Fulbright College Names New Development and External Relations Team Members

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Robert Hopper, left, and Michael Stoker

Two new team members recently joined the Development and External Relations team in the University of Arkansas' J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences.

The team specializes in fundraising, scholarship administration, communications and creative services for the university's largest college, which offers degree programs spanning the humanities, social sciences, fine arts and natural sciences.

Robert Hopper recently joined the team as Assistant Director of Development.

In this role, Hopper manages a non-regional portfolio of fundraising prospects and charitable foundations; facilitates philanthropic efforts, donor relations and prospect research; serves as an ambassador of the Fulbright College, and as an advocate of strategic community and corporate partnerships for the college and university; and is responsible for being a liaison to Fulbright College alumni across the country, connecting them with fellow alumni and supporters both locally and abroad.

Previously, Hopper served the U of A as the associate director of band finance, marketing and operations where he facilitated the band program's overall recruitment strategy; coordinated the band's alumni engagement through the Arkansas Alumni Association and the Razorback Band Alumni Society; partnered with Fulbright College's development team to implement campaign objectives; oversaw production of print and digital media for band events and student recruitment; and administered the scholarship program for the Department of Music. Hopper holds a J.D. from the U of A's School of Law.

"I love being a part of the Fulbright College family and look forward to continuing to support the college's mission of advancing education, innovation and understanding," Hopper said.

Michael Stoker recently joined the team as the college's Director of Creative Services.

In this role, Stoker is responsible for the college's visual identity, branding and central website. He brings over 25 years of experience in strategic marketing and web development to Fulbright College.

A native of Southwest Louisiana, Stoker developed his skillset in the dot-com trenches, acquiring diverse design experience by working with ad agencies, political campaigns, hospitals, small businesses, and local and state governments. Hurricanes blew him to Arkansas, where he worked as the director of web strategies and operations for Arkansas Tech University for 14 years. Stoker holds a bachelor's in art and architectural studies from Rhodes College, and was an adjunct art instructor at Arkansas Tech University.

"The higher-ed environment requires you to be creative and use everything you have on hand to build something great," Stoker said. "I hope to build strong relationships with our college and university constituents by increasing opportunities for collaboration and by providing training to the college's web administrators and communicators."

Hopper and Stoker both report to the team's leader, Melody Kouchehbagh, who is the college's Senior Director of Development and External Relations.  

"We are excited to add Robert and Michael to our Fulbright College team," Kouchehbagh said. "They each bring a wealth of knowledge and a strong skill set which will further enhance our team's ability to provide premier services for our stakeholders throughout the college, university and community."

For more information, visit Fulbright College's dean's offices and services online.

A version of this story also appeared in the Fulbright REVIEW.