Fay Jones School Welcomes and Celebrates New and Promoted Staff Members

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design welcomes several new staff members and celebrates some staff promotions.

"In our small, close-knit school community, staff in all positions are essential to our student and faculty success," said Peter MacKeith, dean of the Fay Jones School. "In the current circumstances, we were fortunate to be able to add to our staff numbers and to effect important promotions at the beginning of the summer. The arrival of these good colleagues will enable us to address responsibly the continuing growth of the school."

Nellie M. Ashley joined the school in July as an administrative specialist for the academic departments. In this role, she provides administrative support to the department heads, faculty, staff and students. This includes coordinating schedules, purchasing supplies and other tasks. Prior to joining the school, she served as an administrative specialist and travel specialist for the Department of English on the University of Arkansas campus.

Ashley received a Bachelor of Arts in English (creative writing) and a Bachelor of Arts in journalism (news/editorial), both from the U of A.

Rachel Fletcher joined the school in May as recruitment and scholarship coordinator for student services. In this role, she establishes and maintains all programs aimed at recruiting undergraduate students to the Fay Jones School; represents the school at various college fairs, high schools and other partner groups; and strategizes opportunities to increase retention based on recruitment objectives. She also maintains the school's scholarships and awards programs. Prior to joining the school, she was a STEM and health academic advisor at Fort Lewis College, in Durango, Colorado.

Fletcher received a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and a Master of Education in adult and higher education, both from the University of Oklahoma.

Doug Walsh joined the school in May as the director of budget and planning. In this role, he assists in all aspects of managing the budget and budget activities for the school, and he supports the deans in developing the school's annual budget. Prior to joining the school, he served as executive director of business and operations for the Jean Tyson Child Development Study Center on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville.

Walsh received a Bachelor of Science in environmental, soil, and water science, a Master of Science in weed science, and a Master in Business Administration, all from the U of A.

In March, Byron McCuan became the school's special events manager and public programs coordinator in the Dean's Office. In his new role, he assists in planning and managing various events and programs presented by the school. These include annual events, such as alumni design awards, honors recognition ceremony, lecture series, exhibition series, as well as occasional large-scale events, such as symposia, conferences, board meetings and design competitions.

McCuan, who joined the school in August 2017, previously served as the administrative assistant in the Dean's Office, where he oversaw the front desk in the Dean's Suite and performed various tasks, such as reconciling purchasing card transactions for staff, filing purchasing requisitions, and processing hourly payroll, leave reporting, and travel authorizations and claims for the school. Prior to joining the Fay Jones School, he was an administrative assistant in the Sam M. Walton College of Business. McCuan received a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics from the University of Central Arkansas.

In February, Randal Dickinson was promoted as the school's digital fabrication specialist, keeping his title but expanding his previous role. He oversees the day-to-day operations of the Digital Fabrication Labs in the school, which includes managing the lab staff; equipment operation and maintenance; instruction and consultation with faculty and students pertaining to digital software and processes; future lab development planning; and research and special projects involvement. Prior to joining the school in February 2017, he was a career and technical education instructor at Fayetteville High School from 2011 to 2017.

Dickinson received a Bachelor of Arts in art (graphic design) and a Master of Education in career and technology education, both from the U of A.