Widders, Pendergrass take new jobs at UAFS

Pat Widders has been named the new executive director of career services and high school articulation projects at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, and Meighan Pendergrass was named director of the university’s fitness center.

Both positions are effective July 1.

Widders is responsible for the overall management of personnel and activities of the Office of Career Planning and Placement and will also work with local high schools to improve articulation and increase concurrent enrollment.

Widders was named dean of the College of Applied Science and Technology in June 2007 after serving as interim dean. He came to UAFS in 2003 as director of the Western Arkansas Technical Center, an area secondary center serving five counties and housed on the university campus.

Prior to joining the university staff, Widders worked in public schools throughout Arkansas, more recently in the Van Buren and Alma School Districts. Widders was also a catalyst for the development of the Arkansas Association of Career and Technical Education Administrators and has served in leadership roles with that group.

Widders has a bachelor’s degree in education from Arkansas Tech University and a master’s in leadership from the University of Central Arkansas.

Pendergrass was promoted to head the fitness center at UA Fort Smith because of her performance while serving as interim director since January 2009, according to Dr. Arleene Breaux, vice chancellor for university relations and executive assistant to the chancellor.

Pendergrass came to UAFS in August 2006 as an exercise instructor. Prior to moving to Fort Smith, she completed her master’s at the University of Arkansas, where she was a graduate assistant for the Human Performance Laboratory at Washington Regional’s Exercise Center.

Her graduate work included developing and implementing the Razorback Retiree Exercise Club for University of Arkansas Emeritus Faculty and working with special populations to improve their mobility and to increase exercise endurance and muscular strength.

She has a bachelor’s degree in education in kinesiology with an emphasis in biomechanics physiology and a master’s in kinesiology, both from the University of Arkansas. She also completed graduate course work for a graduate certificate in gerontology from the University of Arkansas.