Tooks Named President-Elect of Staff Senate
Laterika Tooks, director of annual giving at UA Little Rock, has taken on a new leadership role and has been named president-elect of Staff Senate. She will begin her tenure as president in July 2024.
“I am really excited for this opportunity,” Tooks said. “I feel that Staff Senate gives staff members a voice and an opportunity to make a difference on campus. I am looking forward to making connections and building relationships with other staff members across campus.”
As chair of the Campus Campaign, Tooks first became involved in Staff Senate when she would speak to the group about campus giving and volunteer opportunities. She now serves as chair of the Fundraising Committee and the Staff Awards Committee, which selects the Staff Achievement Award winners and runs the annual Staff Awards Ceremony.
“Through my work with the Campus Campaign, I’ve had the opportunity to make connections across the campus,” she said. “My new role in Staff Senate will help me build on those connections and grow as a person. We are in the middle of our Centennial Campaign, working to raise money for scholarships, student support, program excellence, and the living and learning environment. I look forward to showing our community what a difference UA Little Rock can make.”
Tooks, a native of Camden, joined the UA Little Rock Office of Alumni and Development in 2022. As director of annual giving, she is responsible for the management and implementation of the UA Little Rock Foundation’s annual giving program. She is already on track to double yearly giving efforts through the campus campaign. Earlier this fall, she was named to Arkansas Business’ 2023 Class of 20 in Their Twenties, which puts the spotlight on talented young leaders in the state’s business and nonprofit community.
She is an active member of the community, serving as a member of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) strategic planning committee, the Hope (Helping Overcome Poverty through Education) scholarship committee at UA Little Rock Children International, and the Friends of City Parks Conservancy. She also serves as a board member for the Arkansas Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and a member of the Program Committee for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education District IV.
Tooks has a passion for working with community nonprofit organizations. She is a member of the Alliance Ambassadors Program for Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance and participated in the Alzheimer’s Association’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s in 2021. She has a goal to build a community garden close to where she lives in Alexander and is working with the Arkansas Community Foundation on this project.
Tooks earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from UA Little Rock in 2017. Prior to UA Little Rock, she worked as an event sales manager at Embassy Suites by Hilton Little Rock and as a constituent events manager for the Alzheimer’s Association.
