Connections: UAMS names associate provost for Northwest Arkansas regional campus

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has named Dr. Jay Gandy associate provost at the Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville, effective Aug. 1.

As associate provost, Gandy will be responsible for providing strategic and operational leadership to all academic programs in Northwest Arkansas. Gandy is currently the interim dean of the UAMS Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health, where he has served since Dec. 31.

A longtime researcher, educator and administrator, Gandy joined UAMS in 1985, first in the department of pharmacology and toxicology in the College of Medicine, and for the past 18 years as a professor and chair of the environmental and occupational health department in the College of Public Health.

“I am a native Arkansan and have spent 34 years with UAMS and care deeply for UAMS and for the state of Arkansas,” Gandy said in a statement. “I am honored to be selected as associate provost at the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus. This is the fastest-growing region in the state, and I am energized by the opportunities that UAMS has to grow right along with the population.”

NEW HIRES
Banking & Finance
Emily Boyd
Fayetteville
Employer: Arvest Bank
Title: private banking adviser
Previous employer: Signature Bank of Arkansas
Previous title: private banking officer

Stephanie Riffle
Rogers
Employer: United Federal Credit Union
Title: market vice president
Previous employer: Regions Bank
Previous title: vice president, consumer banking manager

Nonprofit
Jessie Wagner
Bentonville
Employer: Greater Bentonville Area Chamber of Commerce
Title: director of events and engagement
Previous employer: NorthWest Arkansas Community College
Previous title: business development manager, Brightwater

Elizabeth Prenger
Springdale
Employer: The Jones Trust
Title: strategic gifts manager
Previous employer: The First Tee of Northwest Arkansas
Previous title: executive director

Architecture & Planning
Melissa AJ Dysart
Hindsville
Employer: Level 5 Design Group
Title: project coordinator
Previous employer: Tatum-Smith Engineers Inc.
Previous title: BIM technician

Real Estate
Kaitlyn Fondano
Fayetteville
Employer: Specialized Real Estate Group
Title: real estate development manager
Previous employer: Desert Viking Development (Ariz.)
Previous title: project development manager

PROMOTIONS
Banking & Finance
Kim Cheah
Fayetteville
Employer: Arvest Bank
Title: senior vice president, Fayetteville market
Previous title: Arvest Wealth Management senior client adviser

Stacy Matlock
Fayetteville
Employer: Arvest Bank
Title: private banking adviser
Previous title: commercial banker

Retail
Whitney Cooper
Bentonville
Employer: Kellogg’s
Title: director of omnichannel and emerging delivery platforms, Kellogg’s North America
Previous title: mass eCommerce lead, Kellogg’s U.S.