From Disney to UAMS
Melissa (Haisty) Johnston began the program in 1998. If you had asked her 10 years ago if she would eventually create a leadership training program for a major hospital, she would have been likely to say, “Not in a million years!”
Melissa recently was a guest in the Organizational Communication Training class where she shared her career journey-a journey where she says: “All the various pieces of my past work have come together in my current role.” What have some of those pieces been? Yes, Disney World was an early experience where she worked for a semester as a tour guide at the Disney MGM Studios and attended leadership classes at the Disney Institute. “My Disney experience truly solidified my interest in leadership development. I left the Disney Institute with a clear view of what leaders need to do to be successful.”
She added to that experience with three years of service to the Speech Communication Dept. at UALR. She not only served as an instructor but was a major force in improving the technology and flow of services to undergraduate students in our SCIL Center. Add two years at Axciom where she honed her training skills and you have a Melissa ready to take on the challenges of developing the training department at UAMS. Her more recent work involved the development and launching of a leadership training program and a partnership with the Disney Institute to create a culture of service at UAMS. “My life has truly come full circle!”
“I am grateful to everyone in the Speech Communication department for the foundation they provided me. They gave me opportunities to do things I would have never dreamed of doing…like teaching a Freshman communication course! I would not be where I am today without the department’s continued support and guidance!”
We are proud of Melissa and for the ways she continues to serve others with her passion for the field of communication.