UA Little Rock Welcomes New Alumni Board of Directors Members
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock is welcoming five dedicated business and community leaders to the UA Little Rock Alumni Board of Directors.
The new members include Donavon Colclough, supervisor of safety with Entergy Arkansas; Cameron Fuller, commercial banker with Simmons Bank; Grady McCorkle, director of workforce planning for Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield; Bethany Siems, director of strategy at Ghidotti; and Alfreda Summons, data analyst lead at Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield.
“We are thrilled to welcome our newest members to the Alumni Board of Directors and express our deepest gratitude for their dedication and commitment to our alma mater,” said Kristi Smith, associate vice chancellor for alumni and development. “Their invaluable contributions will undoubtedly enrich our university community and help shape the future of our institution.”
All new board members are UA Little Rock alumni who are serving a three-year term from 2024 to 2027. More information on the new board members:
Cameron Fuller works as a commercial banker at Simmons Bank, where he helps customers fulfill financial needs such as financing, treasury management solutions, business credit cards, wealth management, point of sale solutions, 401k plans, and health insurance plans. Fuller graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in accounting from UA Little Rock in 2021.
“I am involved with a handful of local nonprofit organizations within the community and am so grateful to be a part of the UA Little Rock Alumni Board of Directors,” Fuller said.” I’m so excited to be a part of this board and can’t wait to contribute to my alma mater.”
Donovan Colclough serves as supervisor of safety at Entergy Arkansas, having begun his career in 2006 as an apprentice lineman. Donovan has been married to his college sweetheart, Dr. Crystal Colclough, for 17 years, and they have four children. Driven by a desire to set an example for his children and complete his education, Donavon returned to UA Little Rock as a nontraditional student in 2017, graduating magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree of applied science in 2021.
Grady McCorkle works as the director of workforce planning at Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield. In this role, he is responsible for aligning the organization’s talent strategy with its business goals and objectives. He leads a team of professionals who provide expertise in workforce planning, performance management, employee engagement surveys, organizational change management, Workday strategy, and talent acquisition.
A graduate of UA Little Rock’s MBA program, McCorkle co-founded the Central Arkansas Leadership Development Forum, a network of high-caliber peers who share best practices and insights and sits on the board for Life Skills for Youth and the Bedford Falls Project.
Bethany Siems serves as the director of strategy at Ghidotti, a Little Rock-based public relations and content marketing agency, where she leads strategic communications ensuring that client messaging aligns with their core mission and moves them closer to achieving their goals. She has more than 15 years of experience in public relations, promotions, events planning and creative campaign management.
Siems graduated cum laude from UA Little Rock with a bachelor’s degree in business communication with an emphasis in advertising and public relations. Following graduation in 2005, she spent nearly four years as a project manager and team lead for one of Little Rock’s largest advertising agencies, supporting various national and regional clients. She also worked for an 80-year-old architectural firm learning the ins and outs of new business development before landing at a popular lifestyle shopping center as marketing director for nearly eight years before joining Ghidotti. Siems recently served as the vice president of the Arkansas Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.
Alfreda Summons is a data analyst lead at Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield with over 15 years of experience, specializing in data management. She is a proud graduate of UA Little Rock with a degree in computer information systems. When she’s not working, Summons loves to help people and spends countless hours volunteering at many events at Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, her church, and throughout Little Rock.
