Little Rock (March 22, 2016) – Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families (AACF) is pleased to announce the appointment of six new members and four officers to its board of directors for the 2016-2017 term.

Among the new members are Natasha Murray-Norman, Associate Pastor at First United Methodist Church in Pine Bluff; Martie North, SVP Director of Community Development and CRA at Simmons Bank in Little Rock; Dr. Aaron Strong, a Pediatrician at Little Rock Pediatric Clinic in Little Rock; Dr. Shannon Collier-Tenison, Associate Dean of the UALR College of Education and Health Professions in Little Rock; Pastor Dwight Townsend, Pastor at Little Rock’s Longley Baptist Church; and Danyelle Walker, Attorney at Law Office of Danyelle Walker in Little Rock.

The 2016-2017 officers include Jay Barth, Ph.D, President / Professor of Politics at Hendrix College in Conway; John Miller, Jr., Ph.D, Vice President / Associate Professor at the UALR School of Social Work in Little Rock; Hank Bates, JD, Treasurer / Attorney at Carney Williams in Little Rock; and Gary Wheeler, MD, Secretary / Branch Chief of Infectious Diseases at the Arkansas Dept. of Health in Little Rock.

A complete roster of board members and officers is listed below.

AACF Officers

Jay Barth, Ph.D, President

John Miller, Jr., Ph.D, Vice President

Hank Bates, JD, Treasurer

Gary Wheeler, MD, Secretary

Board Members

James B. Argue, Jr., Past-President

Patricia Ashanti

Lynn Donald Carver

Shannon Collier-Tenison, Ph.D

Khayyam Eddings, JD

Mary Yeargin Flowers

Maricella Garcia, JD

Denise Garner

The Reverend Lowell Grisham

Kyle James

Deidre Lea

Reverend Natasha Murray Norman

Martie North

Martine Downs Pollard

Sandra Prater, RN

Tommy Roebuck, DDS

Aaron Strong, MD

Pastor Dwight Townsend

Danyelle Walker, JD

Freddye Webb Petett