunteer author of the Construction Financial Manager’s Guide to State Tax Laws. She is also the former president of the South Arkansas Administrative Professionals Organization.
Brackin is a native of Mississippi but has lived in Arkansas for over 16 years. She recently moved back to El Dorado to take on her new role with The Systems Group and has a 10-month-old son, Jaxson.