Forty Under 40: Wes Shelton

Wes Shelton’s life is nothing if not purposeful, both personally and professionally.

Born the son of a dentist in Batesville, Shelton spent much of his childhood helping at his father’s office.

“I’m going to be a dentist; that’s what my dad does,” he’d say.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Arkansas in 2003, he undertook seven years of dental school at the University of Tennessee, finishing with a specialty in periodontics before joining a practice here in 2010.

Shelton and his wife Ella lost a 1-year-old son, Taylor, in 2013 to Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC) and formed the Taylor McKeen Shelton Foundation. The nonprofit has raised more than $150,000 to fund national research and support local programs, including sponsoring a bedroom in the Ronald McDonald Family Room at Mercy Hospital in Rogers, and a children’s pool at the new aquatic center in Batesville. Annual golf tournaments and smaller events serve as fundraisers.

The Sheltons were recently asked to join the family advisory board of the national SUDC Foundation and support a research project involving Columbia, New York and Duke universities, and the Mayo Clinic. 

“The foundation gave us a purpose to talk about Taylor,” Shelton said. “When you don’t talk about it, you become depressed. We have found that Northwest Arkansas is a great place to seek support and raise awareness.”