Energy association adds communications manager as 3rd hire in January

The Arkansas Advanced Energy Association (AAEA) and the Arkansas Advanced Energy Foundation (AAEF) has hired Stephanie Trevino Slagle as communications manager, according to a Friday (Jan. 31) news release.

Slagle is the third employee that AAEA has hired in January. The association has seven employees.

“After more than a decade in the tourism industry, I’m excited to shift gears and take on a new challenge supporting Arkansas Advanced Energy’s mission to serve as the business voice for energy in Arkansas,” Slagle said. “This is an amazing team with a proven track record of driving economic development in Arkansas’s energy sector, and I’m eager to help tell the story.”

In her new role, Slagle will develop and implement communication strategies that align with the organization’s mission and goals, the release shows. She oversees all marketing, public relations and digital outreach efforts.

A Maumelle native, Slagle has more than 16 years of communications experience. She worked in public relations for Mangan Holcomb Partners before joining the North Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau in 2013. She was promoted to vice president of marketing and communications and named a 2021 Hospitality Hero by the Arkansas Hospitality Association.

Slagle graduated from Hendrix College and earned a strategic communications certificate from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She is a certified travel marketing professional (TMP).

AAEA also recently hired Ebony Mitchell as director of external affairs, one of three new hires beginning in January. According to the release, AAEA staff has increased by 43% through the organization’s grant and membership efforts.

“The expansion reflects the growing demand for advocacy and workforce development support within Arkansas’s energy industry,” the association noted.