UAFS to Fortune 500

Written By: Ian Silvester

When Dee (Rhone) Hawley first arrived at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith from her small hometown of Foreman, just outside Texarkana, she sought an education that would lead to a stable job. What she found was a winding path to one of the world’s largest companies, with UAFS supporting her every step of the way. 

“As someone who didn’t even know where Fort Smith was … I’m grateful for the certification and the teachings from the university,” she said. “The university took me even further beyond what I thought I was capable of.” 

Cheer was Hawley’s ticket to UAFS. As a first-generation student and the oldest child to her single mom, finding a way to pay for school was the first obstacle she needed to hurdle. She received a Pell Grant and used her athletic scholarship to cover the rest of her tuition. This allowed her to graduate initially with an associate’s degree and a certification in surgical technology, debt-free. 

“I fell in love with what they do. Human anatomy is fascinating to me,” Hawley said. “I just want to see it and touch it and do all the things.” 

She started working at Mercy Ambulatory Surgery but quickly realized there was a wall she could not get over unless she went back to school to become an RN. Not fully committed to another time-intensive degree, Hawley decided to pivot. 

“Everybody in Fort Smith was saying, ‘ArcBest, ArcBest,’ and you know, all the moms with Tahoes worked at ArcBest, so I thought, how do I get into that?” she recalled. “I went back to an advisor who gave me options in the business realm … and I landed on organizational leadership and got to learn the ins and outs of a totally different field.” 

While back at UAFS, Hawley continued to use available resources, like the Babb Center for Career Services, to secure an internship at ArcBest. With eligibility remaining on her Pell Grant, she obtained her bachelor’s degree in 2016, again debt-free. 

Hawley would move into a full-time role with ArcBest before moving to Fayetteville with her growing family. Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to transfer. Undeterred, she fell back on her original skills and education from UAFS. 

“I ended up at Washington Regional because I still had my certification to do surgery,” she said. “I worked in the women’s center and assisted with several babies. I loved it there and did it for about four years and then just found myself hitting that wall again.” 

Just as the wall came up, a door opened at ArcBest’s Fayetteville branch. Hawley joined as a business development analyst in 2020 and stayed until 2022. 

“I was looking for that next opportunity and landed myself at Tyson in their fresh beef department,” Hawley said, recalling her start at the company she now works for. 

She has since been promoted multiple times, and as of this year is a senior customer service specialist managing large retail accounts like Walmart.  

In a twist of fate, UAFS continues to have a direct connection to her work at one of the largest companies in the world in Tyson. Her Lion’s Den roommate applied to an accountant role at Hawley’s encouragement. She was hired and the two frequently meet for lunch. 

“It almost sounds too good to be true. It’s like a Hallmark movie,” she said with a laugh. “We’ve watched each other grow from the very start, from meeting in the dorms. … It’s a reminder of what you’re told as a kid, to be careful of how you treat people because you never know if you’re going to need them one day. I think our relationship is a prime example of that.” 

Beyond the relationships, UAFS also provided Hawley with the foundation she needed to have the success in jobs that she has had. 

“I was able to utilize the university to its full capacity to get me where I am today,” she said. “That bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership, if I did not have that, I would not have qualified for half of the positions I’ve had because it’s a minimum requirement. It has been extremely helpful.” 

• Tags:
• Alumni
• First-Generation Student
• Organizational Leadership
• Surgical Technology