CONWAY, Ark. (June 25, 2021) – Four new members have been named
to the Hendrix College Board of Trustees: Dr. John C. Byrd ’87, Latoya M. Goree
’01, Eric Jackson ’72, and Dr. Marquita Norman ’97. These individuals will
begin their six-year terms at the Board’s October meeting.
“This group of new Trustees
exemplifies the excellence that our graduates are capable of achieving, and a
commitment to advancing our mission,” said Hendrix College President Ellis
Arnold III ’79. “I am delighted that John, Latoya, Eric, and Marquita are serving
our alma mater in such an important way, and I am excited about the new
ways they will use their talents and expertise to serve Hendrix and its
students.”
Byrd, who majored in chemistry at
Hendrix, is the Gordon and Helen Hughes Taylor Professor and Chair, Department
of Internal Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. He holds
membership in the American Society of Hematology, American Society of Clinical
Oncology, American Association for Cancer Research, and the American College of
Physicians. At a national level, he
co-chairs the Leukemia Committee and Leukemia Correlative Science Committee in
the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology and is a member of the NCI
Leukemia Steering Committee. His many honors include being named a Leukemia and Lymphoma
Society Stohlman Scholar, a Fellow of the American Association for Advancement
of Science, receiving The Ohio State University Distinguished Scholar Award, recognition
among the Top 10 Clinical Research Achievements for 2014 in the U.S., and the
Joseph H. Burchenal Memorial Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cancer
Research. He also has received a Distinguished Alumni Award from the University
of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, as well as a Hendrix Odyssey Medal for Research
in 2015.
Goree, a history major while at
Hendrix, now lives in Kansas City, Missouri, where she works for Clarkson
Construction as executive director and ombudsman of the KCI Terminal Workforce
Enhancement Programs - Edgemoor & Clark Weitz Clarkson joint venture. In
that role she manages the Terminal Workforce Enhancement Programs supporting
the development of the new Kansas City International Airport, focusing on
minority businesses’ involvement in the new airport’s construction. As an
educator before transitioning to a career in the private sector, she was founder
and executive director of Little Rock Preparatory Academy and the Ewing Marion
Kauffman School in Kansas City, Missouri, and continues serving as an
educational consultant. Before her current position she was executive director
of the Center for Economic Education and Office of Financial Literacy at the University
of Missouri-Kansas City and interim executive director of the Missouri Council
on Economic Education.
Jackson, who majored in business and economics at Hendrix, is
senior vice president and a member of the board of directors for Oaklawn Racing
Casino Resort. He lives in Hot Springs, Arkansas, where he has served on the
Hot Springs and state chambers of commerce and was on the Governor’s Task Force
on Hot Springs National Park, as well as the Downtown Hot Springs
Revitalization and Garland County Industrial Development committees. He also
serves on the board and executive committee for CHI St. Vincent of Arkansas. Jackson
has received numerous honors for his volunteerism and his work in economic
development, including the Arkansas Tourism Person of the Year; the Boy Scouts
Distinguished Citizen Award; the Governor’s Volunteer Excellence Award; and the
Desoto Award for lifetime contribution to economic development in Hot Springs.
Norman, who graduated from Hendrix
as a chemistry major with a minor in gender studies, is an associate professor
of emergency medicine and assistant dean for student inclusion and diversity at
the Wake Forest School of Medicine, and is affiliated with the Maya Angelou
Center for Health Equity. She attended the University of Kansas School of
Medicine, completed her internship at Howard University, and residency training
at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. In 2020 she received the Michigan
Emergency Medicine Alumni Award for Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and
Inclusion. Norman worked at University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) from 2008-2018
and completed her MBA from the Collat School of Business at UAB. In 2019 she
transitioned to her current roles and now lives in Winston-Salem, North
Carolina. She is a member of the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM),
National Medical Association, American College of Emergency Physicians, and American
Academy of Emergency Medicine. She also serves as immediate past president of
the SAEM Academy for Diversity and Inclusion in Emergency Medicine (ADIEM) and
chairs the SAEM Equity and Inclusion Committee. Her professional and community
interests include communication skills; diversity, equity and inclusion;
education, pre-health education, K-16 healthcare pathways, and healthcare
disparities.
“It is a tremendous responsibility, as well as an honor and a
privilege, to lead an institution like Hendrix College in this day and time in
American higher education,” said Jo Ann Biggs ’80, chair of the Board of
Trustees. “We look forward to the leadership and perspective that our new board
members will bring to the College.”
About Hendrix College
A private liberal arts college in Conway, Arkansas, Hendrix
College consistently earns recognition as one of the country’s leading liberal
arts institutions, and is featured in Colleges That Change Lives: 40
Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges. Its academic
quality and rigor, innovation, and value have established Hendrix as a fixture
in numerous college guides, lists, and rankings. Founded in 1876, Hendrix has
been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. To learn more,
visit www.hendrix.edu.