Arkansas Venture Center Names First Hires

by Talk Business & Politics staff ([email protected]) 115 views 

The newly-created Arkansas Venture Center (AVC) announced its first new hires on Tuesday, naming Dr. Caroline Ford as Director of Communications & Development.

Ford, who holds a doctorate in business administration from Georgia State University, joins AVC after working locally as a digital marketing consultant and visiting faculty member at Hendrix College.

“Aside from serving as a mentor and a business school educator for many years, Caroline brings 20 years of bootstrap marketing and business development experience working with startups and emerging growth companies,” said AVC President and CEO Lee Watson.

In addition to Ford, AVC also named Marshal Kenneday as its Director of Operations. Kenneday, a Houston, Texas native, will oversee member growth and programming including the launch of a nationally renowned accelerator course in entrepreneurship, expected to begin in the fall.

AVC, housed in The Little Rock Chamber of Commerce, was launched in late May to ignite growth of startup and entrepreneurial activity in Central Arkansas. At the time, Gov. Beebe also announced a $500,000 matching grant from the State of Arkansas to help in the funding of the AVC, which is planning to relocate soon from the chamber to new office space in the downtown area.