Col. Nash to receive 2024 Jack White Leadership Award

Col. Andrew “Gus” Nash, the U.S. Air Force officer who led early basing actions with the foreign pilot training center in Fort Smith, will receive the Jack White Leadership Award from the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce, the chamber announced Monday (July 15).

The award has since 1990 recognized community and business leaders who have had a significant impact on the area. Nash will receive the award Tuesday (July 16) at the Leadership Fort Smith Commencement event at Wyndham Fort Smith. (Class graduates are listed below.)

White was an employee of OG&E for 35 years, a U.S. Navy veteran, family man, and lifelong learner. He highly regarded for his service, leadership, reputation and collaboration to make the Fort Smith a better place, according to the chamber. He died in 1997 at the age of 57. The void he left has since been “filled by the work of other leaders that carry his spirit of servant leadership, hard work, and determination in pushing for progress to get things done to make our region a better place to live,” the chamber has said.

According to the chamber, Nash is a command pilot with more than 2,000 hours in the T-37, T-38, F-16, A-10, and KC-135 aircraft. As an F-16 and A-10 fighter pilot, he has flown and led numerous combat missions in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.

Prior to his role at Arkansas Joint Force Headquarters, Nash served as the 33rd Fighter Wing Detachment 1 Commander for the F-16/F-35 Foreign Miliary Sales Pilot Training Center basing action at Ebbing Air National Guard Base.

“In this position, he executed United States Air Force basing plans for future placement, maintenance, and operation of 36 fighter jets (F-16 and F-35s) from five different countries. Col Nash has also served as the 188th Wing Detachment 1 Commander- Razorback Aerial Bombing Range at Ebbing Air National Guard Base,” the chamber noted.

In his joint force role, Nash is based at Camp Robinson in central Arkansas and he coordinates and oversees military and domestic emergency response operations involving Arkansas Air National Guard personnel, equipment, and installations.

LEADERSHIP AWARD
Following are previous Jack White Leadership Award recipients.
1990 Hazel Evans
1991 Nancy Orr
1992 Ross Pendergraft
1993 David Olive
1994 Sandi Sanders
1995
1996 Robert E. Miller
1997 Ray Baker
1998 Jim Spears
1999 Josie Decker
2000 Joel Stubblefield
2001 Benny Gooden
2002 Robert A. Young III
2003 Carter Hunt
2004 Charles Shuffield
2005 Roland S. Boreham, Jr.
2006 Dorothy Rappeport
2007 Don Flanders
2008 Edward “Sandy” Sanders
2009 Mark Rumsey
2010 Sister Judith Marie Keith
2011 Philip H. Merry, Jr.
2012 Sam M. Sicard (posthumously)
2013 Melody Trimble
2014 Ivy Owen
2015 Col. Mark Anderson
2016 Steve Clark
2017 Sam T. Sicard
2018 Dr. Jerry Stewart (posthumously)
2019 Jason Green
2020 Trent Goins and George McGill
2021 Charlotte Tidwell
2022 Bill Hanna
2023 Tim Allen

LEADERSHIP CLASS
Following are members of the 2024 Leadership Fort Smith class.
Taelor Cravey: Water Tech, Inc.
Kara Crowley: University of Arkansas at Fort Smith
Amye Drackett: Fort Smith Public Schools
Marie Holland: Mercy Health Foundation
Cordelia Hook: Future School of Fort Smith
Eric Huber: Fort Smith Public Schools Police
Bridget Jones: ABB
Melanie Keith: ArcBest
Amber Kinchen: Simmons Bank
DJ Madison: Mercy Rehabilitation Hospital
Allan Marshall: Arkansas Colleges of Health Education
Tammy McKissic: Fort Smith Public Schools
Joey Mendoza: Gerber
Josh Mickle: Mickle Griffin
Lexi Morris: Preferred Office Technologies
Chrissy Nguyen: Edward Jones
Sydney Rebstock: Arvest Bank
Matthew Seiter: Beshears Construction Inc.
Aubry Severe: Community Services Clearinghouse
Mark Shaffer: Bly Thomas Mental Health Counseling
Emily Treadaway: The CALL
Bryn Tucker: Victory in Print
Jessica Underwood: City of Fort Smith