Saturday Kudos: Arkansas Baptist Foundation President-elect Chosen

A new President, CFO and board member are named by three well-known Arkansas institutions.

BOBBY THOMAS TO BECOME BAPTIST FOUNDATION PRESIDENT
Bobby G. Thomas, 37, of Cabot, has been named president-elect of the Arkansas Baptist Foundation.

Thomas, who serves as the Foundation’s institutional investment consultant, was selected by the Foundation’s May board of trustees meeting. Thomas replaces David Moore, 63, who will retire on or before April 1, 2015.

Thomas is one of 65 “institutional consultants” employed in the Merrill Lynch/Bank of America system. He is an active member at Mount Carmel Baptist Church in Cabot, where he currently serves as chairman of the deacons. He is a certified financial planner (CFP) and a certified institutional management analyst (CIMA).

UAMS NAMES WILLIAM BOWES AS CFO
UAMS has named veteran higher education and health care financial professional William R. Bowes as chief financial officer. Bowes, who has more than 30 years of higher education finance experience, will begin July 1.

Of Bowes’ 32 years working in higher education finance, 26 have been in senior management positions at the system and institutional levels. He most recently was chief financial officer for the Connecticut Colleges and State Universities Board of Regents for Higher Education, which includes four Connecticut state universities, 12 community and technical colleges, and the state’s experiential and online learning institution.

He spent 16 years (1995-2011) in various financial leadership roles in the University System of Georgia, including senior vice president for operations, senior vice president for finance and administration, and vice president for finance for Georgia Health Sciences University. Bowes was vice chancellor for fiscal affairs and treasurer, and associate vice chancellor for fiscal affairs for the University System of Georgia Board of Regents, which oversaw 35 public higher education institutions in the state.

He also previously served as assistant director of budget and finance, director of budget and finance and assistant commissioner/financial affairs for the Connecticut Department of Higher Education from 1980-88.

Bowes earned an undergraduate degree in economics from Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y., and a master’s degree in urban and policy sciences from the State University of New York at Stony Brook W. Averill Harriman School for Management and Policy College of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

ARKANSAS CAPITAL CORP. ADDS KEVIN BURNS TO BOARD
The Arkansas Capital Corporation is pleased to announce the appointment of Kevin Burns, senior vice president and associate general counsel, Stephens Inc., to its all-volunteer board of directors.

“Kevin has worked with Arkansas Capital as an attorney for many years and always provided excellent guidance,” said C. Sam Walls, CEO of Arkansas Capital Corporation. “We are thrilled he is now able to serve on our board of directors and feel he will be a great asset as we continue to grow the company.”

Prior to joining Stephens Inc., Burns was in private practice with Rose Law Firm, a professional association for more than 27 years.

He received his bachelor of industrial engineering degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1977 and his law degree from the University of Arkansas in 1982. Prior to law school, Burns was a systems engineer with The Procter & Gamble Company.