Bryan Barnhouse promoted to COO of Arkansas Research Alliance

The Arkansas Research Alliance (ARA) announced Wednesday (Aug. 1) that Bryan Barnhouse has been promoted to the role of Chief Operating Officer. Formerly the organization’s vice president, Barnhouse’s tenure has helped ARA see growth and influence in the state.

“Bryan has done a great job for us,” ARA President and CEO Jerry Adams said in a statement. “To elevate him to this position is just the natural next step.”

Before joining ARA in 2016, Barnhouse served as Jefferson County’s director of economic development. His collaborations with Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC) and his close relationship with the National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR) have allowed ARA to bring even stronger unity between the state’s research campuses, government and business.

“I love what we’re accomplishing at ARA,” Barnhouse said. The science and research community in Arkansas has never been stronger.”

In recent years, ARA has moved forward with a number of initiatives to increase the value and visibility of science in Arkansas, including starting a Fellows Program in 2015, hosting the annual Arkansas Bioinformatics Consortium, and founding The ARA Academy of Scholars and Fellows, a unique fellowship of the state’s brightest researchers from Arkansas’ five research campuses, plus NCTR.