Bumpers Graduate Madison Hunt Joins College's Development Team

Madison Hunt, a graduate of the college, has joined U of A's Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences as a development specialist.

Hunt previously worked as a development office assistant with University Advancement at the U of A and returns to campus after spending the last two years with Simmons Foods.

In her new position, Hunt supports the development team's overall fundraising strategy by helping build meaningful, lasting relationships with donors, partners and sponsors.

"I will be focusing on creating thoughtful, donor-centered touchpoints — whether that's writing thank-you letters, crafting personalized communications, sharing impact updates or following up after visits — to ensure each supporter feels valued and connected to our mission," Hunt says.

She will also work closely with the development team and Dean Jeff Edwards to strengthen fundraising efforts, including helping plan and support events, developing stewardship tools and coordinating outreach that brings people closer to the college.

"I'm honored to be back at Bumpers College — a place that truly feels like home," Hunt says. "Returning in a role that allows me to give back to an institution that helped shape me is incredibly meaningful. My background bridges technical expertise in agriculture with the relationship-focused work of University Advancement, and I'm excited to apply my experience in donor stewardship to support the college's mission. I look forward to reconnecting with the Bumpers community and contributing to the preparation of future leaders in the agricultural, food and life sciences industries."

As a production supervisor at Simmons, beginning in 2024, she served in a leadership role focused on operational excellence, team management and safety. The led, coached and motivated production teams to reach goals; was responsible for scheduling, tracking attendance and reviewing/approving time off; and interpreted and managed detailed production reports, ensuring accuracy and operational efficiency.

She began her tenure with Simmons in the Career Leadership Program, a management development program focusing on professional leadership and organizational strategy.

With U of A University Advancement from 2019-23, Hunt supported fundraising strategy and donor relations.

She managed personalized donor correspondence and engagement, overseeing hundreds of donor touchpoints annually through letters, updates and follow-up communications to support donor retention and stewardship. She helped coordinate logistics and execution of donor- and leadership-focused events, including banquets, receptions and advisory council meetings. Hunt partnered with communications teams to develop, distribute and track stewardship materials, strengthening donor recognition and consistency across engagements. She maintained accurate donor records within the database systems, processed gifts and ensured proper documentation and compliance. In a leadership role, Hunt trained student employees, improving data accuracy and standardizing donor engagement processes within the unit.

Hunt, who is from Farmington, earned her bachelor's degree in animal science in Bumpers College in 2023.

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 Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and X 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 few 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 and Economic Development News.