AACE ELECTIONS FOR
2006-2007 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

On-Line voting to was held March 21 - 28.

Your 2006-2007 AACE Board of Directors
President - Kimberly Spicer (University of the Ozarks)
President-Elect - Ron Orick (University of Arkansas - Fort Smith)
Secretary - Bethany Pitts (Lyon College)
Treasurer - Beckye Bates Clark (University of Arkansas)
Historian - Mike Caldwell (Hendrix College)
Employer Rep - Kesha Walker (Enterprise Rent-A-Car)
4-Year College Rep - Ron Edwards (University of Central Arkansas)
2-Year College Rep - Dianne Butler (Pulaski Technical College)

Congratulations!
Thank you for participating in this year's on-line voting!

PROCESS/TIMELINE

Friday, March 17th - Slate of candidates posted with bios
Tuesday, March 21st - beginning of on-line voting (Paid AACE members for 2005-2006 will receive an e-mail from the service we're using for voting with a link to the ballot. Questions can be directed to Julie Agee Gillaspy, AACE Executive Secretary - julie.gillaspy@acxiom.com)
Friday, March 24 - on-line voting ends -
** Because of Spring Break schedules, the DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO 5PM ON 3/28 **
Results will be announced via e-mail and the AACE webpage the week of March 27-31.

CANDIDATE BIOS/POSITION DESCRIPTIONS

Click on office to see a description of that office. Click on the candidate name to see a short bio for that person.

Non-Elected Positions:
President - Kimberly Spicer (University of the Ozarks)
Immediate Past-President - Allison Nicholas (Acxiom Corporation)

Elected Positions:
PRESIDENT-ELECT
Ron Orick - University of Arkansas - Fort Smith

SECRETARY
Bethany Pitts - Lyon College

TREASURER
Beckye Bates Clark - University of Arkansas

HISTORIAN
Mike Caldwell - Hendrix College

DIRECTOR OF EMPLOYER RELATIONS
Kesha Walker - Enterprise Rent-A-Car

DIRECTOR OF 4-YEAR COLLEGE RELATIONS
Ron Edwards - University of Central Arkansas

DIRECTOR OF 2-YEAR COLLEGE RELATIONS
Dianne Butler - Pulaski Technical College

President
The President will preside over all meetings of the Arkansas Association of Colleges and Employers and the Board of Directors. He or she shall: appoint all committee chairpersons; serve as an ex-officio member of all committees; will recommend to the Board of Directors for approval and appointment successors to fill unexpired terms of office of Board members and officers or director with the exception of the President-elect. In accordance with Article II, Section 5, the President shall have a private room during the Spring Conferences. The President will perform such duties as are incident to the office, or that may be assigned by the Board of Directors.

President-Elect
The President-elect will accede to the office of the President. The President-elect will perform all the duties of the President in the President’s absence or at his or her request and shall serve as Acting President until the next election, should the President’s office become vacant. In addition, the President-elect will assist the President in the activation and motivation of the standing committees appointed by the President under Board approval through the coordinating committee, the President-elect shall perform all duties assigned by the President or the Board of Directors.

Ron Orick has served as the Director of Career Services at the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith for the past 7 years.  He has been a member of AACE since 2000 (approx.) and the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) since 1999. In addition to AACE and NACE, he is active in several organizations, including the Workforce Investment Board of Western Arkansas, the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Workforce Alliance for Growth in the Economy (WAGE) Advisory board, and the Society of Human Resource Managers of Western Arkansas (SHRMWA).  He served as SHRMWA’s Education Chair from 2002-2005. 

Prior to joining UA Fort Smith, his experience includes a 17 year career with ABF Freight System where he supervised a nationwide college recruiting program for their management training program from 1995 to 1999.  His other positions at ABF included human resources, training and development, supervision, branch management, and sales. 

Ron’s educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Lyon College (formerly Arkansas College) in Batesville, Arkansas and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas.  He holds certifications in Human Resources (PHR), Microsoft Word and Excel. 

Secretary
The secretary will direct and be responsible for the minutes of the Board of Directors and official business meetings and will direct and be responsible for preserving all papers, letters, and records of all transactions except those of the Treasurer. The Secretary will notify the membership at least thirty (30) days in advance of a business meeting by written notice stating the place, day, and hour of such meeting. In addition, the Secretary will transmit to the membership of the Association any proposed revision of the bylaws at least thirty (30) days in advance of a business meeting; the Secretary will advise members of other meetings as required; he or she shall perform all other duties assigned by the President or the Board of Directors.

Bethany Pitts currently serves as the Director of Career Development at
Lyon College in Batesville and has been in this A Lyon alumnus, Bethany
finds joy in assisting students in preparing and planning for the future.
Bethany currently serves on the AACE Marketing and Newsletter committees and hopes to become even more involved in AACE this year.

Prior to serving as the Director of Career Development, Bethany worked at Lyon as the Academic Coordinator for the Upward Bound APPLE Project. Bethany has also worked as a victim support specialist for sexual assault victims, a residential treatment counselor for emotionally disturbed teens, and a high school English teacher.

Treasurer (2 Year commitment)
The Treasurer will direct and be responsible for keeping accurate records of all financial business of the Association, will present the Annual Report of expenditures and income to the Board of Directors for review and approval; will pay all bills against the Association according to the instruction of the Board of Directors; shall submit an estimated budget in conjunction with the Finance Committee for the Board of Directors’ approval for the upcoming fiscal year by August 1 of said year; will maintain a record of paid members; and will perform all other duties assigned by the President or the Board of Directors.

Beckye Bates Clark has been the Marketing Coordinator for the University of Arkansas Career Center since July 2002.  She is responsible for overseeing 14 Career Fairs a year for the university and for co-planning and coordinating about 15 career education and training events a year. Beckye worked with Associate Director to redevelop the U of A Career Center website, and also jointly implemented a new Senior Year Commemoration event held twice a year beginning last fall.  Prior to her current position, Beckye worked in Development for the U of A Law School and for the Texas State Legislature in Austin, TX.

Beckye holds a  B.S. and M.A. in Communications from Oklahoma State University. Currently, Becky holds the following volunteer positions: AACE Marketing Coordinator; Treasurer for Northwest Arkansas Alumnae Panhellenic; Kappa Kappa Gamma Alumnae; and Guest Services at Fellowship Bible Church of NWA.

Beckye has been a member of AACE since Fall ’04 and has attended most conferences since that time. Beckye’s vision for AACE is to continue to support the growth of AACE membership, especially employer members, through any means possible.

Historian
The Historian shall preserve documents related to AACE events, take photographs at all Association events, and coordinate other promotional activities, and publish the bi-annual AACE Newsletter under the direction of the President. The Historian shall also perform all duties and special projects designated by the President or the Board of Directors.

Mike Caldwell has worked at Hendrix College since 2002, both in the Office of Career Services and in the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs.   He is currently Assistant Director of Career Services at Hendrix, a position he has held since February 2005.  He graduated from the University of Central Arkansas with a Bachelor of Science in Education and from Central Baptist College with an Associate of Arts degree in Education. He is currently pursuing a Master of Arts degree in History at the University of Central Arkansas.  Mike is a qualified administrator of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator instrument, state certified teacher, and commissioner for Conway’s Asa P. Robinson Historic District.  He is also a member of the Conway Kiwanis Club and American Historical Association.  Mike has lived in the Central Arkansas area for over 25 years.  His family includes his wife Marcie and his daughter Madeline.

Immediate Past President
The Immediate Past President shall serve in an advisory capacity to the Board of Directors and will perform all other duties assigned by the President or the Board of Directors.

Director of Four-Year College Relations
The Director for Four-Year College Relations shall be a representative of four-year college or university members of the Association to the Board of Directors; he or she shall direct and lead membership development, facilitate four-year college or university communication, and coordinate other promotional activities; the Director for Four-Year College Relations shall perform all other duties assigned by the President or Board of Directors.

Ron Edwards is completing his 3rd year as the Assistant Director of Cooperative Education at the University of Central Arkansas. Prior to coming to UCA he retired from Volunteer State Community College with 30 years of service. His experience includes teaching, counseling and administration. Academic preparation include a BS in Biology from Tennessee Tech, an MA in Counseling from Wayne State University and completion of course work for the EDS in Student Peronnel in Higher Education at Western Kentucky University. Ron currently holds a Chief Flight Instructor Rating and is a Licenced Professional Counselor and Marriage and Family Therapist (Retired) in the State of Tennessee. He has been a member of AACE, SWACE and NACE since 2003.

Director for Employer Relations
The Director for Employer Relations shall be a representative of employer members of the Association to the Board of Directors; he or she shall direct and lead membership development, facilitate college or university communication, and coordinate other promotional activities; and the Director for Employer Relations shall perform all other duties assigned by the President or Board of Directors.

Kesha Carey Walker is the Regional Recruiting Supervisor for Enterprise Rent-A-Car. She has served in this capacity since October 2004. Kesha began her career with Enterprise Rent-A-Car over seven years ago in the Management Trainee Internship Program. Born and raised in the historic southwestern Arkansas town of Old Washington, She attended Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication with a minor in Mass Media in December 1998.  Kesha serves on the AACE marketing committee, Henderson State Alumni Board, Female Rites of Passage Mentor Program and has participated in several leadership programs throughout Arkansas.

Director of Two-Year College Relations
The Director for Two-Year College Relations shall be a representative of two-year college or university members of the Association to the Board of Directors; he or she shall direct and lead membership development, facilitate two-year college or university communication, and coordinate other promotional activities; the Director for Two-Year College Relations shall perform all other duties assigned by the President or Board of Directors.

Dianne Butler is passionate about the role she plays in student development and success. Dianne is employed as a Career Counselor and Academic Advisor at Pulaski Technical College (PTC) since 2001.  Prior to employment at PTC, she served as a Student Development Specialist for five years at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR). Dianne believes her work with low-income and disadvantaged individuals at Central Arkansas Development Council (1975-1995) prepared her most to help individuals see the correlation between education and economic success.  Inspired by Welfare Reform and Job Training Participants, Dianne completed both the bachelors and masters degree in Applied Psychology from UALR as a non-traditional student. 

Other duties at PTC include serving as the Cultural Diversity Committee Chair,  Financial Aid Appeals Committee member,  Single Parent Mentor and Student Ambassador Trainer.  Dianne also enjoys teaching College Seminar as an adjunct professor.

In addition to membership in AACE, she currently is a member of ARKAAN (Arkansas Academic Advising Network), NACADA (the National Academic Advising Association), past president of Pulaski Technical College Professional Women’s Organization, a member of AAWTYC (Arkansas Association of Women in Two Year Colleges) and ACEIA (Arkansas Cooperative Education and Internship Association) where she is the Two-year College Representative.  She is also involved in a number of community projects through her church and sorority.  

Dianne enjoys the love and support from James, her husband and their 4 children and 8 grandchildren.