Meet The Staff
Professional Staff
Assistant Dean of Students for Housing and Campus & Community Engagement
Stephanie serves as the assistant dean of students for Housing and Campus and Community
Engagement. In her 16 years working at AV¶¶Òõ, she has worked in Student Activities,
overseeing large-scale campus programming, registered student organizations, volunteer
programming, and serving in advisor capacities to the Campus Activities Board, Lion’s
ROAR, AV¶¶Òõ Camp, and the Student Government Association. Most recently she has added
experience in the area of Housing and Residential Life, overseeing the university’s
two on-campus living facilities. Stephanie has a Bachelor of Arts in English from
AV¶¶Òõ and a Master of Science in college student personnel from Arkansas Tech. As a
Fort Smith native, she loves working at her hometown university and giving back to
the local River Valley community.
“As an alumna of AV¶¶Òõ, I chose to work here because I wanted to give to our students
in the ways that were given to me: great mentors, amazing memories, and a qu
Lion's Den Resident Director
Joe England is the resident director for the Lion's Den. He worked in housing at Arkansas
Tech for four years as an R.A. and then two years as an R.D. while earning his master's
in college student personnel. He is originally from Clinton, a small town in North
Central Arkansas, and grew up in the boonies. A self-professed nerd, he loves talking
about movies and/or TV shows. His office is always open if you want to swing by for
a chat.
"I came to AV¶¶Òõ because I had heard a lot of great things about the school during
my undergraduate and grad school days, and I loved the idea of working at a smaller
institution with a close-knit community while simultaneously living in a larger city
than I ever had before! "
Sebastian Commons Resident Director
Johnny is the resident director of the Sebastian Commons. He attended AV¶¶Òõ from 2015
to 2019, graduating with a bachelor's in English, then went on to get a master's in
higher education administration from Kansas University. He then spent two years working
at Ball State University in Indiana as a residence hall director.
"I started working at AV¶¶Òõ as a resident director in March of 2023. I returned because
I really love the culture of AV¶¶Òõ and the greater Fort Smith area. It's also great
to work at a university that's closer to my family."
Administrative Assistant
Lori joined the AV¶¶Òõ team in September of 2023 as the administrative specialist for Housing and Residential Life. She oversees the Housing Office within Sebastian Commons and works to be sure everything runs as smoothly as possible for students and staff. Lori previously worked in housing in the Fort Smith and Van Buren communities and has worked in an administrative specialist role most of her career. She is excited to be of help to current and new residents alike.
Student Staff
Lion's Den Head RA
Allison is an elementary education major from Bentonville. She loves to read for fun.
Lion's Den RA
Ason is a media communications major from Fort Smith who loves to write.
Lion's Den RA
Diana is a dental hygiene major from Searcy. In her free time, she likes to thrift and go to TJ Maxx.
Lion's Den RA
Emily is a business administration major from Dyer. You can find her hanging out with friends.
Lion's Den RA
Halimat is a nursing major from Ikorodu, Lagos. She loves to cook.
Lion's Den RA
Jasper is a psychology major from Panama Oklahoma, who enjoys watching Formula 1 and other motorsports.
Lion's Den RA
Joanna is a finance major from Fort Smith. You can catch her watching anime.
Lion's Den RA
Kiera is a dental hygiene major from Sallisaw, Oklahoma, who loves to find new music to add to her playlists.
Lion's Den RA
Lesly is a radiography major from Summers. She loves to be outside with her dogs, reading books, and traveling home to spend time with family.
Lion's Den RA
London is an electrical engineering major from Dallas. She likes going to the gym - catch her at the RAWC.
Lion's Den RA
Makenzie is a business administration major from Fort Smith. She loves to cook, travel, and explore new coffee shops.
Lion's Den RA
Sully is a chemistry major from Prairie Grove who likes walking outside in the fall.
Lion's Den RA
Tim is a business administration major from Pangburn. He likes to play and watch sports.
Sebastian Commons Head RA
Noah is a business administration major from Fort Smith. He likes going to the gym - catch him at the RAWC.
Sebastian Commons RA
Colton is a mechanical engineering major from Mulberry. He enjoys going to the lake to swim, go tubing, and enjoy nature on the boat.
Sebastian Commons RA
Danish is a nursing major from Kumasi, Ghana. He loves watching sports.
Sebastian Commons RA
Darby is a psychology major from Sallisaw, Oklahoma. She loves to spend time with friends and family.
Sebastian Commons RA
Erek is an English with teacher licensure major from Fort Smith. He enjoys writing stories and reading fiction books purchased from Books-A-Million.
Sebastian Commons RA
Jaci is a diagnostic medical sonography major from Van Buren. She can be found playing any kind of board or card game.
Sebastian Commons RA
Karla is a nursing major from San Miguel, El Salvador. She loves to travel to different places and experience new cultures.
Sebastian Commons RA
Taylor is an elementary education major from Waldron. She loves to play with her dog and take him on walks.