Former Tyson exec among UA alumni board appointees

The Arkansas Alumni Association, comprised of graduates from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, is adding six new members to its national board: Greg Lee of Fayetteville, Ronald Rainey of Little Rock, Paul Parette of Dallas, Linda Bedford Jackson of Austin, Texas, Robert Kolf of Wildwood, Mo. and Brian Wolff of Sherwood Forest, Md.

Members of the board serve three-year terms.

Five additional board members — John Forrest Ales, Susan Kemp, Lott Rolfe IV, Roger Sublett and Amy Tu — were selected to serve a second three-year term, according to the press release.

GREG LEE
Lee is the former president and chief administration officer of Tyson Foods International and 1970 UA graduate in business administration. He retired in 2007 after 27 years at Tyson Foods.

He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the UA Sam M. Walton Business in 2009 and the Citation of Distinguished Alumni Award from the Arkansas Alumni Association in 2014, according to a UA press release

“The UA has been an important part of my life from childhood until the present,” Lee said in the press release. “I grew up a block from the campus and attended many UA activities all through childhood.

“As the first college graduate in my family, my experience at the UA has paid many dividends to both me and my family,” Lee said. “I am proud to be an Arkansan, a UA alumni and the father of UA alumni.”

Lee is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Board and co-chair for Campaign Arkansas at Walton College, in addition to a member of the board for the UA Technology Development Foundation.

Lee is also chairman of the Washington Regional Medical System, the Walton Arts Center board and the Whiteriver Bancshares board. He is vice-chairman of the board for Signature Bank of Arkansas, a member of NWA Council, Accelerate Arkansas and a member of the board for VIC Technology Venture Development, according to the UA.

RONALD RAINEY
Rainey is a professor with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture and works as an economist within the Department of Agriculture Economics and Agribusiness.

His academic background includes a 2001 doctorate degree in economics, a 1993 master’s degree in agricultural economics and a 1991 bachelor’s degree in agribusiness, all from the UA.

“I truly believe in the invaluable role that education plays on a journey to success,” Rainey said in the release. “I hope that my efforts can enhance the UA’s connections to alumni, supporters and prospective students to expand this pathway and the opportunities that the UA provides.”

Rainey serves on the Board of Directors for Arkansas Farmers’ Market Association and the Arkansas State Horticulture Society and is project director for Arkansas’ MarketMaker program and board member for the national program, according to the UA.

Also on the national level, he is vice president of logistics and outreach for the Food Distribution and Research Society and its former president.

PAUL PARETTE
Parette is a partner at Deloitte & Touche LLP in Dallas and a 1989 UA graduate with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in accounting.

He is a member of the Walton College of Business Accounting Department Advisory board and has served on the Walton College of Business Dean’s Alumni Advisory Council. He received the Accounting Department’s 2005 Alumni Award. He also is a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon.

“I am honored to be asked to serve on the board and will strive to be a voice of responsible leadership with this illustrious group,” Parette said in the press release. “My efforts will be focused on increasing our membership and scholarships.”

LINDA BEDFORD JACKSON
Jackson is director of university relations at Huston-Tillotson University and co-owner of Yvette’s Bakery Box.

As an undergraduate at the UA, she was one of the first two African-Americans on the women’s track and field team in 1976 and the first female sports editor of the Arkansas Traveler, the university’s student-run newspaper, according to the UA.

Jackson also holds an MBA from LeTourneau University in Dallas and was part of the Harvard Management Institute at Harvard Graduate School, according to the UA.

Jackson is also a board member of the Arkansas Alumni Association Black Alumni Society.

Other community involvement includes 2016 communications recipient for the 14th Biennial African-American Women’s Profiles of Prominence.

ROBERT KOLF
Kolf is a principal engineer for AECOM Inc. in St. Louis and 1978 UA graduate in civil engineering.

As former St. Louis chapter president for the alumni association, Kolf led an effort to establish a fundraising event that raised $10,000 in UA scholarships in its first year, 2014.

Koff is also a third-degree member of the charitable organization, the Knights of Columbus.

BRIAN WOLFF
Wolff is senior vice president of external affairs at Edison Electric Institute and1989 UA graduate in economics and journalism.

He is part of the Campaign Arkansas Alumni Association Unit Committee and a member of the executive committee for the Roosevelt Institute and the board of directors for the Public Affairs Institute, according to the press release.

He also received an executive MBA from the University of California at Berkeley and is pursuing a master’s degree at the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Prior to joining the institute in 2009, Wolff served as a Capitol Hill strategist for the U.S. House of Representatives and has served under former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

He previously served as finance and taxation legislative aide to former Sen. David Pryor.