Kelly Eichler
Chair
Kelly Eichler, of Little Rock, is a graduate of the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville and the UALR Bowen School of Law. She has served as a law clerk at the Arkansas Court of Appeals, as Pulaski County Deputy Prosecutor, as a private attorney and as a special judge in circuit and juvenile courts. She was also previously deputy chief of staff for Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Her term expires in 2026.
Steve Cox
Vice Chairman
Steve Cox, of Jonesboro, graduated from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville in 1982 after having earned All-Southwest Conference and All-American honors during his football career as a punter/kicker, also having played in the NFL for the Cleveland Browns and Washington Redskins. He rose through the ranks of banking before becoming a managing partner at Rainwater and Cox LLC, which oversees ownership and management of an array of commercial, hotel and agricultural properties. His term expires in 2028.
Ed Fryar, Ph.D.
Secretary
Edward (Ed) Fryar, Jr., Ph.D., of Rogers, is a graduate and former professor at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, having earned degrees in economics and agricultural economics. As a professor of agricultural economics at the UA for more than 13 years, he published more than 50 professional articles to go along with his 40-plus years of experience. He co-founded Ozark Mountain Poultry in Rogers in 2000, which grew from 15 employees to more than 1,800 before selling it in 2018. He was inducted into the Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame in 2019. His term expires in 2029.
Ted Dickey
Ted Dickey is the portfolio manager for Dunklin Investments of Humphrey and is the principal broker for Lighthouse Asset Advisors. Dickey previously was a fund manager for CapRocq and started his career in Corporate Finance at Stephens Inc. He earned his bachelor’s degree and was elected Phi Beta Kappa at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, before earning his Juris Doctorate at the UA School of Law. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst. Ted served on the U of A Technology Park Board. His term expires in 2030.
Jeremy Wilson
Jeremy Wilson of Bentonville is a graduate of the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Walton College of Business. He has over 25 years of business experience in Arkansas, having founded or cofounded 10 companies in the past seven years. In 2012, he cofounded NewRoad Capital Partners, one of the largest private equity firms in the state of Arkansas and the surrounding region, where he serves as managing partner. Additionally, he is the founder and chairman of NOWDiagnostics, a leader in innovative diagnostic health testing. His term expires in 2031.
Col. Nathaniel “Nate” Todd
Col. Nathaniel “Nate” Todd, of Pine Bluff, is former secretary of the Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs. He has previously served as the CFO of Central Arkansas Veterans Health Care System and as director of Health Financial Policy in the Office of the U.S. Army Surgeon General. He has a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology from the University of Houston, a Master of Science in Healthcare Administration from Baylor University and a CFO Leadership certification from National Defense University. His term will expire in March 2032.
Kevin Crass
Assistant Secretary
Kevin Crass is a senior partner in the Litigation Practice Group at Friday, Eldredge & Clark, LLP in Little Rock. He is a 1981 graduate of Ouachita Baptist University and a 1984 graduate of the UA Little Rock School of Law. He previously served on the Board of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals Bar Association and the Federal Practice Committee for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas. He currently serves on the Board of Visitors of UA Little Rock, is the Chair of the War Memorial Stadium Commission, and a past Chairman of the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce. His term expires in 2033.
Scott Ford
Scott Ford, of Little Rock, is co-founder and CEO of Westrock Coffee Company, a vertically integrated provider of beverage solutions that impact more than 1 million members of smallholder farming households in more than 35 different countries. Prior to co-founding Westrock Coffee, Ford served as President and CEO of Alltel Corporation. Ford began his professional career as an investment banker and as the Assistant to the Chairman at Stephens Group. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of AT&T Inc., Agaciro Development Fund, the sovereign wealth fund for the Republic of Rwanda, and the Board of Trustees of the University of Arkansas. Mr. Ford holds a B.S.B.A in Finance from the University of Arkansas. His term expires in 2034.
Randy Lawson
Randy Lawson, of Bentonville, a 1981 University of Arkansas, Fayetteville graduate and former Razorbacks football player, is an entrepreneurial businessman engaged primarily in energy development, real estate development and other angel or venture capital investment businesses. In 1985 he founded the Lawco Energy Group and later organized his multiple real estate companies and other affiliates. He currently serves on the Arvest Bank Benton County Board of Directors, as an advisor on the Geosciences Advisory Board within the College of Arts and Science and as an executive advisor to the Dean of the Sam M. Walton College of Business, which honored him with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2024. He is the former Chairman of the Arkansas State Board of Education and trustee of the Northwest Arkansas Community College Board of Directors. He currently serves as a Commissioner on the Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission. His term will expire in March 2027.
Judd Deere
Judd Deere, of Little Rock, has more than a decade of government management and communications experience at the national and state levels, and currently serves as Deputy Chief of Staff for Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders. He served as a White House aide to the 45th President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, working in various capacities over the course of three years, including Director of State Communications, Special Assistant to the President and Director of Media Affairs, and finally as Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Press Secretary. He also twice worked on Capitol Hill, including as Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications to U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty (Tenn.), Press Secretary and Digital Director for U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (Idaho), and Correspondence Director for U.S. Senator John Boozman (Ark.). He also previously served as communications director for then-Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, as Deputy Campaign Manager and Communications Director for the Tim Griffin for Arkansas campaign (2014), and Northwest Arkansas Field Director for the Republican National Committee and Republican Party of Arkansas (2010). He is a 2010 graduate of Lyon College in Batesville and holds Bachelor of Arts Degrees in Political Science and History. His term expires in March 2035.