The University of Arkansas will launch a new leadership development program this spring to support the professional growth of influential and up-and-coming university leaders while enhancing collaboration and innovation on campus.

UARK Leaders — which is offered through the Office of the Provost, the Office of Human Resources and Walton College of Business Executive Education — will provide leadership development to a cohort of approximately 20 faculty and staff each year from across campus who are nominated by their supervisors as leaders or rising leaders at the university.

Participants will receive leadership training from the executive education program that includes a 360 assessment of leadership skills, sessions with executive coaches and trainings focused on different aspects of leadership. Additionally, members of the cohort will work in groups consisting of members from different units who each will meet with a vice chancellor to select action learning projects addressing areas of need at the U of A. Each group will present their solution to the Executive Committee at the culmination of the program.

The program's creation was led by Jim Coleman, provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs, who saw the need for a program at the university that would help prepare a new generation of leaders that would form connections across the university to help solve issues together.

"UARK Leaders will help enhance collaboration and innovation on our campus — a key guiding priority of our strategic plan — while also continuing to build and maintain a pipeline of promising talent here at the university," Coleman said. "The first cohort includes a nice blend of established and rising leaders from across campus, and I look forward to seeing them continue to grow and develop as leaders through this program."

A pilot cohort will go through the program in the spring semester, with future cohorts spanning the entire academic year.

Members of the first cohort are:

• Paul Adams, associate professor of biochemistry
• Caree Ann Marie Banton, associate professor of history
• Lori Birell, associate dean for Special Collections, University Libraries
• Eunjoo Cho, associate professor in the School of Human Environmental Sciences
• Geffrey Davis, associate professor of English
• Adrienne Gaines, associate director of student services
• Gary Gunderman, director of research and institutional assessment
• Brandon Jackson, associate professor of sociology
• Donald Johnson, professor of agricultural education, communication and technology
• Sarah Malloy, director of study abroad
• Angela Mosley-Monts, director of alumni constituent relations
• Yvette Murphy-Erby, vice chancellor for diversity and inclusion
• Noah Pittman, assistant dean of enrollment
• Jason Rankin, bursar
• Mark Rushing, assistant vice chancellor of university relations
• Stephanie Schulte, associate chair in the Department of Communication
• Elecia Smith, executive director of the IDEALS Institute
• Daniel Sui, vice chancellor for research and innovation
• Nikki Turner, associate director of research accounting
• Elon Turner, director of infrastructure systems
• Xavier Medina Vidal, assistant professor of political science