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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.
1970s
Ed Standifird, 鈥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, 鈥95, became a Certified Care Manager from the Commission for Case Manager Certification.
Amanda Sanders, 鈥99, was promoted to Director of Sales and Events at the Fort Smith Convention Center.
2000s
Shannan Morgan, 鈥06, was promoted to Product Development Manager at ArcBest Technologies.
Lydia (McDaniel) Holloway, 鈥09, was promoted to Director of Customer Experience and Sales Enablement at ArcBest.
Jeremy Wann, 鈥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, 鈥10, was promoted to Global Senior Search Manager at Mars in Northwest 香蕉视频APP.
Delbert Sawyer, 鈥11, passed away from pancreatic cancer on August 1, 2022. He lived in Huntington, 香蕉视频APP,
at the time.
Tamara (Fitzpatrick) Tateosian, 鈥12, was promoted from Executive Director to CEO for the Callaway Chamber of Commerce
in Fulton, Missouri.
Jared Belt, 鈥12, was recently promoted to Associate Director of Customer Success at ArcBest Technologies.
Tabatha Inkman, 鈥12, was promoted to Talent Acquisition Manager at Arvo Solutions, Integrated Risk &
Resilience in Plano, Texas.
Lary Walker, 鈥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, 香蕉视频APP.
Brooke (Boyd) Magallanes, 鈥14, proudly announces that she has accepted the position of Vice Chancellor of Enrollment
Management at the University of 香蕉视频APP 鈥 Fort Smith.
Kallie (Tanner) Akinola, 鈥14, was promoted to Senior Project Associate at Creation in Common in the Dallas-Fort
Worth area.
Rene Gates, 鈥14, started a new position at 5NEWS as a Multi-media Account Executive.
Laken Clark, 鈥14, started a new position as Senior Category Manager with Thriving Brands in Rogers,
香蕉视频APP.
Madeline (Strickland) Swible, 鈥15, recently moved their family to the Japanese island of Okinawa, where they welcomed
their first daughter into the world. 
John Sturrock, 鈥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, 鈥15, accepted a new position as a Senior Client Associate with Gallagher Insurance.
Masa Podunavac, 鈥15, was promoted to Senior Scientist of Medicinal Chemistry at Arcus Biosciences in
California.
Matthew Farrar, 鈥15, started a new position as Business Architecture Manager at Accenture in Chicago,
Illinois.
Ricky and Cydney Hernandez, 鈥15, welcomed their daughter, McClain Elyse Hernandez, into the world on Valentine鈥檚
Day.
Dusan, 鈥16, and Maddie (Gilliam) Stojanovic, 鈥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, 鈥16, was promoted to Loan Officer AVP at First Security Bank in Fort Smith.
Quynh Nguyen, 鈥16, began a new position with TAP Career Counselor as a MKS2 as part of their Technologies
Military Transition Assistance Program.
Tony Jones, 鈥16, and his wife, Alex, announced the birth of their daughter Ella Francis.
Kathy-Linh Tran, 鈥16, joined Tyson Foods as a Packaging Systems Specialist.
Allie (Wilson) Deacon, 鈥16, was promoted to ASC Corporate Account Director 鈥 IDN at Medline Industries, LP.
Connie Bennett, 鈥17, started a new position as a Security Officer at Sharp Professional Consultants in
Destin, Florida.
Brooke, 鈥17, and Connar (Lewis) Devine, 鈥19, welcomed their daughter, Macie Layke, into the world on April 2, 2024, at 11:02
a.m.
Demesha Delaney, 鈥17, celebrated the graduation of her middle child in May in Fort Smith.
Nikolle Dixon, 鈥17, won the 2023 Local Store Marketing Award of the Year for the Moore Sonic Group in
Mena, 香蕉视频APP.
Sunshine Bartlett, 鈥17, announced she is now the new Board President of the 香蕉视频APP Single Parent Scholarship
Fund.
Daniel Peek, 鈥17, was recently promoted to Service Center Manager with ABF Freight.
Victoria (Davenport) Tester, 鈥17, announced she was promoted to Direct Materials Category Manager at ABB.
Zachary Vann, 鈥17, was promoted to Director of Financial Planning & Analysis at ArcBest.
Amy Broadway, 鈥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, 鈥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, 鈥18, was promoted to Senior Enterprise Project Manager at ArcBest Technologies in February
2024.
Lindsey Dillard, 鈥18, started a new position as an Associate of Global Accounting Policy & Technical Accounting
at AlTi Tiedmann Global in New York.
Aaron Davis, 鈥18, started a new position as a Paycom Specialist at Paycom in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Thien T. Duong, 鈥18, started as a Graduate Research Assistant at the University of 香蕉视频APP at Little
Rock.
Murphy Burt, 鈥18, was promoted to Team Lead, Clinician Sourcing at SCP Health in Northwest 香蕉视频APP.
Tyler McMellon, 鈥19, accepted a job as an accountant in Dallas, Texas.
Djordje, 鈥19, and Heidi (Luks) Stojanovic, 鈥13, welcomed their daughter Stella Nora into the world on February 15, 2024.
Aleska Sparks, 鈥19, started at BHC in Fort Smith as a CSR Assistant in March 2024.
2020s
Kristen Karetov, 鈥20, bought a house and welcomed her son, Myles Lennon, in Conway, 香蕉视频APP, last June.
Jennifer Bonilla, 鈥20, began her new position at Dayco/Propulsion Solutions as Senior Compensation and
Benefits Analyst in January.
Ashley (Mingledorff) Groppe, 鈥20, started a new remote position as a Data Annotator with DataAnnotation in February.
Kariss Cole, 鈥20, accepted a new position at ArcBest as a Corporate Social Responsibility Analyst.
Nicole Gardner, 鈥21, graduated from the University of Oklahoma.
Matthew Womack, 鈥21, accepted a new position as Project Manager at Don Pictures.
Huy (Mike) Vu, 鈥21, joined Conduent in Fort Smith as a Customer Service Representative.
Alexandra Barlow, 鈥21, was promoted to Manager for the Project Management Office of Accounting at Tyson
Foods.
Alexandria Webb, 鈥22, was recently promoted to Human Resources Coordinator at ArcBest.
Hailey England, 鈥22, announced that she has started at Uber Freight as a Customer Support Specialist
in Northwest 香蕉视频APP.
Ashton Branham, 鈥22, was promoted to Planning Specialist II at ArcBest.
Madison Hancock, 鈥23, graduated with her BSN in May 2023. She welcomed her son into the world in July
in Van Buren, 香蕉视频APP.
Ramsey Pate, 鈥23, started a new position with Harper Ellis Hair Co. as a Marketing Associate.
Bethony Crippen, 鈥24, shared after spring graduation that her 鈥淔ive 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!鈥
Taylor Pixley, 鈥24, has been hired as a Mathematics Teacher at Hackett High School in Hackett, 香蕉视频APP.
Like these stories?
Check out which of your classmates we've featured.
In Memoriam
2010s
Delbert Sawyer, 鈥11
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