Abby Perrine is a professional writer and marketer who moved to Batesville with her family in 2020. She holds a Master’s in Professional Writing from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and works as Senior Proposal Coordinator for the Aviation team at Garver. Art, music, and creative writing have always been part of Abby’s life. She loves all kinds of creative projects, like making crafts with her kids, renovating her family’s historic home, and sewing her own clothing.

Megan is from Evening Shade, AR and graduated from Cave City High School in 2010. She received the Arkansas Regional Scholarship and attended Ozarka College for her associates degree. Renihan received a transfer scholarship to Arkansas State University where she completed her degree in Broadcast Journalism with a minor in Sociology. During her time at ASTATE Renihan worked at Region 8 News as an assistant producer, had an sports reporter internship with both the Sunbelt Conference and the Jonesboro Radio Group, and served up never ending soup salad and breadsticks at Olive Garden. Graduation brought a job opportunity at 5NEWS in Fayetteville where she worked as a Digital Sales Assistant and On-Air Personality. She gained digital marketing, sales, advertising and media management experience which led her to Pioneer Nation in 2016. Renihan is now our Communications Coordinator and manages our PR, advertising, marketing, social media, and website design. When you don’t see her with a camera in her hand, she enjoys spending time with her family, spoiling her nieces and nephews, and caring for animals at her parents’ farm. She is currently a member of Leadership Batesville for the Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce and a board member on the Batesville Area Arts Council. Renihan said her favorite part about working for the Batesville School District is working with so many amazing people who truly care about putting Students First.

Aaron Herndon is Assistant VP and Consumer Loan Officer at Citizens Bank’s headquarters location in Batesville.  He earned an Associate of Applied Science Business Services degree, with a Banking and Finance focus, from the University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville.  He is a graduate of the Barret Graduate School of Banking and the Citizens Bank EDGE leadership program.  Aaron, who is a native of Cave City, also serves as a member of the Old Independence Regional Museum.  He is excited at the opportunity to expand the support for and appreciation of the arts in our community.

Maggie Webb is Assistant Professor of Education at Lyon College in Batesville. She holds a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from Arkansas State University. She is a native of Melbourne, Arkansas, and spent almost a decade in K-12 education in the Izard County area before transitioning into Higher Education. Her first position was at Ozarka College as the Teacher Education Coordinator and main faculty member for the program. During her time there, she was able to revive Kids College, which is a summer enrichment program for children in the community. From there, she also taught a year at Arkansas State University as an Instructor of Reading and was an adjunct for the reading graduate program. Maggie loves to travel and has visited all 50 states. She also loves Van Gogh, and has visited over 20 museums in the United States and abroad (London, Ireland, and the Netherlands) to view his works. She is an active member of Sage Baptist Church and serves on the Manna House Board of Directors in her hometown. She is very excited to serve on the board and is looking forward to many opportunities to contribute to the community of Batesville.

Kori Bowers is the Marketing and Branding Manager at Mascot Media, a company based in Fayetteville, AR. She earned her Bachelors of Art at Lyon College and spends her free time taking care of her houseplants, spending time on the White River, doing freelance graphic design, and creating digital collages. Kori is excited to serve on the board and is looking forward to the many opportunities it will provide to bring art to her hometown.

Kim DeShazo is the Physician Recruiter for White River Health. She also spent 20 years in local higher education and has a passion for community development. She has an MS in Community and Economic Development and BBA in Marketing from the University of Central Arkansas. Her love of community has provided her with opportunities to serve on several boards and volunteer organizations. She enjoys drinking copious amounts of coffee, hiking, yoga, mixed media art, travel, and an eclectic mix of music.

Victoria Hutcheson is an Art Therapist and artist originally from Missouri.  She moved to Batesville in 2015 to attend Lyon College where she got a B.A. in psychology and art. After graduation, she attended graduate school at Florida State University where she obtained an M.S. in Art Therapy. Victoria currently works as the Director of Mental and Behavioral Health at Lyon College. As an artist and therapist, Victoria is excited to be a part of the Batesville community and a board that is so involved in bringing art to all people within it. 

Kristi Clark is a Recruiter for The Toro Company, which has companies across the country including Spartan Mowers that is located right here in Batesville. She currently recruits for several different locations, such as Arkansas, Michigan, and Ohio. She has worked with the Toro Company for two years now, but has over 25 years of experience in Human Resources. Passionate about her local community, she has served on multiple boards in the past, dedicated to engaging and serving the community. In her personal time, you can find her doing crafts, knitting, crocheting, baking, or traveling to the nearest beach. She has one son, Logan, who works at the Arkansas Highway Department, and a husband, Jason, that works at Spartan Mowers.

Jessica Harber is a Special Education Teacher for the Southside Public School District and has been teaching education for the past 10 years. She earned a Bachelors of Science in Early Childhood Education and a Master of Science in Educational Theory and Practice from Arkansas State University. Jessica's hometown is North Little Rock, but Batesville has been her home for the past 11 years. She also serves on the White River Reading Council. Bringing the love of Literacy to her community is a big passion of hers. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two children, cooking, crafting, and traveling.

Sarah and her husband Kirk relocated to Batesville fall of 2021. Sarah is a Lyon College alumna, (BA Fine Arts ‘93) and retired Art Educator from Lake Charles, LA, where she taught 6-12th grade Art for 20 years with Calcasieu Parish Schools (retiring in 2015). As an artist and educator she is excited to serve on the Batesville Area Arts Council board. She is an ACE certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor. She was the Group Fitness manager and a personal trainer at GiGi’s Downtown in Lake Charles, LA. until fall of 2020 when hurricane damage caused the gym to close. Sarah teaches group fitness classes at the Batesville and Bethesda community centers. She also serves on the BCT board, Gallery 246 board, sings in BCS, and is an active member of St Paul’s Episcopal Church.

James Martell is Associate Professor of Romance Languages at Lyon College. He co-edited Samuel Beckett and the Encounter of Philosophy and Literature (Roman Books) with Arka Chattopadhyay in 2013, with Fernanda Negrete, in 2018, a special volume of Samuel Beckett Today/Aujourd’hui, titled ‘Beckett Beyond Words,’ and in 2021 Tattooed Bodies: Theorizing Body Inscription Across Disciplines and Cultures (Palgrave) with Erik Larsen. His book, Modernism, Self- Creation, and the Maternal: The Mother’s Son (Routledge) was published in 2019. He is currently editing a book on the Marquis de Sade and modernism, working on a short book on Beckett and Derrida for Cambridge Elements, and on a monograph on surfaces of thought in European literature and philosophy.

Kayla DeNike is a Development Scientist at FutureFuel Chemical Co. She moved to Batesville in 2022 after earning her PhD in Chemistry from the University of Arkansas Fayetteville. In her free time, she enjoys exploring the beauty of the Natural State through hiking, biking and kayaking. She has an immense passion for literature, but believes that all forms of art hold a transformative power by offering a unique lens through which to view the human experience. As a new member of the Batesville community, she is thrilled to have the opportunity to share her passion of the arts with the community by helping to foster an environment where art can be appreciated and celebrated by all.