Meet the Staff

Reed Claiborne, M.S. - Director

Reed Claiborne is director of the UA Little Rock Disability Resource Center. He has served UA Little Rock and the department since 2012. He earned his bachelor’s in speech communication and his master’s in rehabilitation counseling both from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Reed has a passion for working with students with disabilities and has presented on learning disabilities at conferences and workshops. Before earning his master’s, Reed worked in the business sector and coached youth sports. In addition to working closely with students and faculty, he is the DRC liaison to the campus on accessible facilities.

Julie Shelby, M.A. - Assistant Director

Julie Shelby is assistant director for the UA Little Rock Disability Resource Center. She began her career at UA Little Rock as a student, earning a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts in 2002. She went on to obtain a master’s degree in professional and technical writing in 2009. Julie has served the university as a graduate assistant, an adjunct instructor of First Year Experience and Composition I and II, and as a TRIO Student Support Services advisor. She has specific talents to work with nontraditional, first-generation, and students with disabilities.

Gwenyth Sutphin, M.Ed., NIC- Interpreter/Transcriber Coordinator

Gwenyth’s main responsibility is to make sure each sign language interpreter request is covered by a qualified person. She also does interpreting all over campus. She obtained her bachelor’s degree from UA Little Rock in 2003. Gwenyth got her masters’ in education specializing in Interpretation from University of North Florida in 2012. She has been working in the field of interpreting since 2002 in a variety of settings and joined the DRC team in February 2017. In 2019, she was promoted from staff interpreter to interpreter coordinator. Gwenyth is nationally certified and is active with the Arkansas Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf.

Gillian Whitney - Sign Language Interpreter

Gillian’s main responsibility is to provide interpreting services for the campus community. She obtained her bachelor’s degree from UA Little Rock in 2000 and has a master’s degree in English. She has been working in the field of interpreting since 2000 in a variety of settings and  joined the DRC team in February 2019.

Collise Dennis - Office Manager

Collise joined the Disability Resource Center in April 2021. She is responsible for handling the center’s day-to-day operations including keeping track of budgets, answering phones, and greeting everyone who visits the DRC office. She is able to take on a variety of roles and responsibilities to keep the office running and to accommodate students. Collise is pursuing a bachelor’s in psychology from UA Little Rock.

Keely Reeves - Student Development Specialist

Keely Reeves is the student development specialist for the UA Little Rock Disability Resource Center. She has been a part of UA Little Rock since 2017 as a student and an employee, working in the undergraduate academic advising office, the Office of Communications and Marketing, and Student Retention Initiatives. She has been at the DRC since March 2022 where she assists students in obtaining books in alternate format and helps with other assisted technology needs. Keely received her bachelor’s in professional and technical writing and motion pictures from UA Little Rock in 2020, and will complete her master’s in professional and technical writing in Spring 2023.