Hendrix College names four to Board of Trustees

Four new members have been named to the Hendrix College Board of Trustees: Dr. John C. Byrd ’87, Latoya M. Goree ’01, Eric Jackson ’72, and Dr. Marquita Norman ’97. These individuals will begin their six-year terms at the board’s October meeting.

“This group of new Trustees exemplifies the excellence that our graduates are capable of achieving, and a commitment to advancing our mission,” said Hendrix College President Ellis Arnold III ’79. “I am delighted that John, Latoya, Eric, and Marquita are serving our alma mater in such an important way, and I am excited about the new ways they will use their talents and expertise to serve Hendrix and its students.”

Byrd, who majored in chemistry at Hendrix, is the Gordon and Helen Hughes Taylor Professor and Chair, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. He holds membership in the American Society of Hematology, American Society of Clinical Oncology, American Association for Cancer Research, and the American College of Physicians. At a national level, he co-chairs the Leukemia Committee and Leukemia Correlative Science Committee in the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology and is a member of the NCI Leukemia Steering Committee.

His many honors include being named a Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Stohlman Scholar, a Fellow of the American Association for Advancement of Science, receiving The Ohio State University Distinguished Scholar Award, recognition among the Top 10 Clinical Research Achievements for 2014 in the U.S., and the Joseph H. Burchenal Memorial Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cancer Research.

He also has received a Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, as well as a Hendrix Odyssey Medal for Research in 2015.

Goree, a history major while at Hendrix, now lives in Kansas City, Missouri, where she works for Clarkson Construction as executive director and ombudsman of the KCI Terminal Workforce Enhancement Programs – Edgemoor & Clark Weitz Clarkson joint venture. In that role, she manages the Terminal Workforce Enhancement Programs supporting the development of the new Kansas City International Airport, focusing on minority businesses’ involvement in the new airport’s construction.

As an educator before transitioning to a career in the private sector, she was founder and executive director of Little Rock Preparatory Academy and the Ewing Marion Kauffman School in Kansas City, Missouri, and continues serving as an educational consultant. Before her current position, she was executive director of the Center for Economic Education and Office of Financial Literacy at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and interim executive director of the Missouri Council on Economic Education.

Jackson, who majored in business and economics at Hendrix, is senior vice president and a member of the board of directors for Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort. He lives in Hot Springs, Ark., where he has served on the Hot Springs and state chambers of commerce and was on the Governor’s Task Force on Hot Springs National Park, as well as the Downtown Hot Springs Revitalization and Garland County Industrial Development committees.

He also serves on the board and executive committee for CHI St. Vincent of Arkansas. Jackson has received numerous honors for his volunteerism and his work in economic development, including the Arkansas Tourism Person of the Year; the Boy Scouts Distinguished Citizen Award; the Governor’s Volunteer Excellence Award; and the Desoto Award for lifetime contribution to economic development in Hot Springs.

Norman, who graduated from Hendrix as a chemistry major with a minor in gender studies, is an associate professor of emergency medicine and assistant dean for student inclusion and diversity at the Wake Forest School of Medicine and is affiliated with the Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity. She attended the University of Kansas School of Medicine, completed her internship at Howard University, and residency training at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

In 2020, she received the Michigan Emergency Medicine Alumni Award for Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Norman worked at University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) from 2008-2018 and completed her MBA from the Collat School of Business at UAB. In 2019, she transitioned to her current roles and now lives in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

She is a member of the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM), National Medical Association, American College of Emergency Physicians, and American Academy of Emergency Medicine. She also serves as immediate past president of the SAEM Academy for Diversity and Inclusion in Emergency Medicine (ADIEM) and chairs the SAEM Equity and Inclusion Committee. Her professional and community interests include communication skills; diversity, equity and inclusion; education, pre-health education, K-16 healthcare pathways, and healthcare disparities.

“It is a tremendous responsibility, as well as an honor and a privilege, to lead an institution like Hendrix College in this day and time in American higher education,” said Jo Ann Biggs ’80, chair of the Board of Trustees. “We look forward to the leadership and perspective that our new board members will bring to the College.”