Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
BUSINESS PEOPLE
The Springdale Chamber of Commerce recently started its 19th leadership program. This year’s class include: Tameka Brown, Springdale Schools; Ben Butler, Arvest Bank; Darrin Chism, SourceGas;
Lynn Clemons, WACO
Title Company; Shawn
Dorman, Springdale Water Department; George
Ducharme, Kawneer; Will Enderby, Kawneer Company, Inc.; Ashley Fincher, Cargill, Inc.; David Goetz,
Dayco Products; Barbara
Goodman, Northwest Arkansas Community College; Brittney Hickman, Springdale Schools; Kim
Johnson, Springdale Water Department; Michael
Jones, Multi- Craft Contractors; Michael Kirk, The Jones Center; Nick
Klosowsky, IPC Communication; Hunter Norton,
First Security Bank; Ryan Penner, Tyson Foods, Inc.; Lucas Regnier, Harrington, Miller, Kieklak, Eichmann & Brown PA; Stephanie Robinson, Arvest Bank; Chris Spence, Rockline Industries; Kim Umber, Liberty
Bank of Arkansas; and Micah Whitfield, Sir Speedy Printing.
Members of the Leadership Fort Smith 2013-14 class
are: Greta Barr, Nunnelle & Wright Commercial Properties; Scott Branton, Scott N. Branton Architects, PLLC;
Susan E. Brockett, Nolan,
Caddell & Reynolds; Kay Lynn Clay, Arkansas Best
Corp.; Denora Coomer, Sebastian County circuit clerk;
Sarah Davis, Arkansas
Oklahoma Gas Corp.; Renee Robinson Durham, Harry Robinson Buick-GMC; Todd Fretheim, O.K. Foods Inc.; Alison Houston, Sebastian County prosecuting attorney’s office; Larry Johnston Jr., Baldor Electric Co.; Joshua Keifer, Benefit
Bank; Lee Krehbiel, University of Arkansas at Fort
Smith; Katie Lejong, Beall Barclay & Company PLC;
Neal Martin, Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care Inc.; Ty Matlock, Matlock Media; M. Jered Medlock, Medlock & Gramlich LLP;
Brooke Moreton, First National Bank of Fort Smith;
Grant Morris, Mercy Clinic
Fort Smith; Keia E. Peeples, Kraft Foods Group — Planters; Donny Rogers, Arvest Asset Management; Stacey P. Rogers, Golden Living; Kerrie Taber, University of Arkansas at Fort Smith; Barbara Webster- Meadows, Ninth Street Church of Christ; Sharla Whitson, Bonneville Elementary School; and Leigh Zuerker, Arkansas Public Defender Commission.
W. Brian Porter was named chief operating officer of Ayrshire Electronics, an electronic manufacturing service company that includes facilities in Fayetteville. He served 16 years with the company, leading four acquisitions. Products range from industrial and environmental controls to defense and aerospace applications, medical devices, complex servers, network devices and other electronics.
Pat Morrison has joined the team of Colliers International of Arkansas at the Bentonville office to specialize in land acquisition. He was a principal broker with Morrison-WangerAdams Commercial Read Estate Services in Bentonville, which he helped start in 2006 and where he represented purchase and lease activities at Village on the Creeks mixed-use development. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business and marketing from the University of Arkansas in 1971.
Natalie Krodell, an emergency department nurse at Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville, earned certification in emergency nursing after
passing a nationally administered exam and meeting other eligibility guidelines. She earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Arkansas and joined the staff of Washington Regional in 2008.
Dr. Margaret Christensen was named by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Schmieding Center for Health and Education in Springdale as project director for the $3.5 million Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Health Care Innovation Challenge Award. She will oversee implementation of the award that was announced in 2012, which will include a 40-hour family care advocate enhanced home caregiving training module to be added to current Schmieding Center programs.
Christensen earned a doctorate in education from Oklahoma State University and a degree in nursing from St. Francis School of Nursing in Wichita, Kan. She has taught health services administration in graduate and undergraduate programs at Ohio University and directed graduate programs at Shawnee State University in Ohio. For the past seven years, Christensen has worked at the Bella Vista Health Resource Center for the Schmieding Center for Senior Health and Education. She was named coordinator of senior community health programs at the Bella Vista center in 2010.
The caregiver training program developed at the UAMS Schmieding Center in Springdale offers four levels of certification for paid caregivers and two workshops for those who provide care to their family members.
Susan Thurman joined the North Arkansas Regional Medical Center in Harrison as nurse manager for its Behavioral Health Unit. Previously, she worked at Citizens Memorial Hospital in Bolivar, Mo., and at Truman Medical Center Behavioral Health Services in Kansas City, Mo., Lakeland Behavioral Health System in Springfield, Mo., and Brentwood Behavioral Health System in Shreveport, La. Thurman holds registered nurse licenses in Arkansas and Missouri and is American Nurses Credentialing Center board-certified as a mental health registered nurse. Her master’s degree in psychology and bachelor’s degree in nursing are from the University of Phoenix. She graduated from Tarrant County Junior College with an associate’s degree in nursing.
Shelly Weilenman was promoted Sept. 3 as Arkansas market chief nursing executive to provide oversight of nursing at both Summit Medical Center of Van Buren and Sparks Health System of Fort Smith. She joined the Summit staff in October 2012, serving as administrator and chief nursing executive, after about 30 years in health care. She earned master’s and bachelor’s degrees in nursing with honors from the University of Mississippi. She also holds an associate’s degree from North Arkansas Community College in Harrison. Weilenman is a registered nurse and is certified in executive nursing practice by the American Organization of Nurse Executives.
Until her successor is named, the interim administrator role will be held by Anthony Brooks, Summit’s current chief financial officer.