The Jones Center says Terri Trotter is no longer CEO

Northwest Arkansas

by Paul Gatling ([email protected]) December 21, 2023 3:21 pm 1,859 views 

Springdale nonprofit The Jones Center is looking for a new chief executive.

Terri Trotter, president and CEO since 2021, has resigned. A spokeswoman for The Jones Center confirmed her departure in an email Wednesday (Dec. 20).

“Terri resigned from the organization last month [November]. Ed [Clifford] has been appointed interim CEO, and a search for a replacement will begin next month [January],” the email said.

Clifford was CEO of The Jones Center from 2012 until transitioning to a board role in late 2021. Trotter succeeded him in December of that year.

Trotter was previously president and CEO of the Midland Center for the Arts in Midland, Mich. Before that, she led multiple cultural organizations, including performing arts centers and museums, and had a long history in Northwest Arkansas.

She served in several roles at the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville, from 1998 to 2014, including chief operating officer. She moved to Sun Valley, Idaho, to become president and CEO of the Sun Valley Center for the Arts, overseeing the integration of a producing regional theater company into the center’s organizational structure and increasing the fundraising results for expanded operations. In 2015, she moved to Michigan for the CEO position with the Midland Center for the Arts, where she led the multi-campus organization in developing a new strategic vision.

Trotter could not be reached for comment. Supporting Clifford on The Jones Center’s executive leadership team are Emily Ironside (chief development officer) and Chris Sooter (chief financial officer).

The Jones Center provides recreational and educational activities and programming. It was founded in 1995 by Springdale philanthropist Bernice Jones, the wife of Jones Truck Lines founder Harvey Jones. It was her vision of being a destination where all are welcome and no one is turned away based on their ability to pay. Through the support of the Walmart Foundation, The Jones Center provides program scholarships and activity passes to area children and families.

The 220,000-square-foot center has Northwest Arkansas’ only indoor ice arena, the Tyson Foods Fitness Center, an indoor pool complex, a gymnasium with an indoor track, and a conference center.

According to its most recent IRS filings, The Jones Center, which employs 100 people, had over $18.4 million in assets.

PEDAL PARTNERSHIP
This week, The Jones Center announced a partnership with Bentonville nonprofit Pedal It Forward. A new bicycle shop will open next spring on the south side of The Jones Center campus in Springdale in in a 3,000-square-foot building known historically as “the truck wash.”

“We are excited to bring Pedal It Forward to Springdale and collaborate with the community to make a meaningful difference in the lives of our neighbors. Bicycles not only provide transportation but also promote health and independence for children and adults alike,” said Kenny Williams, executive director at Pedal It Forward.

Pedal it Forward was created in 2014 when Crafton Tull chairman and CEO Matt Crafton and fellow cyclists decided to collect bikes for kids at Christmas. Since then, the nonprofit has grown and collects, refurbishes and distributes bicycles to individuals throughout Northwest Arkansas. facing economic challenges

STAFF ANNOUNCEMENTS
On Thursday, The Jones Center shared details of a few new staff hires:

  • Jill Suel is the director of marketing and communications.
  • Natasha Kendle is the director of events and guest services.
  • Jeff Poole is the director of sports and recreation.
  • Amanda Brush is the membership and annual giving manager.