Friday Kudos: Josetta Wilkins Award Winners Honored

The Josetta Wilkins awards are handed out, the UA College of Engineering honors 11 alumni, Rocktown Distillery wins three awards, and SynTel promotes five.

JOSETTA WILKINS AWARDS HANDED OUT
The Josetta Wilkins Awards are given to Arkansas breast cancer advocates for their outstanding work in breast cancer awareness, education and services. The annual awards, hosted by BreastCare, a program of the Arkansas Department of Health, are designed to shine a light on advocates and encourage them to continue to join forces with BreastCare and fight breast cancer.

Honorees this year include:

• Individual Professional – Dana Abraham, M.D., Little Rock, Ark.
• Organization – CARTI, Little Rock, Ark.
• Individual Volunteer – Chad Sullivan, Springdale, Ark.
• Individual Volunteer – Donna Terrell, Little Rock, Ark.

The Josetta Wilkins Awards are named in honor of former state representative Dr. Josetta Wilkins, whose efforts to cure breast cancer in Arkansas led to the passage of the Breast Cancer Control Act of 1997, which ultimately created the BreastCare program. BreastCare provides breast and cervical cancer screening and diagnosis to uninsured women in Arkansas.

SYNTEL PROMOTES FIVE
Jonesboro-based SynTel LLC, a provider of mailroom automation software and document design software, has promoted Adam Boyles, Chad Chapman, Everett Bell, Bryan Barnes to Vice President and Andrea Scott to Assistant Vice President.

Boyles has been with SynTel for over nine years. Boyles is responsible for managing third-party sales channels. He is the primary liaison with Pitney Bowes and SynTel’s nationwide network of Mail Equipment Dealers. Boyles also works with SynTel’s technology partners, inside sales and account management. Boyles has a Bachelor of Science in Technology from Arkansas State University.

Chapman has more than ten years’ experience as a project manager for nonstandard projects with SynTel, LLC. He holds a PMP certification, which is a Project Manager certification. His responsibilities also include technical sales support and conducting product demonstrations. Chapman is a graduate of Arkansas State University, where he earned a bachelor in Management Information Systems.

Bell has spent more than eight years defining, developing and testing software solutions for SynTel’s ever changing mailroom automation software. Currently serving as Vice President and Senior Software Developer, Bell maintains Microsoft MCTS certifications in the .Net Framework.

Barnes has been with SynTel for seven years and manages the day-to-day operations of SynTel Premier Solutions (SPS), serving utilities, banks and commercial businesses who choose to outsource their statement production and delivery operations. Barnes’ responsibilities include new customer integrations, scheduling equipment repair and maintenance, performing disaster recovery tests and maintaining inventory levels. Barnes is a Microsoft Certified Professional and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Management Information Systems from Arkansas State University.

Scott, Assistant Vice President is in her third year at SynTel. She is responsible for the management and execution of SynTel’s marketing branding, corporate communications and customer outreach. Scott holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Sports Management.

ROCKTOWN DISTILLERY WINS THREE AWARDS
Rocktown Distillery has won three awards for its bourbons.

The Little Rock-based distillery won “Best No Age Statement Bourbon” at the 2013 World Whiskies Awards in London. It also won a double gold medal for “Small Batch Bourbon – 10 years and younger” at the 2013 San Francisco World Spirits competition. Rocktown Distillery also received a gold medal at the 2013 Beverage Tasting Institute.

UA ENGINEERING COLLEGE TO HONOR 11
The University of Arkansas College of Engineering will honored 11 alumni with College of Engineering Alumni Awards at its annual banquet on Saturday, April 13. The awards recognize graduates of the college who have demonstrated exceptional professional and personal accomplishments and made important contributions to their professions and communities.

Jack King of Lampe, Mo. was awarded the Hall of Fame medal, the highest honor bestowed by the College of Engineering. King received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in 1962 and a master’s degree in electrical engineering in 1963.

Here are the recipients of the Distinguished Alumni Award, which honors College of Engineering graduates who have provided leadership in their communities and achieved distinction in their fields of endeavor:

• Bill Brown, B.S.E.E. 1969 – Distinguished Professor emeritus, University of Arkansas
• Kent Burnett, B.S.I.E. 1968 – Senior vice president, Dillard’s Inc., Little Rock
• Dennis Gardisser, B.S.A.E. 1979; M.S.A.E. 1981, Ph.D. 1992 – President, WRK of Arkansas, Lonoke
• Jeff Koenig, B.S.E.E. 1974 – President and CEO (retired), Upchurch Electrical Supply, Fayetteville
• C. Larry Weir, B.S.C.E. 1967, M.S.C.E. 1971 – Senior consultant, Hawkins-Weir Engineers Inc., Van Buren
• Chris Weiser, B.S.M.E. 1973 – Owner and president, JV Manufacturing, Springdale

The Outstanding Young Alumni Award recognizes exceptional professional and personal achievements of College of Engineering graduates who are 40 years of age and under. The 2012 recipients are:

• Dustin Beebe, B.S.Ch.E.1996 – President and chief executive officer, ProSys, Baton Rouge, La.
• Bryan Billingsley, B.S.I.E. 1997 – President, HEBCO Inc., Springdale
• Ben Hood, B.S.C.E.; B.S. 2002 – Chief technology officer, GridPotential, Washington, D.C.
• Gaven Smith, B.S.C.E. 2000 – Director of information services, J.B. Hunt

The College of Engineering Hall of Fame was established in 1965 to recognize prominent graduates and leaders who have made outstanding contributions to the engineering profession and to society as a whole.