Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Zulma Toro announced today that Dr. Lillian C. Wichinsky has been named interim executive director of the new Community Connections Center.

Wichinsky, an associate professor in the School of Social Work at UALR, has more than 20 years’ experience in a variety of management and leadership roles.

“Since coming to UALR six years ago, Dr. Wichinsky has forged community partnerships through community-based research, program evaluation, board service, and service-learning projects,” said Toro. “Her broad range of experiences as a community-based social worker and her strong academic record, make her an excellent choice to serve as interim director of the new Community Connections Center.”

In the past six years, Wichinsky has completed nine evaluation projects, including four with the Arkansas Department of Education. She most recently served as president of a national women’s advocacy organization where she earned a MacArthur Foundation Grant to begin a statewide preschool program.

Wichinsky has a Ph.D. from Florida International University in Miami, a master’s degree in social work from California State University in Sacramento, and a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from the University of Florida in Gainesville.

The Community Connections Center, a new outreach office for campus and community partnerships, will encompass the areas of cooperative education, service learning, outreach programs, and UALR Children International. The center will involve students, faculty, and staff with community engagement programs.