McReynolds, Morris join Arkansas Research Alliance Board

by Talk Business & Politics staff ([email protected]) 1,395 views 

ArcBest Chairman, President and CEO Judy McReynolds and Jason Morris, senior vice president of Walmart Enterprise Business Solutions, have joined the Arkansas Research Alliance Board of Trustees.

“We’re proud and honored to welcome Judy and Jason to the ARA Board,” Bryan Barnhouse, president and CEO of ARA, said in a Wednesday (July 20) announcement. “Both bring exceptional leadership, business acumen, and a shared vision for the future of our state – one brought about through strategic investments in our university research talent.”

McReynolds was named president and CEO in 2010 of Fort Smith-based ArcBest, and has been chairman since April 2016. Before joining ArcBest, she was director of financial reporting and taxation for Tontitown-based carrier P.A.M. Transportation Services Inc. and a senior manager of accounting firm Ernst & Young LLP. She serves or has served on boards for OGE Energy Corp., First Bank Corp., First National Bank of Fort Smith and the Transportation Industry Council of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. She was also one of Northwest Arkansas Business Journal’s 2018 Women in Business.

Morris leads enterprise systems, including people technology modernization, finance tech, associate digital experience and shared services. Morris also helps lead Walmart’s global tech strategy for providing technology solutions and shared services that are critical for the day-to-day running of Walmart’s business and the digital transformation of its corporate functions.

The ARA invests in university research talent for the future of Arkansas. It is comprised of leading members of the Arkansas’ business community, plus the chancellors of the state’s five research campuses – University of Arkansas, Arkansas State University, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.