Arkansas Alumni Association Welcomes New Board Members

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The University of Arkansas Alumni Association has appointed 10 UA alumni to serve on the association’s board of directors for the coming three years, beginning July 1.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The University of Arkansas Alumni Association has appointed 10 UA alumni to serve on the association’s board of directors for the coming three years, beginning July 1. Members of the association ratified the full slate on May 6 and the appointments became official during a meeting of the full board on May 13. 

At-Large Nominees - Appointed by the Board

Lewis E. Epley Jr.     BSPA, LLB ’61     Fayetteville

Lewis E. Epley Jr. will serve a second term on the association’s board. He served as chairman of the UA Board of Trustees from 1996-1998 and has served on various UA committees including the steering committee for the Campaign for the Twenty-First Century, the Razorback Band subcommittee, the 2010 Commission and as the 2004-05 chair of the alumni scholarship committee. Epley is chairman of the University of Arkansas Foundation. In April 2004 he was presented the Chancellor’s Medal from the University of Arkansas for extraordinary service to higher education and society. Epley has also been honored with a professorship in the Walton College of Business Administration.

David M. Harrison     BSPA’84, JD’87     Fayetteville

David Harrison, selected to serve a second term on the association’s board, currently serves as president of First National Title Co. in Bentonville. He serves as a member of the association’s finance committee and chaired the 2004-05 membership subcommittee. Harrison has served as chairman of the human resources committee of the Arkansas Bankers Association, president of the Clark County Chapter of the American Cancer Society, vice president of the Arkadelphia Chamber of Commerce and as an adjunct professor at Henderson State University.

Slate of Nominees - Class of 2008

David A. Boling     BA’87, JD’91     Little Rock

Until recently, David Boling worked with the U. S. Department of Justice in Washington on temporary assignment as antitrust counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. He has joined the Little Rock law firm of Mitchell Williams Selig Gates Woodyard. Boling has worked with the Japanese Ministry of Justice and the Tokyo District Court. Boling’s community involvement has included work with homeless programs and active membership on the Washington, D.C., chapter of the Arkansas Alumni Association.

Earnest E. Brown Jr.     BSPA’91     Pine Bluff

Earnest Brown Jr. has served as a deputy prosecuting attorney for Jefferson and Lincoln counties in Arkansas and is a former associate attorney with Cross, Kearney and McKissic Law Firm in Pine Bluff. Brown has served as an officer of both the Pine Bluff branch and the national committee of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), is the immediate past secretary of the Democratic Party of Arkansas and is a member of the Arkansas State Board of Election Commissioners.

Margaret Clark     MA’68, EDD’78     Fayetteville

Margaret Clark earned University of Arkansas associate professor emerita status in the department of curriculum and instruction in 1998. Clark began her professional career with the U of A as a visiting instructor of French. She is the recipient of the Panhellenic Award in recognition of Outstanding Faculty Member status and also received the Martin Luther King Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award. Clark has been involved with numerous civic organizations including the Washington County Historical Society and the Professional Women’s Club.

Karen Czeschin Reed     BSBA’89     Rolla, Mo.

Karen Czeschin Reed serves on the board of directors at Yelcot Telephone Co., is a former vice president of Czeschin Motors and former co-owner of C’s Hallmark. She has served the U of A as a member of the student services advisory committee and the student affairs committee for the 21st Century Capital Campaign. Czeschin Reed’s community involvement includes service as a member of the capital campaign for the Salvation Army of Mountain Home, and on the board of directors of the American Heart Association of Baxter County. 

Tim Higginbotham     BSBA’87     Dallas

Tim Higginbotham worked in the transportation industry before moving into the communications and logistics management fields. He is project manager with Exel, a supply chain management company in Irving, Texas. Higginbotham has been actively involved with his community as a volunteer with the Dallas Alumni Chapter, Christ the King Parent’s Association and the Parks Cities YMCA athletic soccer and baseball programs. He is also a volunteer with several professional organizations such as Career Connections and Project Management Institute of Dallas. 

Frank W. Oldham     PhD’74     Jonesboro

Frank Oldham joined American State Bank Corp. in November 1997 as chairman, president and chief executive officer. He also serves as chairman and chief executive officer of American State Bank, Jonesboro. Oldham’s civic involvement includes board memberships with Arkansas Cancer Research Center and the Jonesboro Industrial Development Corporation where he is past president. Oldham served a 10-year term as a trustee of the University of Arkansas, two years of which he served as chairman, on the steering committee of the Campaign for the Twenty-First Century and as chairman elect of the University of Arkansas Foundation. 

John C. Reap     BSBA’70     Dallas

John Reap is president and chief executive officer of Town North Bank, N.A., and is a former faculty member of the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking. Reap serves the U of A as a member of the Walton College Dean’s Executive Advisory Board and as a member of the North Texas Region committee of the Campaign for the Twenty-First Century.  Reap serves as a member of the team selection committee of the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association, is past chairman of the board of the American Heart Association Texas Affiliate and past chairman of the board of Senior Adult Services, Northwest Dallas County.

Rick Vassar     BSBA’89     Little Rock

Rick Vassar is vice president of operations with motor freight carrier L.V.L. Inc. His civic service includes work with the North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce. Vassar has coached and mentored youth through school athletics, Boys Club and Little League basketball and baseball. Vassar is a member of Alumni Association’s Capital Chapter and has served in various capacities, including as president in 2002.

For more information about the Arkansas Alumni Association, visit www.arkalum.org or call 1-888-ARKALUM.