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PrintPowerful Women 2013
March is Women’s History Month, and this year, as we have in the past, we are proud to celebrate the intelligence, ingenuity, tenacity and accomplishments of 12 dynamic women who are changing the world one brave, bold move at a time.
ART
Courtney Pledger
Executive Director, Arkansas Motion Picture Institute (AMPI)
Arkansas native Courtney Pledger is a film executive and the executive director of the AMPI, a statewide, nonprofit organization that provides leadership in film education and supports growth in film, television and digital media. Her producing credits include Dreamworks Animation’s “B.O.O.: Bureau of Otherworldly Operations” (in development), Ricky Gervais’ “Flanimals” (in development), “Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant” (2009), the Emmy Award-winning “A Killing in a Small Town” (1990), the Christopher Award-winning miniseries “Challenger” (1990) as well as a slew of other titles.
Recently, Pledger served as senior vice president of production for Radical Pictures/Radical Studios, building Radical’s graphic novel publishing and film brands while fostering partnerships with Disney, New Regency, Fox, Warner Brothers and MGM. Before joining Radical, she was a producer with Illumination Entertainment/Universal Studios, where she identified book material for film from the United States and the United Kingdom. Her position with the AMPI keeps her active in the film scene in her home state. Last year, she directed the 21st Annual Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival.
Personal Motto: "I'd rather wear out than rust out.”
Thanks to Dolly Parton for that one
Q & A
Hometown: Little Rock, Arkansas.
First Job: A season as an actor in a New Hampshire summer stock company.
First Big Break: Getting a CBS movie made about environmental activist Lois Gibbs.
One Word that Describes You: Tenacious.
Volunteer Work: Argenta Arts Foundation Board of Directors and the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute Film Forum staff.
Who is your "Shero?" My SHEroes are my mother, my maternal grandmother and a multitude of courageous women I’ve been lucky enough to have in my life. In public life, Margaret Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Children’s Defense Fund.
What you love about what you do? Working in a medium that can provide a catalyst for personal and social change or simply bring the joy of pure entertainment. I also love joining forces with others who share the goal of expanding the film industry in Arkansas, working with the amazing film festivals we have here and paying it forward in whatever way I can to up-and-coming film professionals.
What is the accomplishment are you most proud of? Helping my children become the incredible people they’ve grown up to be.
What's one fact about you that others would be surprised to know? Elvis once bought me an ice cream cone.
Complete this Sentence: As a child, I spent hours … reading every biography in the school library, riding horses and movie-acting in front of a mirror.
What is left on your "Bucket List?" So many things that I’m going to need a bigger bucket.
BUSINESS
Angela Harrison
CEO, Welsco, Inc.
Harrison is the woman behind Welsco, Inc., the largest woman-owned industrial gas and welding equipment distributor in the United States. The Little Rock-based company has 115 employees and 15 locations that serve Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Missouri, Tennessee and Kansas.
A graduate of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville (UAF) with a degree in psychology, Harrison intended to be a child psychologist, but the family business was her true calling. Since taking over Welsco, Inc., in 1994 at the age of 27, she has held several professional memberships and received numerous honors, including UAF’s Young Alumni of the Year Award in 2004; a spot in the Top 500 Women Owned Businesses in the United States as chosen by Working Women Magazine, 1998 through 2001; the Blue Chip Enterprise Initiative Award in 1999; the National Association of Women Business Owners’ 1998 Woman Business Owner of the Year award; several honors awarded by Arkansas Business over the years; and many others.
She hopes that one of her two daughters, Haven and Ashton, will fill her shoes at Welsco’s helm one day.
Personal Motto: "Everything happens for a reason.”
Q & A
Nickname: Ang.
Hometown: Little Rock, Arkansas.
First Job: As a behavior counselor and nutrition specialist for Nutrisystem.
One Word that Describes You: Resilient or persistent.
Hobbies: Working out and running a taxi service for my kids.
Volunteer Work: Easter Seals Board Member and development committee chairwoman — there is nothing more rewarding.
Who is your "Shero?" The teachers who lost their lives saving their students in the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting.
What you love about what you do? The employees — I am blessed to work with amazing, fun people everyday.
What is your greatest accomplishment? My daughters.
What's one fact about you that others would be surprised to know? I was interviewed by and quoted in the Wall Street Journal when I was 28. Also, I cry at all Disney movies.
What is left on your "Bucket List?" I haven’t started on it yet.
EDUCATION
Carol Reeves
Professor and Associate Vice-Provost for Entrepreneurship, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville
Reeves earned her bachelor’s degree from Georgia Southern College; a master’s degree from the University of South Carolina; and a Ph.D., with a concentration on strategic management and entrepreneurship, from the University of Georgia. She joined the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville (UAF) Walton College of Business in 1990 and holds the Cecil and Gwendolyn Cupp Applied Professorship in Entrepreneurship.
Reeves has mentored more than 40 student business plan teams since 2002; her teams have, “in the last 10 years, won more than $1.3 million in cash and prizes, started eight high-growth businesses and raised more than $13.5 million in investments and grants. Last year, UAF became the first university to have three teams win Venture Labs Investment Competition qualifications.”
One of Reeves’ research interests includes the role of economic empowerment on quality-of-life issues, and she and a co-author received a $750,000 grant from the Department of Justice to study the effects of family violence on the workplace and the migrating effects of financial self-sufficiency. She’s also involved in research on the positive influence of entrepreneurship on those at the base of the pyramid.
Reeves has earned numerous awards, including two national awards for innovation in entrepreneurship pedagogy; a UAF Faculty Gold Award; the UAF Alumni Association Faculty Distinguished Achievement Award for Teaching; and in 2011 was named one of Fortune Magazine’s 10 Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs.
Personal Motto: "I can be the hero of my own life.”
Q & A
Hometown: Fayetteville, Arkansas.
First Job: My first full-time job was as a teacher for a private company.
First Big Break: Being born to my parents.
One Word that Describes You: Lucky.
Hobbies: Hiking.
Volunteer Work: I volunteer with student and northwest Arkansas startups. In the past, I was a youth soccer and basketball coach.
Who is your "Shero?" Elizabeth Caty Stanton and Harriet Tubman.
What you love about what you do? Working with students and seeing them pursue their dreams.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? Raising my children to be incredible adults. Professionally, it is seeing the UAF emerge as a leader in entrepreneurship education.
What's one fact about you that others would be surprised to know? I was raised in a poor family … we didn’t have indoor plumbing until I was 3 years old.
Complete this Sentence: As a child, I spent hours … reading and running.
What is left on your "Bucket List?" Visiting New Zealand.
ENTERPRISE
Martha Jane Murray, AIA
Program Manager, Clinton Foundation Climate Initiative
Green is Murray’s game. The program manager for the William Jefferson Clinton Foundation’s Climate Initiative (CCI) heads the fledgling Home Energy Affordability Loan (HEAL) program, which provides businesses with loans for energy retrofits. Since 2009, she has received more than $4 million in grants to fund HEAL’s pilot program, and so far HEAL has provided four industries with $1.3 million in revolving loan funds for retrofits with projected annual savings of over $400,000. The program not only addresses the energy saving needs of businesses, it lets those businesses loan their employees the money necessary for retrofits in their homes. Right now, the CCI HEAL program is implemented at UAMS as well as being replicated in Ohio, Vermont and northwest Arkansas. This year, HEAL will work with nine additional partners outside Arkansas to replicate the program.
Murray has a Bachelor of Arts in art from Hendrix College and a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Tennessee. She was an adjunct professor for seven years at Tulane University’s School of Architecture in New Orleans. She and her husband, Neil Munro, own Addison Shoe Co., a footwear factory that provides 275 jobs in Wynne, Arkansas.
Personal Motto: "Let me be a blessing to someone each day.”
Q & A
Nickname: Marta or MJ.
Hometown: Wynne, Arkansas.
First Job: American Heart Association Regional Fundraising Director for Arkansas.
First Big Break: There are two that are inseparable: when we purchased our shoe factory from my husband's family in 2006, we needed a significant loan to get other banks to loan us the balance of the operation. Gov. Beebe helped us purchase the physical asset through his quick action fund that provided the collateral for the other lending institutions. Without the factory, I wouldn’t have been able to demonstrate the HEAL program with our employees. I created a video about HEAL; Gov. Beebe saw it and granted the CCI $2 million with the Department of Energy stimulus funds to demonstrate the HEAL program statewide in 2008.
One Word that Describes You: Persistent.
Volunteer Work: Eight years on the board of Camp Aldersgate and as the founding chair of the US Green Building Council AR Chapter, as well as with my church and my children’s public school.
Who is your "Shero?" My Mother.
What you love about what you do? Meeting and working with dedicated energy and environmental professionals around the country who are passionate about mitigating climate change. Also working with my incredible HEAL colleagues.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? Building energy efficiency capacity “green” jobs in Arkansas and demonstrating the first employer-sponsored energy benefit in the United States.
Complete this Sentence: As a child, I spent hours … drawing or dreaming of becoming a professional dancer.
LAW
Stacy Leeds
Dean, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville School of Law
Leeds earned her bachelor’s degree at Washington University in St. Louis; a master’s degree at the University of Tennessee; and law degrees at the University of Wisconsin and the University of Tulsa.
She launched her law-teaching career at the University of Wisconsin, where she was a William H. Hastie Fellow. From 2000 to 2003, Leeds served as assistant professor of Law and director of the Northern Plains Indian Law Center at the University of North Dakota School of Law. Next, Leeds served as a member of the law faculty at the University of Kansas School of Law from 2003 to 2011, as professor of law and director of the Tribal Law and Government Center; she also was interim associate dean for Academic Affairs at Kansas from 2010 to 2011. In November 2011, Leeds was appointed to serve a two-year term on the National Commission on Indian Trust Administration and Reform within the U.S. Department of the Interior. The commission will undertake a forward-looking, comprehensive evaluation of Interior’s trust management of nearly $4 billion in Native American trust funds.
Leeds teaches, writes and consults in the areas of American Indian law, property, energy and natural resources, economic development, judicial administration and higher education. She is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and a former Justice of the Cherokee Nation Supreme Court. She is the only American Indian dean of a law school.
Personal Motto: "To whom much is given, much is required.”
Q & A
Hometown: Muskogee, Oklahoma.
First Job: YMCA youth basketball league clock/score keeper.
First Big Break: Being recruited to play basketball at Washington University, where I was exposed to people and academic opportunities beyond my wildest dreams.
One Word that Describes You: Grounded.
Hobbies: Sports and fitness.
Volunteer Work: I currently work pro bono with the U.S. Department of Interior making recommendations to reform a broken financial system for native land owners and coordinate an undergraduate pre-law class.
Who is your "Shero?" My mother and maternal grandmother — they demonstrate daily how one can simultaneously be strong and selfless.
What you love about what you do? The fast pace and the privilege of meeting endlessly fascinating new people.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? Pardon the cliché, but being a mom takes the cake.
What's one fact about you that others would be surprised to know? I was crowned “Best Dressed Boy” at a Farm Bureau chuck wagon breakfast as a toddler.
Complete this Sentence: As a child, I spent hours … playing outside, a treat that is rare today given competing priorities and safety concerns.
What is left on your "Bucket List?" Extensive world travel: three continents down, four to go.
MEDIA
Ginger Daril
Public Relations Manager for the South Central Region, Verizon Wireless
Daril earned her broadcast journalism degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) and launched her career at NBC affiliate KARK. She served in various capacities at the station, including reporter, news producer, executive producer, news director and news operations manager during her nearly 15 years with the company. While there, she received several awards including an Arkansas Associated Press Award, regional Emmy awards and a regional Edward R. Murrow award for a news series.
In 2003, Daril joined Arkansas Children’s Hospital where she remained until 2011; there she worked as a press assistant, publication specialist and senior media relations specialist. Her work there garnered her a Diamond Award, and she received the Diamond Award of Excellence from the Arkansas Hospital Association numerous times. Daril is a member of the Public Relations Society of America, Arkansas Chapter and received its Prism Award twice. She also received a number of Healthcare Advertising Awards. She is a member of the professional advisory council for UALR’s Radio, TV and Film Department; former vice president of the Associated Press Board of Governors; and a former member of the Radio and Television News Directors’ Association. In Spring 2000, she was named one of Arkansas Business’ “40 Under 40.”
Personal Motto: "Appreciate the people in your life — they are a gift!”
Q & A
Nickname: My father always called me “Snap” or “Snapper.”
Hometown: Pine Bluff, Arkansas.
First Job: I was the babysitter in “high-demand” for our entire neighborhood, but my official first job was at Wendy’s during high school.
First Big Break: After an internship at KARK-TV, I was hired to produce the station’s morning newscast. That was the beginning of a long and exciting career in television news.
One Word that Describes You: Abundantly blessed.
Volunteer Work: I am on the board of directors for the Alumni Association at UALR; volunteer at my sons’ school; and volunteer at Jr. Deputy Baseball Park.
Who is your "Shero?" I have always greatly admired Elizabeth Eckford for her relentless drive to learn, bravery, strength, persistence and perseverance.
What you love about what you do? I have always been blessed with career opportunities that are exciting, industry leading and with a great organization. I currently promote Verizon’s technology and innovative solutions that are honestly changing how people conduct business across all industries and enriching how they connect with family and friends in their personal lives.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? I am most proud that every position I have held has been associated with helping people. That’s the drive that keeps me going and gives me the greatest sense of accomplishment.
Complete this Sentence: As a child, I spent hours … playing sports every day, frequenting dirt piles, riding my bike through the woods and cooling off in creeks with my favorite Labrador sidekick, Dixie.
MEDICAL
Mary Bourland, MD, FACS
Cardiovascular / Thoracic Surgeon and Director of Clinical Integration, Mercy Health Systems
Dr. Bourland practiced medicine in Joplin, Mo., for 12 years as a cardiovascular surgeon with a strong emphasis on women’s prevention of heart and vascular disease. In 2005, she was recruited to start a similar program at Mercy Health Systems in northwest Arkansas.
Bourland earned her doctorate in medicine from Southern Illinois University; this is also where she completed her general surgery residency and was honored as the Outstanding Teacher for Surgical Residents. She obtained her cardiovascular training in New York at Buffalo and Duke University and is board certified in general surgery and cardiothoracic surgery.
Bourland no longer practices surgery due to an accident that took away her ability to operate. She continues to promote women’s health and develop new and innovative ideas for women in the workplace, such as virtual workplaces and virtual healthcare. While in Joplin, Bourland founded the Christian Conference against Domestic Violence and screened more than 10,000 women for heart and vascular disease and educated twice as many. She was the recipient of the Women of Distinction Award; her program was listed in the Top 100 Heart Hospitals; and Money Magazine listed her vascular program in the top 25 in the nation.
Personal Motto: "Whether you live 50 seconds or 50 years what difference does it make, if you live?”
Q & A
Hometown: Jonesboro, Illinois.
First Job: Aid in a nursing home.
First Big Break: Getting accepted to medical school.
One Word that Describes You: Determined.
Hobbies: Being outdoors and fishing.
Volunteer Work: Educating women on prevention of heart disease.
Who is your "Shero?" My mother.
What you love about what you do? Making a difference in people’s lives.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? Getting all my family educated.
What's one fact about you that others would be surprised to know? Crowds make me nervous.
Complete this Sentence: As a child, I spent hours … reading.
What is left on your "Bucket List?" To write my book.
NONPROFIT
Michele Delawder
Director, Reynolds Cancer Support House
Delawder obtained a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith and a master’s degree in business administration in international business from John Brown University. She is a member of the Leadership Fort Smith Class of 2013; University of Arkansas Alumni Association; and Sigma Beta Delta International Academic Honors Society.
A 20-year commitment to healthcare has led Delawder to a variety of related volunteer roles. She serves on the Fort Smith Chamber of Commerce Health Division; Sparks Health Systems Cancer Committee; and Mercy Medical Center Cancer Committee. Delawder is also on the planning committee for the Arkansas Cancer Summit XIV for the Arkansas Cancer Coalition and has served as chair of the Hometown Health Improvement Coalition.
Her passions include eliminating barriers to care for minority populations.
Delawder is married and has two children. She serves as an adjunct professor at John Brown University and a professional advisor and advocate for the Deaf Community Coalition of Fort Smith. A member of Evangel Temple Assembly of God Church, Delawder volunteered from 2004 to 2007 as lead organizer for the cross-cultural, multi-denominational River Valley Women’s Conference.
Personal Motto: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”
Proverbs 3:5 - 6
Q & A
Hometown: Keota, Oklahoma.
First Job: Cashier in uncle’s gas station at 15 years old.
First Big Break: When I got saved March 16, 1999. Before then I was like a car without a driver. After that pivotal moment, I became focused and driven to leave a positive legacy.
One Word that Describes You: Integrity.
Hobbies: Oil painting.
Volunteer Work: I currently serve on multiple health- and church-related committees, am a sign language interpreter and a Sunday school teacher.
Who is your "Shero?" Esther from the Bible.
What you love about what you do? It is diverse, often unpredictable and always helpful to others.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? Having two wonderful children.
Complete this Sentence: As a child, I spent hours … dancing and dreaming.
Do you have a personal motto? I have two. By Helen Keller: “While they were saying among themselves it cannot be done, it was done.”
What is left on your "Bucket List?" Learning more languages and traveling the world.
PHILANTHROPY
Judy Adams
Owner, Catering to You
Adams got into the catering business by accident. The Little Rock, Ark., native graduated from Hendrix College in 1968 and began teaching first grade almost immediately. She left teaching one year later when she had her first child and was a stay-at-home mom for several years. She’s always loved to cook and entertain and was invited to prepare dinner for a close family friend who was beginning his cardiology medical practice. That dinner led to a contract with Systematics — later sold to Alltel — to run their employee cafeteria and gift shop and the inspiration that fueled her catering business, Catering to You.
Adams said Catering to You has given her a chance to give back to the community in a way she never could have otherwise. She often prepares and donates food for meals or fund-raising events including those hosted by and for the Junior League of Little Rock — of which she is a sustaining member — groups at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS); Our House; March of Dimes; and Helping Hands, a respite care group at Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church. Aside from edible gifts, Adams helped raise money for an endowed chair in the division of Maternal Fetal Medicine (MFM) at UAMS. She has served on the UAMS Board of Visitors; as the president of the advisory boards of UAMS’ Psychiatric Research Institute (PRI); and as a member of the board of the UAMS Child Study Center.
Personal Motto: "Keep Trying. Never give up. Perserverance pays off.”
Q & A
Hometown: Little Rock, Arkansas
First Job: Wrapping Christmas presents at Pfeifer-Blass while in high school.
First Big Break: One night, after a casual dinner at our home, a friend asked if I would cook board lunches for his company, Systematics.
One Word that Describes You: Intuitive.
Hobbies: Eating out — how ironic!
Who is your "Shero?" My paternal grandmother, Agnes Lee.
What you love about what you do? The people I am able to meet and visit with daily and the incredible Catering to You staff, which is my second family.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? Without any doubt, my children and grandchildren; helping raise money to build the PRI and seeing its completion; and completing the fundraising needed for the MFM chair endowment at UAMS. We’re anxiously awaiting the investiture to be held in May.
What's one fact about you that others would be surprised to know? I am shy.
Complete this Sentence: As a child, I spent hours … cooking and playing with my grandmother who lived next door.
What is left on your "Bucket List?" Spending more time with my grandchildren, and I want to travel … and travel …and then travel some more.
POLITICAL
Debe Hollingsworth
As freshly-elected mayor of Pine Bluff, Ark., Hollingsworth brings her business sense to local politics. A graduate of Arkansas State University and Melton School of Business, Hollingsworth has a knack for investment. She’s a registered investment advisor with numerous banking school certificates.
Hollingsworth settled in Pine Bluff in 1975 and began her career in banking and investments, initially working in the Investment Department of Simmons First National Bank. During her career, she was state bank examiner for the State of Arkansas; an investment advisor/stockbroker at Stephens Investment Group and Worthen Bank and Trust Company; and owned wholesale and resale stores in Pine Bluff for 32 years. She has also been an active member of her church, participating in various ministry and mission programs.
Under her leadership, Pine Bluff will pursue a “New Direction”: Hollingsworth’s plan to address crime; economic development; city government; the city’s image; and education. Hollingsworth got to work immediately by firing a controversial and unpopular police chief on her first day in office. She’s shown Pine Bluff that she’s ready to serve the city, and she’s got its vote of confidence.
Personal Motto: "It is what it is.”
Q & A
Nickname: Lucy … I was always tripping, spilling and getting into fun trouble.
Hometown: Jonesboro, Arkansas
First Job: Shoe clerk in a small shoe boutique in Jonesboro.
First Big Break: Receiving my Series 7 license to become a registered investment advisor.
One Word that Describes You: Servant.
Hobbies: My husband, children and grandsons.
Volunteer Work: Mission work.
Who is your "Shero?" Esther.
What you love about what you do? Fulfilling God’s will and purpose.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? The birth of my two daughters and watching them become beautiful moms.
What's one fact about you that others would be surprised to know? I am very shy in public.
Complete this Sentence: As a child, I spent hours … being my father’s little helper.
What is left on your "Bucket List?" I do not have a bucket list, per se … everyday holds challenges, which I embrace.
SPORTS
Sonja P. Tate
Assistant Women's Basketball Coach, Arkansas State University
Tate joined the staff at her alma mater, Arkansas State University (ASU), last year. While studying at ASU, she earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education and health and a master’s degree in physical education.
Previously, Tate played professionally for the Women’s National Basketball Association with the Minnesota Lynx as well as internationally on teams in France, Russia and Spain and was a member of the Columbus Quest in the American Basketball League. Tate has been the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year; a member of the Dick Vitale’s and Kodak All-American teams; Sports Illustrated Player of the Week; is ASU’s first-ever quadruple double and career leading scorer; and was inducted into the ASU Hall of Honor.
Professionally, Tate taught instructional methods activity classes in basketball, volleyball and archery and went on to develop and implement curriculum for ninth through twelfth grade students at two high schools in North Carolina. She also served as the assistant track coach and head women’s basketball coach at those schools, namely Ardrey Kell and William A. Hough High Schools. Under her guidance, the Hough High School girls basketball team became I-MECK Conference Tournament Champions.
Tate’s outstanding contributions to sports were recently acknowledged, as she is a member of the 2013 class of inductees to the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame.
Personal Motto: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Phillipians 4:13
Q & A
First Job: Shoney’s Restaurant as a waitress.
First Big Break: My first big break was being a part of the American Basketball League.
One Word that Describes You: Determined.
Hobbies: I love doing home improvement construction projects and horticulture.
Volunteer Work: I volunteer helping young adults with their basketball and social skills.
Who is your "Shero?" My mom.
What you love about what you do? I love the impact that I have on the lives of the young ladies I work with.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? I am most proud of being able to assist my parents with their dream of home ownership.
What's one fact about you that others would be surprised to know? I am introverted.
Complete this Sentence: As a child, I spent hours … playing basketball.
What is left on your "Bucket List?" The last thing left on my bucket list is to become a head coach of a Division I Women’s basketball team and take them all the way to the NCAA Championship.
TOURISM
Munnie Rasberry Jordan
Owner and Operator, Delta Heritage Tours
Executive Director, King Biscuit Blues Festival
Minus time spent earning her bachelor of arts degree from Rhodes College in Memphis. Tenn., Jordan has called Phillips County home her whole life. Her business, Delta Heritage Tours, offers customized tours of the Arkansas Delta region, featuring live gospel performances, soul food tastings, live blues performances and more. Jordan’s tours often cater to the many passengers who dock in Helena, Ark., on the Mississippi River steamboats.
Delta Heritage Tours plays a big role in Jordan’s life, but what she’s best known for is her position as executive director of the King Biscuit Blues Festival, the nationally-renowned festival that has brought B.B. King, Dr. John, Taj Mahal, Bonnie Raitt and other music legends, as well as a slew of tourists, to the Delta. In 2012, the Phillips County Chamber of Commerce honored Jordan with its Citizen of the Year award.
Personal Motto: "Focus.”
Q & A
Childhood Nickname: Munnie — my real name is Murray.
Hometown: Helena-West Helena, Arkansas.
First Job: Accelerated English teacher.
First Big Break: Finding a wonderful, supportive husband.
One Word that Describes You: Strong-willed.
Hobbies: Exercise of any kind, especially jogging, skiing and hiking.
Volunteer Work: Contributing to the boards I have served on.
Who is your "Shero?" My mother.
What you love about what you do? Working with the King Biscuit Blues Festival volunteers and visiting with Delta Heritage tourists who come from around the world to Helena on the Mississippi River Steamboats.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? Raising two fantastic children!
What's one fact about you that others would be surprised to know? How I got the name “Munnie.”
Complete this Sentence: As a child, I spent hours … riding horses with my Daddy.
What is left on your "Bucket List?" To finish a half marathon after the age of 70.
