ARKANSAS ADVOCATES FOR CHILDREN & FAMILIES - Key Persons
Brooke Edwards joined AACF as Communications Director in October 2018. Brooke's previous roles include serving as the Digital Marketing Manager at the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, Executive Communications Manager at Heifer International, and Grant Writer at Southern Financial Partners. Brooke moved to Little Rock in elementary school and considers herself a native Arkansan. She has a degree in psychology from the University of Central Arkansas and a Masters of Social Work from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
Camille Richoux joined AACF as Health Policy Director in September 2023. She was born in Louisiana and raised in Arkansas, where she developed a passion for health justice through her mother's advocacy work for children in foster care. She received her Master of Public Health from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and previously worked for the Arkansas Department of Health in the HIV/STD program. From 2016-2018, Camille served as a Prevention Fellow for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (SAMHSA/CSAP), assisting with state agency overdose prevention programs and grants. Most recently, at UAMS, Camille helped design and publish community-engaged research on harm reduction and LGBTQ+ youth quality of life issues in the state. As a reproductive justice organizer, her advocacy focused on addressing racial disparities in maternal mortality and updating sex education standards. She serves as the Board co-president of the Central Arkansas Harm Reduction Project, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing overdose and infectious disease transmission.
Job Titles:
- Northwest Arkansas Office Coordinator
Christine Hartman joined AACF in July 2014. From 2001-2012, she taught education courses at Northwest Arkansas Community College. Christine has a BA in English & Communications and a Masters of Education from the University of Arkansas. Christine and her husband, Pete, live in Fayetteville with their three daughters.
Fran Carter, a Little Rock native and graduate of Little Rock Central High, has spent her career working with nonprofits and volunteering for organizations close to her heart. As Development Director for Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, she is proud to serve the mission of ensuring that all children and families in our state have the resources and opportunities they need to lead healthy and productive lives.
Prior to joining Arkansas Advocates in 2019, Fran spent 10 years as Development Director for Arkansas Repertory Theatre.
Fran earned her BA from Rice University and MBA/MA degrees from Southern Methodist University; her nonprofit expertise includes fundraising, planning and board development. Her past work experience includes Positive Atmosphere Reaches Kids (P.A.R.K.) and Youth Home, Inc. She was named Outstanding Fundraising Professional by the AFP-Arkansas Chapter in 2006 and is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE). Fran is a graduate of Leadership Greater Little Rock and Past President of AFP-Arkansas Chapter. She lives in Little Rock with her husband, Jimbo Carter, and cat Louie. Their daughter Casey is a student at the University of Arkansas.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Health Policy Associate
Hayley Cormican joined the AACF team as Health Policy Associate in January 2024. Prior to her time at AACF, Hayley worked in the Public Affairs department at the Arkansas Public Employees' Retirement System.
Hayley has bachelor's degrees in English and art from Lyon College in her hometown of Batesville, Arkansas. After obtaining her bachelor's degrees, Hayley attended the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service and earned a Master of Public Service degree as well as a Communications in Public Service graduate certificate. Hayley spent her time at the Clinton School as a graduate student researcher with a variety of organizations including the Brandon House Cultural and Performing Arts Center, Heifer USA, and Home for Healing. Her work with these organizations focused on qualitative data collection, community communications, and organizational capacity building.
Hayley lives in Little Rock with her husband, Royce, and their three dogs, Sonny, Sully, and Rusty.
Jennifer Ferguson serves as Deputy Director for Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. Before returning to AACF in 2005, she served as Chief Financial and Operating Officer for the Arkansas Community Foundation and was responsible for day-to-day operations of the Foundation and stewardship of more than $85 million in assets in addition to providing oversight to the Program Department. She also served as Chief Legal and Financial Officer for Case Management Society of America, a national professional association for case managers in the health care field. Jennifer is a native of Hope, Arkansas, and has a business and economics degree from Hendrix College and a law degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She has served on the boards of Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, the Arkansas Hunger Coalition, and Tree Streets.
Job Titles:
- Its First Northwest Arkansas Director
- Northwest Arkansas Director
Laura Kellams joined AACF as its first Northwest Arkansas director in 2008. In this role, she works to call attention to challenges facing children in the region and to build support for policy solutions that can help all children thrive. Before joining Advocates, she was a newspaper reporter for 15 years, mostly covering politics and government for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. During that time, she served as a journalism fellow on the staff of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee as part of the American Political Science Association's Congressional Fellowship Program.
She is a longtime board member of the Economic Opportunity Agency of Washington County as well as the League of Women Voters. She is a past recipient of the Georgetown Center for Children and Families' national "Bulldog of the Year" award for her advocacy to extend health coverage to immigrant children in Arkansas. Laura has a journalism degree from the University of Arkansas, and she and her husband Kyle have lived in Fayetteville for more than 30 years.
Job Titles:
- Race Equity Director for Advocacy
Maricella Garcia joined AACF as the Race Equity Director for Advocacy in April 2021. A graduate of the joint program at the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service and the William H. Bowen School of Law, she holds both Juris Doctorate and Master of Public Service degrees.
Maricella was the inaugural Multicultural Liaison for the City of Little Rock, overseeing the implementation of the City's Municipal ID card program. She previously worked for five years with an advocacy program for Latino families as a program coordinator and for nine years as Director of Catholic Immigration Services - Little Rock. In 2020, due to her work helping residents of Little Rock facing an unprecedented hunger crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic Maricella was awarded the Hunger Hero Award from the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance.
Job Titles:
- Northwest Arkansas Development Director
- Northwest Arkansas Development Director / Northwest Arkansas Development Director
Missy Darwin Kincaid joins the AACF staff as our first Northwest Arkansas Development Director.
Missy has an extensive background in successful nonprofit fundraising in the region. She was most recently Vice President of Development at Walton Arts Center, where she worked for 18 years. She led a $23 million capital campaign, and her team was responsible for raising $7 million annually from individuals, corporations and foundations.
Before joining the Walton Arts Center, Missy served in Washington, D.C., for 13 years in outreach and administration positions as part of the Clinton administration, for Senator David Pryor, and in the nonprofit sector. She is a graduate of the University of Arkansas.
Missy lives in Fayetteville with her husband, Bill Kincaid. They have a son, Emory, and a daughter, Sydney.
Job Titles:
- Director of Education Policy
- Director of Education Policy Director of Education Policy
Olivia Gardner joined AACF as Director of Education Policy in June 2021. Previously she served as a Policy Analyst for Plurus Strategies, a government relations firm in Washington D.C, where she focused on health and infrastructure policy. She also previously worked for the Association of American Medical Colleges, where she began her work on higher education issues. She received her Bachelor's degree in Government from George Mason University, and she is a student in the Executive Master's in Public Service program at the Clinton School of Public Service. Olivia is a native of Little Rock, where she currently lives with her dog.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Pastor
Peter Gess joined the AACF team as Economic Policy Director in January 2024. Prior to AACF, Peter was Professor of Politics and Environmental Policy at Hendrix College. In his more than 16 years at Hendrix, Peter held various administrative roles, including Department Chair, Director of International Programs, Director of the Odyssey Engaged Learning Program, and Associate Provost for Engaged Learning. Peter has taught courses in public administration, public policy, and Arkansas politics. He also provides training in organizational ethics and budgeting and finance to state and local government officials through the Arkansas Public Administration Consortium.
Before coming to Hendrix, Peter helped launch the International Center for Democratic Governance at the Carl Vinson Institute of Government of the University of Georgia, a public service unit providing training and technical assistance to subnational governments in developing nations. In that role, Peter managed training programs in Eastern Europe and Asia for almost a decade. He also earned his doctorate in public administration from UGA. Peter has worked as data analyst for the Fiscal Research Program at Georgia State University.
Peter lives in Little Rock with his wife, Jennifer Gess, and their two dogs. They have two adult children away in college.
Job Titles:
- Community Engagement Director
Rebecca Zimmermann joined the AACF team in July 2017. Before coming to AACF, Rebecca served as Program and Advocacy Director at the Arkansas Nonprofit Alliance. There, she worked to expand the advocacy efforts of nonprofits in order to increase their impact in Arkansas communities. She has also served at Little Rock's Our House homeless shelter and at Audubon Arkansas. Rebecca earned her bachelor's degree in international relations and Latin American Studies from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville and her master of public service at the Clinton School of Public Service.
Job Titles:
- Member of the AACF Officers Team
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Reverend
Job Titles:
- Member of the AACF Officers Team
Job Titles:
- Member of the AACF Officers Team
- Secretary
Job Titles:
- Director of Governmental Affairs
- Director of Governmental Affairs / Director of Governmental Affairs
Val Rose Habrock joined AACF June of 2022 as Director of Governmental Affairs. Her previous roles include serving as Government Affairs Director for the Council on American Islamic Relations, Oklahoma chapter; and as former Kids Count Director for the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy. She holds a degree in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics from The King's College NYC.
Val is an Arkansas transplant from Oklahoma and is enjoying the curvy roads, the view, and all the humidity Arkansas has to offer.
Job Titles:
- Member of the AACF Officers Team
- President / Shannon