James Hendren steps down from Venture Center board

James Hendren stepped down from his role as chair of the board of directors at The Venture Center at the beginning of this year, after more than a decade of leadership.

Hendren served as chair since The Venture Center’s founding in 2014, helping guide the organization from its earliest days into its current status in Arkansas’ startup and innovation ecosystem. His leadership helped shape The Venture Center’s mentorship-driven model and its long-term focus on building scalable, high-growth companies, the organization said in announcing his retirement.

Under Hendren’s leadership, the organization hosted weekly founder gatherings, built a large trained mentor network, and launched intensive accelerator programs that required founders to spend extended time in Arkansas helping companies grow while anchoring talent locally.

“We realized things really weren’t going to happen if we just wrote reports and walked away,” Hendren said. “You have to build the companies. You have to build the systems around them. And from the beginning, mentorship was at the core of that work — that’s what set The Venture Center apart, and it still does.”

During Hendren’s tenure as board chair, The Venture Center supported hundreds of founders, helped launch and grow startups across multiple sectors, and played a central role in shaping Arkansas’s entrepreneurial infrastructure. While programs and funding models evolved over time, the organization’s commitment to mentorship and founder support remained consistent.

“James is truly a pioneer in Arkansas’ entrepreneurial history, and his impact goes far beyond the creation and early growth of The Venture Center,” said Arthur Orduña, executive director of The Venture Center. “From his own successful high-tech start-ups to championing critical legislation for venture investment, James has worked tirelessly not only for his own initiatives to succeed but also to help others realize their own success. It’s been an honor working with him, and I look forward to his continuing support as a mentor to Venture Center members.”

The Venture Center’s Board of Directors appointed Ray Dillon, former president and CEO of Deltic Timber Corporation, to serve as interim board chair at the beginning of the year.