Monday Kudos: Nathan Pittman Joins Southern Bancorp

Moves in the communications world, a new mall manager, and a White House honor highlight today’s movers and shakers.

NATHAN PITTMAN TAKES COMMUNICATIONS ROLE AT SOUTHERN BANCORP
Longtime political and public affairs consultant Nathan Pittman has been named the new director of communications for Southern Bancorp Inc.

Formed in 1986, Southern Bancorp Inc., a bank holding company based in Arkansas, is one of the oldest and largest community development organizations in the United States. Pittman will be responsible for managing both internal and external communications including media relations, public affairs support, social media and marketing activities for Southern Bancorp Inc. and its nonprofit affiliate Southern Bancorp Community Partners.

Pittman is a DeWitt native and graduate of Hendrix College.

LISA MEYER PROMOTED TO GM OF MCCAIN MALL
Simon Property Group promoted Lisa Meyer to General Manager of McCain Mall in North Little Rock. Meyer has served as director of marketing and business development at McCain since 1995.

Prior to accepting the position in North Little Rock, Meyer was the marketing director at Hot Springs Mall for five years.

In her new role, Meyer is responsible for managing all day-to-day operations, leasing, maintenance, business development, budgeting and monthly analysis/reporting, along with maintaining community, tenant and public relations. Additionally, Meyer will oversee the security and marketing of the center.

Meyer joined Simon Property Group in 1990. During her nearly 24 years with Simon, Meyer has served in the capacity of mall manager, marketing director, area marketing director and regional marketing director.

Meyer’s predecessor, Charles Tarkington, recently became the General Manager at Battlefield Mall in Springfield, Mo., also owned by Simon Property Group.

DEBORAH EDWARDS JOINS MANGAN HOLCOMB
Deborah Edwards of Little Rock has joined Mangan Holcomb Partners as an account executive. In this role, Edwards will be responsible for the day-to-day management and execution of marketing communications for St. Vincent Health System.

She holds a degree in marketing management from the Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas, as well as a masters’ in business administration from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Edwards is a member of the Junior League of Little Rock and Create Little Rock, the chamber’s young professional talent initiative.

NEWELL TO RECEIVE WHITE HOUSE RECOGNITION
Dee Ann Newell, M.A. of Little Rock is being honored at by the White House on June 12, 2013 for her 25 years of work with children of incarcerated parents.

Newell is being honored by the White House Office of Public Engagement as a “Champion of Change” for the work she has done to create the organization Arkansas Voices for the Children Left Behind, an organization that operates on behalf of children with incarcerated parents, their parents, and their kinship caregivers or custodial parents.

The Office of Public Engagement of the White House was developed in 2011 to honor ordinary Americans who are doing extraordinary things in their communities to out-innovate, and out-build the rest of the world.