Three From U of A Named Among Top 100 Women of Impact in Arkansas

LITTLE ROCK — Three luminaries from the U of A were named among  the Top 100 Women of Impact in Arkansas, a prestigious list that includes founders, business executives, educators and civic leaders from across the state. 

Kim Needy, dean, College of Engineering; Sarah Goforth, executive director of the Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation; and Denise Thomas, CEO, World Trade Center Arkansas, were among the "100 women … impacting Arkansas today" and "making it a better state for future generations," according to Anna Beth Gorman, CEO of the Women's Foundation of Arkansas, which helped assemble the list. 

Needy, who is the first female dean of the engineering college, said she was honored to be recognized "alongside these outstanding leaders at U of A and across the state.

"I am proud to represent and be part of an institution committed to empowering women in STEM fields," Needy said. "I hope young women and men will look to this group for inspiration to break barriers and never see limits in their potential for excellence." 

Upon hearing she was selected, Thomas said she was reminded that "life offers you a treasure chest of gifts that are unexpected … this is one of these moments." 

A longtime director overseeing trade in Africa, Europe and the Middle East for WTC Arkansas, Thomas was named CEO in July 2021, making her the first Black woman to hold that title at a World Trade Center in the United States. 

"It is a privilege to be in the ranks of all the women before me who trailblaze and shape our community for the better," Thomas said. "I am grateful for this honor."  

Goforth, a native of West Fork, said it was "humbling" to be recongized by the foundation. 

"The Women's Foundation of Arkansas set an impeccable standard through purposeful and collaborative philanthropy," Goforth said. "To be recognized by an organization whose own work has made such a difference in the lives of girls and women in Arkansas is humbling." 

Winnowed from more than 600 submissions, the list revived a publication from the 1990s highlighting the top 100 women in Arkansas, according to Mitch Bettis, whose company, Arkansas Business Publishing Group, assisted in compiling the top 100.  

Little Rock Soirée magazine, which also aided ABPG and the foundation with the list, will highlight the honorees with a special publication in September. The group will also be celebrated at the foundation's 2023 Power of the Purse event in Little Rock that same month, according to the magazine. 

Gorman, CEO of the foundation, hopes the list will inspire more women, businesses and leaders to "support and replicate change-making work." 

"By sharing these stories in the Top 100 publication, we know that leaders across Arkansas will have the opportunity to learn the names of our state's trailblazing women and how they're affecting change," Gorman said.