UA Little Rock Names Marla Johnson as Inaugural Tech Entrepreneur-in-Residence
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has hired Marla Johnson as its first technology entrepreneur-in-residence, where she will work to expand the university’s entrepreneurship, business innovation, and artificial intelligence (AI) technology programs for the business community, students, and faculty.
Johnson is a tech entrepreneur and business leader with more than 30 years of experience in technology innovation, company building, and digital transformation. She has a proven track record in leading innovative companies and pioneering the use of new technology to accelerate business value.
“UA Little Rock already boasts global leaders in research in several fields, including cybersecurity, nanotechnology, and AI,” Johnson said. “My job is to bring together the amazing resources we have to offer entrepreneurial programs, workshops, certifications, and commercialization services to increase our economic impact in the greater Little Rock area.”
As CEO and cofounder of Aristotle, Inc., Johnson led a successful internet service provider and interactive marketing agency. During this time, Johnson provided workshops in 33 states and Canada on how companies can benefit from Internet, digital advertising, search, data analytics, and mobile technologies.
Johnson has an extensive history of leadership and innovation across multiple industries. She led Smart Media, a northwest Arkansas-based omnichannel shopper marketing agency, where she leveraged retail analytics to drive successful campaigns. At Blockchain Ready Studio, Johnson collaborated with IBM Hyperledger to help agricultural suppliers implement blockchain solutions for food traceability and played a pivotal role in advocating for smart contracts legislation in Arkansas.
In her role as CEO and cofounder of LeapXL, Johnson led the creation of a rapid application development platform used by banks and major clients like Ernst & Young. She oversaw critical aspects of corporate operations, including compliance, customer onboarding, and investment strategy. Johnson’s entrepreneurial journey began with Monserrata Productions, a video production company that contributed to groundbreaking video game development with electronic arts.
Dr. Brian Berry, vice provost of research and dean of the UA Little Rock Graduate School, emphasized that Johnson will play a pivotal role in boosting Little Rock’s economy by connecting students, faculty, and the business community with valuable university resources and employees with expertise in technology and artificial intelligence.
“Marla’s creativity and energy are already helping us understand the needs of our businesses and rise to meet them,” Berry said. “I’m especially excited to see how Marla will help our innovative and gritty students fulfill their dreams of building businesses in Arkansas by providing training and support from ideation to seed funding and beyond.”
Additionally, Johnson writes an entrepreneurship series on LinkedIn called “Soul Food for Founders” and creates short video documentaries about Arkansas technologists. She serves on the boards of Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, International Women’s Forum Arkansas, Ark Angel Alliance, and the Arkansas Academy of Computing. She received a certification for AI Product and Service Development from MIT this summer.
