LEADERSHIP TEXARKANA
Class of 2015
Thirty Texarkana area residents completing the year-long Leadership Texarkana program were recently honored at Northridge Country Club.
Leadership Texarkana graduates are committed to serving as volunteers and leaders. The program equipped and challenged them to step up in taking active leadership roles in all areas of the community by bringing together natural partners in working together for progress in Texarkana.
This is the 35th annual class offered, with the first class graduating in 1980.
LT became an independent nonprofit in 2001 but continues to partner with the Texarkana Chamber of Commerce.
Applications for the 2015-16 program are online at Leadership Texarkana.com. Application deadline is June 23.
The recruitment party is planned for 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. June 8 at Twisted Fork.
Following are profiles of the 2015 LT graduates:
Katie Andrus Texarkana College Foundation
executive director
Katie holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the Red McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas in Austin. Prior to her employment with the TC Foundation, she spent eight years with JPMorgan Private Bank in Houston as an analyst and business finance manager. She serves on the board of directors for LifeNet, Inc., Susan G. Komen Texarkana and Texarkana Country Club. She is also a member of the Junior League of Texarkana. She is married to Josh, and they have three children- Graham, Caroline and Mary Ellen.
Katie wants to help make higher education affordable and accessible. She intends to work with area businesses to ensure students’ preparation to be active participants in the local workforce, communicate the benefit higher education brings and to help hard-working individuals take advantage of educational opportunities.
Charlotte L. Banks Texas A&M University-Texarkana
compliance director
A Queen City High School graduate, Charlotte has a Bachelor of Arts from The University of Texas at Austin, a Master of Business Administration from The University of Texas at Arlington and is a graduate of the Economic Development Institute at The University of Oklahoma. She spent more than 12 years in government positions as well as other business and economic development positions. She is Six Sigma certified.
Charlotte wants to support the guiding beliefs and strategic initiatives of TAMU-T.
Kevin Barnhart Ledwell & Son Enterprises
senior accountant
Kevin Barnhart grew up in Maud on a dairy farm before getting a degree in management and accounting from Ouachita Baptist University. He then worked as a CPA for a public accounting firm in Little Rock and later for a hospital in Pine Bluff before accepting the position at Ledwell & Son. He loves to spend time with his wife, Christy, and their two young daughters, Lily and Jenna. They also enjoy spending time family members in this area.
Kevin plans to work through his church to help families with needs related to small children.
M. Glen Boles, FACHE, CHFP CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System
chief financial officer
Glen serves on the Board of Directors for Genesis Primecare, a local Federally Qualified Health Clinic, LifeNet EMS and United Way of Greater Texarkana. He received his B.B.A. in Finance/Accounting from the University of North Texas and holds Master degrees in Business and Health Administration from Georgia State University. He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE), a Certified Healthcare Financial Professional (CHFP), and has achieved Six Sigma Green Belt certification. Glen resides in Texarkana with his wife SuAn and their son Harris.
Glen plans to use skills, talents and abilities to serve and to support the Greater Texarkana area. He intends to lead by example and focus his energy and time in community support and outreach efforts of LifeNet, Genesis Primecare and United Way.
Theresa Cowling North Heights Junior High School
principal
Theresa has lived in Texarkana, Ark., for the last 13 years. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Education and Master of Science in Education from Southern Arkansas University, Magnolia. Theresa has worked in education for 27 years. She has been married to Gary for 27 years and they have two children, Wesley and Morgan. She loves her community and wants to help instill pride in Texarkana and develop future leaders.
Theresa will help youth be responsible and responsive in using local resources to meet community needs. She also plans to motivate youth to take personal responsibility for their short and long term success.
Phyllis Anne Deese
Texarkana College human resources director
Phyllis works closely with other TC departments including the police department, the Pinkerton Recreational Center and the financial aid office. Prior to joining TC in 2012, Phyllis served as Red Lick ISD principal starting in 2003 and was a teacher and administrator for Texarkana ISD for 11 years. She currently serves on the Texarkana Regional Arts and Humanities Council board and on the St. Edwards Catholic Church Parish Council. She and her husband, Buddy, have two children, Bass and Kate.
Phyllis wants to continue to be a part of the enrichment the art of music offers and use her educational career to help others pursue a better career path in life.
Angela Evans
HealthCARE Express community education director
A lifelong resident of Texarkana, Angela is a 1997 Texas High School graduate. She furthered her education in marketing at Texarkana College. Since college, Angela has developed a strong background in marketing and entrepreneurship. Angela is active in her community and has a passion for giving back. In her role as a board member for The Healing Place, Angela helps the organization distribute school supplies to needy children, offers GED classes for those wanting to finish high school, develops job training and much more. She is a loving wife and mother of Angela.
Angela believes a person will remember not what you did, but how you make them feel. By following this philosophy, she hopes to make Texarkana a better place.
Ron Fellers, Ed.D.
Trinity Christian School president and head of school
Ron, who has served as head of school at TCS since 2006, has a Master’s of Business Administration from Texas A&M - Texarkana, and a Doctorate of Education from Regent University in Virginia. He has superintendent certification from the Association of Christian Schools International. Ron also serves on the board of Arkansas Non-Public School Accrediting Association as vice president. Ron’s wife, Deann, serves TCS as the junior high English teacher. They have two children who have been TCS Warriors for their entire educational career.
Ron wants to redefine excellence in education for Christians in the Texarkana community to include graduates who fear God, who critically think and who communicate across
disciplines from a biblical perspective, who work hard at their calling, who love others and who are lifelong learners.
Mindy Melissa Gennings
Wake Village Elementary principal
Mindy is a lifelong resident of Texarkana. She earned both her Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies and Master’s degree in Education Administration from TAMU-T. Mindy has served 18 years in education for Texarkana Independent School District with 12 of those in administration. She is a volunteer for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure and is a member of Heritage Church. Mindy is married to Brian and they have one son, Christopher.
Mindy plans to provide students with the best education possible, and that includes the best academic, civic and social learning as possible. She believes we must have a moral, ethical and legal imperative.
Paul D. Hackleman, P.E., CFM City of Texarkana, Ark., public works director
Paul is a Licensed Professional Engineer in the states of Arkansas and Texas and a Certified Flood Plain Administrator. He has worked as public works director since 2009. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University in College Station. He was selected as the Dallas/Fort Worth MidCities Engineer of the Year in 2006 and Young Engineer of the Year in 1998.
Paul will continue to focus on the public works services and infrastructure needs in Texarkana, Ark., to ensure the necessary funding to improve services and rebuild or repair infrastructure. He will work with local nonprofits to assist with their needs. Another goal is to work to open the parks and recreation building, formerly the old Boys and Girls Club, to serve children.
Matthew Hardy Red River Lumber Design Center
sales manager
Matthew was born and resided in Texarkana until attending the University of Arkansas. There, he earned a Bachelor of Science in Human Environmental Sciences in 2008. He is a member of First United Methodist Church. He became an Eagle Scout on Oct. 4, 1999. Most of his career emphasis has centered on the creation of lasting and meaningful relationships. Upon return to Texarkana, he was employed with Daugherty Property Group for over five years in various roles, including general manager. He is currently employed with Red River Lumber as a sales manager in the design center.
Matthew works with the Boy Scouts of America. He plans to volunteer his time and skills, speak about important issues and encourage others to become more involved in the community.
Rhoan I. Hernandez Guaranty Mortgage, Bank & Trust
president
Rhoan has been in the banking industry in various roles for the last 26 years. He was born in Dallas and lived in various places throughout the country before settling back in Texas with his wife of 15 years, Cathy. They have two grown sons, Nick and Ben. Rhoan graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in Dallas. He attended Stephen F. Austin State University where he received a BBA in finance. Later, he received an MBA from Case Western Reserve University, Weatherhead School of Management in Cleveland. Rhoan is currently serving as board president of the Texarkana Symphony Orchestra. He loves to play golf and spend time outdoors with his wife.
Rhoan wants to educate those within Texarkana about the great benefits of living here. Creating a positive vision of what Texarkana can be is critical to the city’s prosperity and he intends to help people realize this.
William E. Houff
Liberty-Eylau Middle School principal
William has 19 years of teaching, coaching and administrative experience. He was born in Texarkana, Texas, and attended Liberty-Eylau ISD from kindergarten through 12th grade. Upon graduating high school, he attended East Texas Baptist University. With a degree in physical education, his career in education, coaching and teaching began in Marshall ISD. He earned his Masters of Education degree from Stephen F. Austin State University. Shortly after receiving his masters, William returned home and continued his career in education at L-E ISD. He’s in his seventh year as L-E Middle School principal. He remains a humble servant of the Lord and credits his most significant accomplishment to date being the birth of his daughter, Kyndal Houff.
William plans to volunteer time and service to the underprivileged and promote the entire greater Texarkana area while continuing to grow pride in his community. He wants to involve himself and his campus leadership groups in serving at Randy Sams Shelter. He will continue to be active in his church and serve on the board of a newly developed nonprofit outreach program for disadvantaged youth.
Kara Leann Lannom
Texana Bank business development officer
Kara grew up in Atlanta, Texas, and has lived in Texarkana, Texas, for nine years. She graduated from Texas A&M University-Texarkana in 2006 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. Kara has worked in the financial industry for the past five-and-a-half years where she has found her niche. She routinely travels to various Texana branches to assist and grow local companies. She has both her health and insurance licenses and can also sell annuities. Kara is married to Chris, a graduate of Leadership Texarkana’s 2014 class. They have two sons, Colt and Brooks.
Kara, with Harvest Texarkana’s directive, will reach out to surrounding food banks and programs for assistance and guidance to help grow the backpack program and to reach more children than before. She has previously worked with food banks.
Myra Loving Licensed Professional Counselor self-employed in private practice
Myra grew up in DeKalb and has lived in Texarkana for more than 25 years. Graduating with a BS in Secondary Ed/English & Psychology from East Texas State University-Texarkana and an MS in Counseling Psychology from Texas A&M University-Texarkana, she has always been connected to Texarkana educationally. However, she found counseling/work locally to be a challenge regarding organizational opportunities that met her “client-oriented-goals.” She accepted employment in Southeast Oklahoma where she worked for over 13 years. Commuting allowed her to have a
flexible work schedule while working as an adjunct instructor at Texarkana College and TAMU-T, where she was voted to receive the Chancellor’s Teaching Excellence Award. In 2011, she felt the calling to start her own private counseling practice in Texarkana to “plug in” with her city and find advocacy opportunities. She is married to Jeff Loving and they own Twisted Fork, a local restaurant. Having two granddaughters move to Texarkana adds even more incentive to focus on her community.
Myra plans to organize a counseling group for those who have lost a loved one to suicide. She hopes to improve their quality of life through local resources like hospitals, hospices and other local agencies through referrals. She also plans to work with an animal shelter/agency as well as educational scholarship opportunities for students.
Eric Andrew Marks
Attorney
Eric was born and raised in Camden, Ark. Prior to relocating to Texarkana, he attended Ouachita Baptist University for undergraduate studies, and Henderson State University where he earned an MBA. Eric attended Mississippi College School of Law and has actively practiced law in multiple states. He is a member of the Arkansas Bar Association, Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association and Texarkana Young Lawyers Association. In his spare time, he enjoys hunting and spending time at the lake with his family.
Eric plans to assist nonprofits or other entities/individuals who might not necessarily have the financial ability to pay for legal services. He also wants to assist with youth court.
Jason B. McDaniel Edward Jones Investments
financial adviser
Jason was raised in Harlingen, Texas. He received his Bachelors of Business Administration from the University of North Texas in 1991. He is an executive board member of the Boy Scouts of America Caddo Area Council and Scoutmaster of Troop 16, which meets at First Baptist Church Moores Lane in Texarkana. Jason and Donna have been married for 22 years and have two sons, Warren and Christopher. They attend First Baptist Church in DeKalb and volunteer with various organizations.
Jason, through Boy Scouts of America, wants to prepare young men to make ethical choices over their lifetime by instilling honorable values while promising to do duty to God and country. He is committed to developing young men to be people of character and confidence and good men for life through scouting.
Cassie Newton Grier, Reeves & Lawley
staff professional
Cassie graduated from the University of Central Arkansas and worked in Little Rock, Ark., before marrying her husband, John. She then returned to the area where she grew up and is currently a Certified Public Accountant at Grier, Reeves & Lawley, P.C. She has a Labrador Retriever that she and her husband consider to be their child.
Cassie will use her strengths to serve as a leader through volunteerism and be involved in more organizations that are working together for the community’s benefit.
Zach Norment
CableOne account executive
Zach Norment is a lifelong resident of Texarkana and a 2003 graduate of Texas High School. In 2007, he graduated from Texas A&M-Texarkana with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing. He has worked for CableOne for more than three years. As an account executive for CableOne Advertising, he works to implement and achieve the marketing goals of businesses in Texarkana and the surrounding communities. Zach is the 2015 Chair for the Texarkana Chamber Ambassadors and a black belt instructor at Lacy’s Shotokan Karate. He is married to Whitney Lacy-Norment with two children, Raidyn and Westin.
Zach wants to help local businesses increase revenue, achieve goals and remain a vital part of Texarkana. He plans to work with nonprofits to help children and the hungry. He wants to work with the chamber’s business development efforts. He also wants to show others keeping Texarkana beautiful starts with each person doing his/ her part.
Phillip R. Parrish Yahweh Christian Church
senior pastor
A native of Plain Dealing, La., he is the first of his family to attend college. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Religion and Psychology from Jarvis Christian College and graduate studies from Phillips Theological Seminary. He launched his ministry career in Tulsa, Okla., serving as a full-time youth pastor. Additionally, he received the honor of being named Tulsa’s Community Leader and Youth Advocate. He is a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. and currently works as a success coach for Texarkana College. Phillip is married to Makesha and they work together in ministry, providing yearly assistance to the elderly, working with at-risk youth and offering transitional planning services for adults.
Phillip plans to actively engage underdeveloped and economically distressed areas of Texarkana’s youth and young adults through education, social and economic empowerment, community service and faith-based initiatives.
Terri Rogers
Texarkana Water Utilities geographic information technician
Terri has a passion for mapping and data, which help water and city officials make analytical decisions. She has created maps for the community for various projects. She has lived in the Texarkana area since 2005. She is an active member of Twin City Toastmasters, Shark ATAC Swim Team, Girl Scouts, Texas Emergency GIS Response Team (EGRT) and Leadership Texarkana. Terri resides in Redwater with her husband Bill and two children, Austin and Kaitlyn.
Terri plans to help create beautiful, sustainable green space and volunteer for Partnership of the Pathways. She wants to use map making skills to help others visualize the beauty of linear parks, walking trails and paths, sport parks, gardens and recreation areas. She also wants to use GIS resources to support disaster and recovery efforts and make the region one of the safest places to live and work.
Christine Sidwell Cooper Tire & Rubber Co.
technical manager
Christine was born and raised in Orrville, Ohio. She received her Bachelors of Science in Chemical Engineering from The University of Toledo and accepted a position with Cooper Tire upon graduation in December 2004. In the spring of 2008, she was offered a position and relocated to Texarkana. Although she’s a Buckeye at heart, she has grown to love the Texarkana community. Since moving here, she has completed her MBA at TAMU-T and has served as Cooper Tire’s representative on the boards of United Way of Greater Texarkana Board and TRAHC.
Christine wants to help enrich the lives of area residents. She plans to continue her active role with MakeA-Wish Foundation, be a voice for Cooper Tire and continue to encourage employees to get involved and support and give back to a community, which has whole-heartedly supported Cooper Tire for years. She wants to get more involved with groups to enrich the lives of children.
Kendrick Smith Pleasant Grove High School
assistant principal
Kendrick, also the head cross country coach at PGHS, holds a Bachelor of Science in Health from Texas A&M University, as well as a Master of Science in Education from Texas A&M University-Texarkana. He began his career in education in 2000 as a teacher/coach at Pleasant Grove Middle School. From there, he moved into an assistant principal position at Pleasant Grove Middle School. In 2008, he was named the Region VIII Middle School assistant principal of the year by Texas Association of Secondary School Principals. In 2009, Kendrick was named assistant principal at Pleasant Grove High School. Kendrick is married to DeAna and they have two children, Kiana and Kyron.
Kendrick’s plans to build relationships with the next generation of leaders through his work and to meet students’ needs. He and his family plan to explore volunteer opportunities. He wants to work with youth and is invested in his campus’ Fellowship of Christian Athletes as well as working with his son in Boy Scouts.
Brittanie Renee Stone
Christian Care Center marketer
Brittanie was born and raised in Texarkana, Texas. She has always had a passion for helping people. Another passion is jewelry and she worked at her grandfather’s jewelry store for 17 years until she decided to change career paths and help the elderly. She now works at Christian Care Center and NStep as their community liaison. Her passion for children and bettering the community led her to join Junior League of Texarkana, where she has been a member for 10 years and is now the current president. She is also on the Race for the Cure committee and actively volunteers in her church.
Brittanie plans to continue volunteering to help improve children’s lives. She also believes her work at Christian Care Center helps the elderly find a safe place to live or get stronger so they can live out their dreams.
Catie Swenson
Southwest Printers and Publishers vice president of sales and marketing
As a native of the Texarkana area, Catie Swenson appreciates all that Texarkana USA has to offer. She considers herself blessed to have a family that believes and supports her in all of her roles. Being mom to Grant and Tyler Swenson and the wife of Scott Swenson are two of her most important roles. She is also the VP of Sales and Marketing at Southwest Printers as well as the owner of Innovative Marketing. She has been involved with many different nonprofit organizations, but considers it an honor to help small groups develop plans to reach their biggest goals.
Catie plans to become more involved with the Chamber, the community and nonprofit organizations. She loves to help co-workers realize their potential as leaders. She wants to develop a strategy to enable Southwest Printers and Innovative Marketing to give back and support the community more.
First Sgt. Cole V. Walter
United States Marine Corps Inspector-Instructor First Sergeant
Cole was raised in Northwest Oklahoma. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in November 1989 and completed recruit training at MCRD San Diego, Calif. After deployments to Operation Desert Storm and Somalia, he was honorably discharged from the military. He then went on to be police officer in Missouri until November 1998 when he re-enlisted into the Marines. He has served as drill instructor and has two combat deployments to Afghanistan. He will retire from the Marine Corps in August with over 21 years of service. He is married to the former Robin Vandeven from Hillsboro, Mo., and has two children, Deven and Ryian Walter.
Cole plans to get more involved to support transitioning veterans and their families through the East Texas Veterans Resource Center. He would like to be a champion for Texarkana veterans dealing with PTS and homelessness. He will also be donating healthy vegetables and volunteering with the local food bank and homeless shelters to assist people in becoming productive citizens.
Lance Edward Wharton Wells Fargo business banking
relationship manager
Lance is a native of Texarkana. After graduating high school, he spent several years working in diverse communities around the country. Since moving back to Texarkana in 2009, he has fulfilled various banking roles with Wells Fargo Bank. He covers the state of Arkansas and East Texas developing and growing relationships while helping businesses meet their lending and specialized banking needs. He is a devoted husband and father to his wife and two children. Lance holds a B.S. in Marketing Management from Arkansas State University and a M.B.A. in Business Administration from Texas A&M–Texarkana.
Lance will strive to improve the community by participating in organizations devoted to fostering change in Texarkana, recruiting current and future generations of emerging leaders, promoting community development and volunteering time, talent, and resources to the community.
Dianne Whatley
Atlanta Elementary School principal
Dianne is a native of East Texas. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from East Texas State University in Commerce, Texas and a Master of Science degree from Texas A&M-Texarkana. Dianne’s 39-year career in education began as an elementary teacher. After obtaining her mid-management certification, she served as a principal in Simms ISD, Queen City ISD and for the past nine years for Atlanta ISD. Dianne has been named Educator of the Year by the Atlanta, Texas Chamber of Commerce, Teacher of the Year from the Veterans of Foreign War and Outstanding Principal by the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals Association. Under Dianne’s transformational leadership style, Atlanta Elementary School was named one of only two nationally recognized Distinguished Title 1 Schools. Dianne is a member of the CHRISTUS St. Michael Friends of the Foundation, the American Cancer Society Cattle Baron Committee and attends First Baptist Church Moore’s Lane in Texarkana.
Dianne wants to enlist, develop and mobilize the city’s most promising future leaders to grow and to strengthen the movement for educational opportunities. She plants to foster partnerships to create cleaner, safer neighborhoods and Keep Texarkana Beautiful. Education and the environment go hand in hand.
John A. Whitson, ICMA-CM
Texarkana, Texas, city manger
John Whitson is a Credentialed City Manager as recognized by the International City and County Managers Association. John served 24 years in the U.S. Army where he was a Master Army Aviator and Military Comptroller and achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel. John is committed to good local government that provides value-added services to the community, protecting individual and property rights and defining the vision of the community. John works to carry out the policies of the Texarkana, Texas, City Council and oversees the city staff’s efforts to effectively and affordably deliver services to the residents and businesses of the city.
John plans to continue delivering excellent service to the community at a responsible cost–always recognizing that the citizen matters. He is committed to leading planning for the future, developing a city strategic plan, a long-range financial plan, and a comprehensive capital improvement plan and positioning the city for success.
Camille Coker Wrinkle Harvest Regional Food Bank
executive director
Camille was born and spent most of her childhood in Texarkana before moving to Ashdown during her high school years. She received both her Bachelor of Arts in Business, and Master of Science in Accounting, from Hendrix College. Camille spent more than 10 years in Little Rock working for such nonprofits as Arkansas Children’s Hospital and CARTI Cancer Center. She held roles that covered all aspects of fundraising and development. She moved back to Texarkana in 2013. Camille is a member of Wilbur Smith Rotary Board of Directors, Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance Board of Directors, Texarkana Homeless Coalition and Texarkana Area Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster. Camille is married to Tommy and they have three children, Emma, Caroline and Benjamin.
Camille wants to use her role in hunger relief to promote financial stability for low-income families and help move Texarkana forward for current and potential residents and businesses. She wants to get more involved in organizations in Main Street Texarkana, TRAHC and Keep Texarkana Beautiful.