Catherine Beasley, who has close to 10 years of experience in career services and industry partnerships, has been named director of employer relations for the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at the U of A.

Beasley has been with U of A's Sam M. Walton College of Business since 2018, serving as manager for corporate programs for two years and as associate director for student success since 2020.

With Bumpers College, she will develop and implement strategies to increase employment opportunities for students and recent graduates; coordinate employer recruiting on campus, speakers in classes and employer information sessions; facilitate seminars, industry tours and trainings for faculty and students; and serve as part of the college's Student Services team in the Waldrip Student Center in the Agriculture Building.

"I'm excited to deepen and broaden relationships with potential employers and industry partners across the state and country," Beasley said. "Bumpers College graduates are vital to advancing everyone's quality of life, whether that be in agriculture, apparel, family, hospitality, the environment, etc. We are also specifically important to the economy of the state of Arkansas. After all, agriculture is Arkansas's largest industry, and our students are taught by experts in their respective fields. I want employers to think of Bumpers College as the first place to recruit, if they aren't already."

The position reports to both Bumpers College Dean Deacue Fields and Angela Williams, assistant vice chancellor of career services with the Career Development Center.

"We are excited to have Catherine as a member of our staff and look forward to her developing relationships with our students and many industry partners," Fields said. "This is a key position that links our students to businesses, corporations and individuals across the state, the country and around the world, and connects those employers to our students. Catherine has a strong background in corporate and community relations, and career and client services, and will showcase the quality and versatility of our students and graduates to the multiple industries that demand their skills."

With Walton College, Beasley, in her manager for corporate programs position, assisted in maintaining and creating employer relations, managed career services events, helped create new programs (sales competition, S.A.M. Talks, etc.) and supervised marketing of the career services office. In her student success role, she oversaw the S.A.M. (Students Achieving Milestones) badging program; managed Leadership Walton, the student professional development program; and initiated marketing strategies and plans and career readiness programs and events.

Prior to joining Walton College, Beasley was a project manager with Triad Retail Media (now part of Sam's Club) from 2015-18; an account coordinator with Ivie and Associates (now Quad) from 2014-15; and a marketing manager with Lindsey Management from 2011-14.

Beasley earned her bachelor's degree in journalism from the U of A in 2011.  

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. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at BumpersCollege.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas' economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the top 3% of U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research News.