Alumni | Class NotesMay 30, 2024

Class Notes, May 2024

Written By: Jacob Childers

Have you recently celebrated a new job, promotion, wedding, baby, or new degree? Been published, gone on a fun adventure, started a new business, moved into a new home, or welcomed a grandchild? Let us - and your classmates - know what you've been doing since your time at UAFS, Westark, or Fort Smith Junior College by submitting a class note. Approved class notes will be published here and in our electronic newsletter Lion Lines. We love to get photos too, and we'll happily share them here and on our socials.

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1970s

Ed Standifird, ’75, officially retired from a long career. He was in management for Sears, a minister for five years, helped rebuild New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, and recently, has been a speaker for funerals. He calls Porum, Oklahoma, home. 

1990s 

Sheri Davis, MSN, RN, ’95, became a Certified Care Manager from the Commission for Case Manager Certification. 

Amanda Sanders, ’99, was promoted to Director of Sales and Events at the Fort Smith Convention Center. 

2000s 

Shannan Morgan, ’06, was promoted to Product Development Manager at ArcBest Technologies. 

Lydia (McDaniel) Holloway, ’09, was promoted to Director of Customer Experience and Sales Enablement at ArcBest. 
 
Jeremy Wann, ’09, obtained a new certification as Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) from HRCI. Jeremy is also a current member of the Alumni Advisory Council. 

2010s 

Aicia Wieburg, ’10, was promoted to Global Senior Search Manager at Mars in Northwest Arkansas. 
 
Delbert Sawyer, ’11, passed away from pancreatic cancer on August 1, 2022. He lived in Huntington, Arkansas, at the time. 
 
Tamara (Fitzpatrick) Tateosian, ’12, was promoted from Executive Director to CEO for the Callaway Chamber of Commerce in Fulton, Missouri. 
 
Jared Belt, ’12, was recently promoted to Associate Director of Customer Success at ArcBest Technologies. 
 
Tabatha Inkman, ’12, was promoted to Talent Acquisition Manager at Arvo Solutions, Integrated Risk & Resilience in Plano, Texas. 
 
Lary Walker, ’13, moved to the Tyson Foods corporate office as the New Blends Senior Controller with the Tyson Solutions Group. He will lead the accounting teams in developing new solutions to improve operations in Springdale, Arkansas. 
 
Brooke (Boyd) Magallanes, ’14, proudly announces that she has accepted the position of Vice Chancellor of Enrollment Management at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith. 
 
Kallie (Tanner) Akinola, ’14, was promoted to Senior Project Associate at Creation in Common in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. 
 
Rene Gates, ’14, started a new position at 5NEWS as a Multi-media Account Executive. 
 
Laken Clark, ’14, started a new position as Senior Category Manager with Thriving Brands in Rogers, Arkansas. 
 
Madeline (Strickland) Swible, ’15, recently moved their family to the Japanese island of Okinawa, where they welcomed their first daughter into the world. 
 
John Sturrock, ’15, married Caroline Rook on April 6, 2024, in Hochatown, Oklahoma, surrounded by family and close friends. John and Caroline live in Tyler, Texas, where he works as a Student Pastor at South Spring Baptist Church and she is a wedding photographer and owner of Caroline Rock Photography.
 
Irvin Martinez, ’15, accepted a new position as a Senior Client Associate with Gallagher Insurance. 
 
Masa Podunavac, ’15, was promoted to Senior Scientist of Medicinal Chemistry at Arcus Biosciences in California. 
 
Matthew Farrar, ’15, started a new position as Business Architecture Manager at Accenture in Chicago, Illinois. 
 
Ricky and Cydney Hernandez, ’15, welcomed their daughter, McClain Elyse Hernandez, into the world on Valentine’s Day. 
 
Dusan, ’16, and Maddie (Gilliam) Stojanovic, ’18, welcomed their son, Luka, into the world on March 27, 2024, at 6:57 p.m. in Fort Smith. Maddie joined the United Way of Fort Smith as their new Resource Development Director. 
 
Krissy (Honeycutt) Cotner, ’16, was promoted to Loan Officer AVP at First Security Bank in Fort Smith. 
 
Quynh Nguyen, ’16, began a new position with TAP Career Counselor as a MKS2 as part of their Technologies Military Transition Assistance Program. 
 
Tony Jones, ’16, and his wife, Alex, announced the birth of their daughter Ella Francis. 
 
Kathy-Linh Tran, ’16, joined Tyson Foods as a Packaging Systems Specialist. 
 
Allie (Wilson) Deacon, ’16, was promoted to ASC Corporate Account Director – IDN at Medline Industries, LP. 
 
Connie Bennett, ’17, started a new position as a Security Officer at Sharp Professional Consultants in Destin, Florida. 
 
Brooke, ’17, and Connar (Lewis) Devine, ’19, welcomed their daughter, Macie Layke, into the world on April 2, 2024, at 11:02 a.m. 
 
Demesha Delaney, ’17, celebrated the graduation of her middle child in May in Fort Smith. 
 
Nikolle Dixon, ’17, won the 2023 Local Store Marketing Award of the Year for the Moore Sonic Group in Mena, Arkansas. 
 
Sunshine Bartlett, ’17, announced she is now the new Board President of the Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund. 
 
Daniel Peek, ’17, was recently promoted to Service Center Manager with ABF Freight. 
 
Victoria (Davenport) Tester, ’17, announced she was promoted to Direct Materials Category Manager at ABB. 
 
Zachary Vann, ’17, was promoted to Director of Financial Planning & Analysis at ArcBest. 
 
Amy Broadway, ’17, started a business using the knowledge she gained in her business classes at UAFS. She had her first baby in August 2023 in Poteau, Oklahoma. 
 
Kim (Cloud) Okoniewski, ’18, completed her Master of Arts and Creative Writing, held four full-time positions at UAFS, and celebrated her fifth anniversary of working at UAFS. She also married her husband, James, an officer for UPD. 
 
Paige Acke, ’18, was promoted to Senior Enterprise Project Manager at ArcBest Technologies in February 2024. 
 
Lindsey Dillard, ’18, started a new position as an Associate of Global Accounting Policy & Technical Accounting at AlTi Tiedmann Global in New York. 
 
Aaron Davis, ’18, started a new position as a Paycom Specialist at Paycom in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. 
 
Thien T. Duong, ’18, started as a Graduate Research Assistant at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. 
 
Murphy Burt, ’18, was promoted to Team Lead, Clinician Sourcing at SCP Health in Northwest Arkansas. 
 
Tyler McMellon, ’19, accepted a job as an accountant in Dallas, Texas. 
 
Djordje, ’19, and Heidi (Luks) Stojanovic, ’13, welcomed their daughter Stella Nora into the world on February 15, 2024. 
 
Aleska Sparks, ’19, started at BHC in Fort Smith as a CSR Assistant in March 2024. 

2020s 

Kristen Karetov, ’20, bought a house and welcomed her son, Myles Lennon, in Conway, Arkansas, last June. 
 
Jennifer Bonilla, ’20, began her new position at Dayco/Propulsion Solutions as Senior Compensation and Benefits Analyst in January. 
 
Ashley (Mingledorff) Groppe, ’20, started a new remote position as a Data Annotator with DataAnnotation in February. 
 
Kariss Cole, ’20, accepted a new position at ArcBest as a Corporate Social Responsibility Analyst. 
 
Nicole Gardner, ’21, graduated from the University of Oklahoma. 
 
Matthew Womack, ’21, accepted a new position as Project Manager at Don Pictures. 
 
Huy (Mike) Vu, ’21, joined Conduent in Fort Smith as a Customer Service Representative. 
 
Alexandra Barlow, ’21, was promoted to Manager for the Project Management Office of Accounting at Tyson Foods. 
 
Alexandria Webb, ’22, was recently promoted to Human Resources Coordinator at ArcBest. 
 
Hailey England, ’22, announced that she has started at Uber Freight as a Customer Support Specialist in Northwest Arkansas. 
 
Ashton Branham, ’22, was promoted to Planning Specialist II at ArcBest. 
 
Madison Hancock, ’23, graduated with her BSN in May 2023. She welcomed her son into the world in July in Van Buren, Arkansas. 
 
Ramsey Pate, ’23, started a new position with Harper Ellis Hair Co. as a Marketing Associate. 
 
Bethony Crippen, ’24, shared after spring graduation that her “Five years at UAFS, from August 2019 to May 2024, have been amazing, and I will always cherish! I am ready to move on and see what the Lord has in store for me! Thanks, UAFS Staff, for everything!” 
 
Taylor Pixley, ’24, has been hired as a Mathematics Teacher at Hackett High School in Hackett, Arkansas. 

 

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In Memoriam 

2010s

Delbert Sawyer, ‘11 

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