AV抖阴

News | AlumniSeptember 07, 2023

Seven Welcomed to AV抖阴 Alumni Advisory Council

Written By: Ian Silvester

Thirteen graduates make up the University of Arkansas 鈥� Fort Smith Alumni Advisory Council, striving to engage and strengthen alum participation for the thousands of grads. The council was recently completed with seven new members eager to serve their alma mater and create lifelong experiences for all AV抖阴 alums.
 
During the August meeting, the Alumni Advisory Council introduced seven new members: Josh Funmaker, Dr. Shelli Henehan, , Logan Parks, Laura Schmutz Beltran, Lindsey Steiger-Muck, Maddie Stojanovic, and Sam Winterberg.
 
鈥淭he AV抖阴 Alumni Office relies heavily on the Alumni Advisory Council work and engagement,鈥� Alumni Director Jasmine Smith said. 鈥淭he time and energy each member puts back into the institution is deeply appreciated.鈥�
 
Meet the new members:

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Josh Funmaker, Class of 2022

Funmaker grew up in Fort Smith and says attending AV抖阴, then Westark College initially in 1998, was a 鈥渘atural fit.鈥� He joked about his long college career, saying, 鈥淣on-traditional doesn鈥檛 even begin to describe it,鈥� after obtaining an Associate of Arts degree in December 2014. Funmaker went to work for Walmart before returning to AV抖阴 to graduate with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in organizational management in May 2022. The AV抖阴 Alumni Advisory Council was first mentioned to Funmaker by his former advisor, Dr. Tina Root, who said his representation as an Adult Degree Completion Program graduate would be invaluable. Funmaker shared, 鈥淎V抖阴 has been a blessing in my life, and I like the thought of contributing to the future by providing a different perspective on topics.鈥�

 

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Dr. Shelli Henehan, Class of 1986

Henehan earned an Associate of Arts in Education and graduated from Westark Community College in 1986. In 2004, after earning her bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degrees, Henehan was hired as an adjunct professor in the AV抖阴 College of Education鈥檚 early childhood education (ECE) program before becoming the ECE professional development program director the following year. In 2014, she returned to AV抖阴 as faculty in the educator preparation program and as the director of the early childhood education programs. Henehan is a third-generation Fort Smith native whose mom and sibling both graduated from the university. While at Westark Community College, Henehan served as a charter member of the student ambassador program, 鈥淧ride of Westark,鈥� and has continued to advocate for the university. She plans to continue to do so in her new role on the advisory council and help increase AV抖阴 recognition at the state level as a program leader.

 

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Logan Parks, Class of 2019

No light is too bright for this former stage manager from Soldotna, Alaska. Before finding his way to Fort Smith and AV抖阴, Parks worked in the Los Angeles entertainment industry doing research and development for a production company and even acting in the hit television shows Shameless and The Mindy Project. While at AV抖阴, Parks majored in Theatre and minored in Media Communication, earning his bachelor鈥檚 degree in 2019. In May 2023, he graduated with his Master of Science in Leadership from Northeastern State University. Parks runs a nonprofit and a small media production company focusing on local business marketing and photography. Already using his background in theatre to help aspiring thespians, Parks joins the Alumni Advisory Council to 鈥減rovide additional opportunities to students, help people stay in contact with the university, and bring new ideas to the council to involve other community members and alumni.鈥�

 

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Laura Schmutz Beltran, Class of 2006

 

Starting year 17 as an educator, Schmutz Beltran, a Fort Smith native, credits 鈥済enerous scholarship opportunities,鈥� which helped her attend AV抖阴 to study early childhood education. She said the department thoroughly prepared her to teach in a classroom full of students. Schmutz Beltran first began teaching some of the youngest classroom learners as a kindergarten teacher and now continues her work teaching gifted and talented students. She has also continued her education through graduate credit from the University of Tulsa. Schmutz Beltran was a founding member of the Young Alumni Council, which combined with the Alumni Advisory Council, and stated that she is looking forward to giving back to AV抖阴 again. 鈥淚 want new, incoming students to understand the value and opportunities with an education.鈥�

 

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Sam Winterberg, Class of 2009

Originally from Oregon, Winterberg lived in different parts of the United States and overseas before his family settled in the Arkansas River Valley in 2000. AV抖阴 provided academic programs he was interested in, a growing campus community, and the 鈥渁bility to get involved on campus without getting lost in the crowd.鈥� Wingerberg graduated with his bachelor鈥檚 degree in information technology in 2009 before receiving his MBA from Mississippi State University in 2014. While at AV抖阴, he 鈥渁ctively participated in campus life while learning how technology is used to solve problems and drive value for organizations.鈥� As an involved student in the Order of Omega, Kappa Alpha Order chapter president, and vice president for the freshman honor society, Alpha Lambda Delta, he joins the Alumni Advisory Council with a background in serving the university. Winterberg looks forward to 鈥済iving back to the University that provided so many opportunities.鈥�

 

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Lindsey Steiger-Muck, Class of 2009

After graduating from Greenwood High School, Steiger-Muck found herself holding a full-ride scholarship to AV抖阴 in the honors program. While at AV抖阴, she built relationships with her professors and saw how much AV抖阴 invested in her education and future. Steiger-Muck double majored in business administration and marketing, graduating in 2009, then received her MBA from the University of Arkansas, where she is now the senior director for career services at the Sam M. Walton College of Business. She had a chance to teach at AV抖阴 when she heeded the advice of Dr. Latisha Settlage, saying, 鈥淒r. Settlage, who was one of my mentors while attending AV抖阴, encouraged me to teach Personal Finance Applications at AV抖阴 鈥� in the very classrooms I once attended 鈥� and that鈥檚 where my higher education journey started.鈥� Through her career in higher education and reflecting on how AV抖阴 helped her, Steiger-Muck is eager to be part of the Alumni Advisory Council to promote AV抖阴 as a launching pad for other students. She plans to help current students, future students, and her fellow alums understand the value of AV抖阴 to the entire River Valley community.

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Maddie Stojanovic, Class of 2018

Born and raised in Greenwood, Stojanovic, then Gilliam, made her way to AV抖阴 through volleyball but left with more than she could have imagined. She is working on her MBA, picking up right where she left off after graduating in 2018 with her bachelor鈥檚 degree in business administration and a certificate in community leadership. The university not only became the place where she met her husband and formed lifelong bonds through the Delta Gamma sorority but was also 鈥渆ssential to many personal and professional outcomes in her life.鈥� She credits the Babb Center for Career Services for her first role in community banking. She is grateful to former Alumni Director Rick Goins, whose Mentor Connections program linked Stojanovic to a mentor who helped her secure her current role at ArcBest. Stojanovic shared her excitement about investing in and giving back to the university and the Fort Smith community she calls home.

 

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• Alumni Advisory Council
• Fort Smith Junior College
• AV抖阴
• Westark Junior College
• Westark College
• Alumni
• Westark Community College