Rising Star
Lindsey Pelton
Lindsey Pelton was born in Pine Bluff and moved to Hot Springs when she was 7 years old. She attended St. John’s Catholic School through eighth grade and then graduated from Lake Hamilton High School. She went on to Henderson State University and earned her degree in early childhood education. She established herself with distinction early on, earning the award for Outstanding Intern during her teaching training. She then applied that training to the Hot Springs School District by teaching first grade at Oaklawn Visual and Performing Arts Magnet School for the next several years. She met and married her husband, Jason, and moved to Houston while he finished his residency and fellowship in Cardiology.
While in Texas, Pelton continued to excel as a teacher. She taught at the Laura Bush Elementary School where she was made the grade level chair for first grade and won Teacher of the Year in 2016, beating out 50-plus in the running.
Once her husband finished his training, they moved back to Hot Springs with their two children. Since June of 2020, Lindsey has returned to our town and has brought her excellence back home.
Allie Breitenberg
Alexandria Adele Breitenberg, is an active volunteer with the local nonprofit organization called The CALL as well as being an active member of Oaklawn Baptist Church, where she works with young children by sharing the basics of the Gospel, various Bible stories, and simply letting “kids be kids.”
“I’m also currently working at Steadman’s Wellness Center in the Physical Therapy center where I’m considered a PT technician. For the past 11 years, I have taken joy in assisting patients where needed as they complete their PT session. My love for helping others achieve their fitness/ wellness goals carries over in my own life, too. I’m very disciplined when it comes to physical activity/eating habits. Yes, this body won’t last forever but it’s my job to take care of such.
“As my reader as probably gathered, I take joy in writing! I’m currently finishing up my first memoir and I’m on the road of self-publishing. I discovered my love for writing has came about since my friend (literally my BFF) ran along to heaven at the age of 4 years old. God showed me that writing could be a healthy outlet for me to process my grief and while it still is. I also see God reaching other hearts through my writing by encouraging or comforting another hurting heart. I’m prayerful that God will continue to do amazing things through my writing — things that’ll make a difference for an eternity!”
Samantha Christian
Samantha Christian graduated with a Ph.D. in industrial/organizational psychology from Capella University. She also received her master’s degree in industrial/organizational psychology from Capella University and bachelor’s degree in psychology from UALR. She is the associate dean of Math & Sciences at National Park College where she teaches General Psychology, Developmental Psychology, and Abnormal Psychology. Her research focus has been in higher education and publications include topics on self-efficacy and service-learning and motivation and goal setting among college students. She completed her dissertation on the correlation between leadership style of division chairs and motivation and work volition with adjunct faculty. In 2020, she was voted Outstanding Faculty at National Park College by her peers, and in 2017 and 2018 was voted Most Inspiring Faculty by the National Park College student body for, “helping students identify talents they never knew that they had and inspiring them to reach for a future they never would have dreamed.”
Within the community, she serves on several committees such as the Friends of the Majestic Park and the Hot Springs Parks and Trails Resident Advisory Committee. She is also a founding member of the Hot Springs National Park Satellite Rotary After Hours Club. In addition, she serves as the Chairman for the Board of Directors at the Cooper-Anthony Mercy Child Advocacy Center. She regularly volunteers for the Cooper-Anthony Mercy Child Advocacy and helps with fundraising efforts as a member of the Women with a Mission Giving Society.
Romeo Lopez
Romeo Lopez is the manager at the Downtown Habitat for Humanity ReStore and has been with the organization for over five years. His wife, a Hot Springs local, and I relocated here from his native New York City where he led retail and customer service teams from books to beauty stores.
The last two years “inspired me to contribute and collaborate in many ways for my community. I like to show that bringing together groups to accomplish seemingly small tasks can add up to making huge differences in the community when we all work together. We don’t all need a hefty checkbook to come together to be the good in the world. I want to make charity and volunteerism accessible to everybody!”
He has been a huge supporter of Cooper-Anthony Mercy Child Advocacy Center for a couple of years now. “With my Leadership Hot Springs Class of XXXIV I organized a service project to put together ‘Court Bags’ containing snacks, juices, coloring books, a stuffed animal and other little things to help bring kids comfort while in court. Also, the last two years with the help of my Rotary club we have also collected toys for CAMCAC for their stocking project. We receive a list of children with their ages and wish-lists. We assembled over 100 unique stockings for this project.
“I led my Rotary Club in the ‘Out of the Darkness’ suicide walk under the name ‘Team Hope’ in downtown Hot Springs. Our group raised over $500 for suicide awareness and prevention. The organizers of the event met their goal of $5,000. Two members of the Rotary club were affected by suicide, and I felt it was important for us to be there for them. I thought this was a good path to follow and we will continue to do this walk every year in the memories of our loved ones and to bring awareness in our community.”
Branden Puckett
Branden Puckett was born and raised in Hot Springs. While attending high school at Lakeside, “I very much kept to myself, but was a member of the wrestling team, which I’m very passionate about. I went to college at National Park College, I loved that place, it just wasn’t for me. I actually started Puckett’s Pressure Washing and Window Cleaning LLC as a way to earn extra money for college, however I had no idea it would bring me to the point I’m at. 2019 was when my passion for pressure washing first began, however it wasn’t until 2021 when I had to revisit this passion for things to take off. I could go on and on about the art of pressure washing, but that’s not what this is about. This business has shown me what I’m capable of, and because of that, my goal is to do the same for others. I want to show people that with a little bit of determination, they can do whatever they want.
“In case you didn’t notice, I am very passionate about youth sports. I spent about 2 years leading a kids jiu jitsu class, free of charge. I believe everyone should have a physical outlet they enjoy, especially kids. Whether it be running, biking, hiking, whatever. It is paramount that someone has that sort of hobby in their life. And for that reason, I do everything I can to support such activities. Not just that though, I want to help the community every which way I can. The list was just things that I could think of right off the top of my head. I don’t try to keep tabs on what I do to help. I help people because I want to, I love Hot Springs, and I want to help the community every which way possible.”
Libby Harrington
Libby Harrington is the Business Development Manager at Express Employment Professionals. She helps educate local companies in how their agency can provide customized solutions to meet their staffing challenges or goals. She is also ranked among the Top 100 Sales Reps within the 800-plus Express offices.
She is the “proud wife of Ben Harrington, dog-mom to Stella, and the most thankful to God for his love.”
She is a Chamber Ambassador, a member of SPARK Emerging Leaders, Chamber Leads Group, and participates in street litter cleanups around Hot Springs.