Bumpers Grad Bartholomew Named Young Woman of the Year

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Natalie Bartholomew

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Natalie Bartholomew, a Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences graduate, has been named the 2015 Young Woman of the Year by the Bentonville/Bella Vista Chamber of Commerce.

A fifth-generation resident of northwest Arkansas and a third-generation banker, Bartholomew is vice president of marketing and private banking for First National Bank of NWA, where she recently led the effort in rebranding the bank's name and logo. She has also been instrumental in crafting a community-driving image for First National Bank of NWA by engaging co-workers in local outreach, focusing on the Boys and Girls Club of Benton County, the Children's Advocacy Center of Benton County and the United Way of NWA.

Bartholomew earned a master's in agricultural economics from the Bumpers College at the University of Arkansas. The Prairie Grove native is a board member of the Washington County Fair Association and the Single Parent Scholarship Fund, a 2015 graduate of Leadership Benton County and a mentor at the Boys and Girls Club of Benton County.

Established four years ago by the Bentonville/Bella Vista Chamber of Commerce, the Young Woman of the Year award is presented at the Northwest Arkansas Business Women's Conference, an annual conference focusing on professional and personal development of business women. The award honors a young woman who not only demonstrates great leadership qualities, but also gives back to her community through mentorship and volunteerism.

Bartholomew will be honored at the Business Women's Conference on Sept. 15 at the John Q. Hammons Center in Rogers.

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.