Top fundraiser at The Jones Center in Springdale is retiring

Kelly Kemp-McLintock, the chief advancement officer for Springdale nonprofit The Jones Center, is retiring. The organization announced the news Wednesday (May 25) in a press release.

Kemp-McLintock has been the organization’s chief fundraiser since 2004, following a long television career.

The Jones Center, a privately held organization that opened in 1995, is a recreation and education center located in downtown Springdale. It’s named for the late Harvey Jones, a Springdale businessman and trucking industry leader, and his wife, Bernice Jones. The facility and campus are owned and managed by The Jones Trust.

According to the release, Kemp-McLintock will remain a contract employee “for the next few months” through some of the organization’s major special events.

The nonprofit did not name a successor.

“This is a position that I have been honored to hold since founding trustees, Dr. Joel Carver and Dr. Dan Ferritor, hired me as the organization’s first chief advancement officer,” Kemp-McLintock said in a statement. “This was shortly after the organization’s founder Bernice Jones passed in 2003. It has been such a privilege to have been involved with establishing and expanding the organization’s fundraising efforts over nearly two decades. I feel we have accomplished a great deal during that time in support of the organization’s mission and to carry forward founder Bernice Jones’ legacy.”

According to the release, Kemp-McLintock’s role encompassed leading and overseeing the advancement department and helping close a $30 million endowment campaign for the Jones Trust in 2015. She also planned various special fundraising events like The Golf Event and the Big Night Gala.

Kemp-McLintock was recognized in 2014 at the National Philanthropy Day (NPD) Celebration as the Northwest Arkansas Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ (AFP) “Outstanding Fundraising Executive of the Year.” Most recently, Kemp-McLintock co-authored a Design Excellence Grant, awarded by the Walton Family Foundation, to reimagine the Jones 54-acre campus in downtown Springdale.

“Kelly has made an enormous contribution to the Jones organization and has represented us well,” Jones Trust board chair Celia Swanson said. “She built our advancement function from the ground up, building a strong foundation of mission-driven philanthropy for us to grow and enrich. We are grateful to Kelly for her outstanding work to help position our organization well for the future.”