About Us

LaTonda Williams
Associate Vice Chancellor of Human Resources
lwwilliams@ualr.edu

LaTonda is the Associate Vice Chancellor of Human Resources.  LaTonda is responsible for overseeing a broad range of activities, including employee benefits, recruitment, employee relations, policy interpretation, training and development, Title IX, and the department’s overall operations. LaTonda provides guidance regarding disciplinary procedures, oversees the departmental budget, and ensures compliance with state and federal employment laws.

Cynthia Evans
Operations and Finance Manager/Leave Administrator
cgevans@ualr.edu

Cynthia is responsible for the accounting duties of the Department of Human Resources. Cynthia is responsible for processing requests for FMLA, Catastrophic Leave, Medical Leave Without Pay, and Workers’ Compensation.

Debra Simpson-Webster
Associate Director of Benefits/Leave Administration
dasimpson@ualr.edu

Debra is responsible for the day-to-day administration of employee benefits. Debra administers employee benefits programs, such as medical, dental, and vision plans; life insurance plans, 403(b) and 457(b) retirement plans; and defined benefit retirement plans; long-term disability, flexible spending programs, and voluntary products.  Debra also handles retiree benefits and processes death insurance claims.  Debra responds to benefit inquiries and complaints to ensure quick and courteous resolutions.

Allen Houston
HR Specialist – Benefits
awhouston@ualr.edu

Allen is responsible for the accounting duties of benefits. This includes payments for retirement plans, flexible spending, voluntary products, and UA System benefit payments. Allen processes COBRA for new and terminating employees, reconciles monthly enrollment for health, dental, and vision insurance, and assists the Associate Director of Benefits as needed with the completion of required reports.

Osibee Johnson
HR Administrative Assistant
orjohnson1@ualr.edu

Osibee assists with administrative functions in the HR office and provides customer service support to visitors, students, and employees. She is also responsible for processing tuition discount requests.

Karen Baker
Associate Director of Employee Relations Manager/EEO Officer/ADA and Senior Deputy Title IX Coordinator
knbaker@ualr.edu

Karen supports UA Little Rock employees by providing guidance on the grievance and complaint process and facilitating and mediating conflict resolutions. Karen is responsible for requests for accommodations under the ADA and ensures business practices comply with state and federal employment laws.

Andrea Davis
HR Specialist – Employee Relations and Training and Development
aldavis9@ualr.edu

The HR Specialist position is responsible for university-wide employee training, including supervisory and management training, leadership coaching, and development.

Each Human Resources Business Partner (HRBP) is assigned to work directly with departments and colleges to address their individual HR needs.

Valarie Abrams
vaabrams@ualr.edu
HRBP for College of Business, Health, and Human Services

Candi Barnum
cdbarnum@ualr.edu
HRBP for:

• Vice Chancellor – Advancement
• Vice Chancellor – Athletics
• Vice Chancellor – Finance and Administration
• Vice Chancellor – Student Affairs
• Vice Chancellor – University Affairs

Breashia Lambert
bdlambert1@ualr.edu
HRBP for:

• College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
• Graduate School
• Provost Office
• School of Law

Connie Thorbs
cthorbs@ualr.edu
HRBP for College of Humanities, Arts, Social Science, and Education

Sivakamy Chandrahasan
schandrahasa@ualr.edu
Programmer Analyst

The HR Programmer Analyst supports the efforts of the Department of Human Resources by facilitating the collection, analysis, and interpretation of institutional data. They are responsible for troubleshooting and problem-solving to resolve hardware and software problems and maintain the HR website.

Michele Curd
Associate Director of Personnel/HRIS
rmcurd@ualr@edu

Michele is the Associate Director of Personnel and HRIS.  Michele oversees personnel matters, such as onboarding, ensures classification and compensation comply with state guidelines, submits legislative reports, monitors employment authorizations, supervises the record retention program, and directs the daily activities of the Personnel area.

Stephanie Ferguson
HR Specialist
sdandersonf@ualr.edu

Vacant
Associate Director of Recruitment
ogdedner@ualr.edu

The Associate Director of Recruitment oversees the recruitment area by performing various employment functions in support of the day-to-day operations of the university’s hiring processes.  The director provides guidance to hiring managers on the recruitment process, search waivers, job advertisements, and related areas.

Emily Bell
Director of Title IX
edbell@ualr.edu

Emily is the designated university official with primary responsibility for coordinating the university’s compliance with Title IX. This includes providing leadership for Title IX activities; providing consultation, education, and training; and helping to ensure the university responds appropriately, effectively, and equitably to Title IX issues.