Shelia M. Hayes is the Director of Educational Services for Tendaji Community Development Corporation. She attended the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville where she earned her Bachelors in Vocational Education with emphasis in Human Resource Development and her Masters in Adult Education. Mrs. Hayes has several certifications, including: Certified Trainer in Alternative to Suspension, Second Step Facilitator Training, Trainer and External Assessor for the State of Arkansas, and a Trainer of Trainers for Certified Life Skills Curriculum and Second Step Violence Prevention. In addition to her education and extensive training, she has over — years of experience working with youth in the community. She is the founder of three very successful after-school youth programs: SUCCEED at Henderson Middle School, SUCCEED at Lawson Elementary School, and Program IMPACT at Tendaji CDC Youth Center. All of these programs center around providing youth with an opportunity to gain insight into the arts and aid in their education.

Her passion surrounding restorative justice prompted her to build a team to begin the Reclaiming Scholars Program. This program offers the opportunity for students that have been suspended to learn behavior modification skills through one-to-one counseling, and receive academic assistance for the duration of their suspension. Wrap around services also provide parents or guardians with a parent workshop equipping them to better support their students’ academic success. Once students complete the program they have the opportunity to have their suspension removed from their record. This unique partnership with schools and parents provides the student with a new beginning toward a brighter future. Mrs. Hayes believes that these types of programs are vital to our communities as they provide the youth and adults with new opportunities to become better citizens. 

Shelia Hayes is a native of Arkansas. Her upbringing, love, and pride for her state has transformed her into an advocate for at-risk youth. She strongly believes that ….” “Her passion lies in serving the community and addressing the needs of our youth.

Braelond Simmons was born and raised in Little Rock Arkansas. He is a product of the Little Rock School District and serves as Program Manager for Tendaji CDC. He attended the University of Arkansas at Little where he received a Bachelors in Psychology and is currently finishing up his Master’s Degree in Business Administration at Webster University. He has over 8 years of experience with youth and is strong believer that anyone can overcome their circumstances to succeed in life.

Morgan Carter is the Administrative Assistant for TENDAJI Community Development Corporation. Born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas, she graduated from Parkview Arts/Science Magnet High School, then furthering her education by receiving her Associates of Arts in the field of Early Childhood Education at the University of Arkansas at Pulaski Technology College. She is currently working towards her B.A at Philander Smith College in the field of Education.

Jared Green was born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas. He also attended grade school in the Little Rock School District. He attended the University of Arkansas Fayetteville where he majored in Sociology. Mr. Green also received his master’s degree in Management and Leadership at the University of Webster. As a former defensive lineman for the Razorbacks he has a very strong background in sports, team-building, and leadership. He has six years of experience working with the youth in the community.

Jasmine Wakefield is a Behavior Specialist for the Tendaji Reclaiming Scholars Program. She attended Hampton University where she obtained her Bachelors in Psychology and completed Masters work in Counseling with a concentration in Community Agency. Education, mental health awareness, and public service are the areas that she is the most passionate about. Her passions have led her to become a youth advocate and community activist. She has 10 years of experience working with youth in various communities. She is an active member of various community and non-profit organizations all with one common goal: to make a difference and serve the members of community. Her philosophy is that our success can only be measured by the positive impact that we have on others.

Mr. Johnathan Green is a proud graduate of The University of Central Arkansas, where he received his Bachelors Degree in Health Science, then furthering his education receiving his Masters in Health Administration. Mr. Green is a High School Physical Science teacher in the Little Rock School District. He has worked with after school for the past six years. Mr. Green has a love for putting things together, building new things, and introducing students to new and exciting adventures through STEM.

I believe in God, children, and the chance to succeed in life.

I am a retired educator. I enjoyed working for the Little Rock School District for 30 years. I am a past Teacher of the Year candidate, and I was awarded the Volunteer Educator Award for 2008.

I was born in the Arkansas border town of West Memphis. We moved to the Earle area nine months later. I received a quality education from the Earle School District.

I attended Philander Smith College. I worked my way through school and life with the help along the way from family, friends, strangers, co-workers, and a whole lot of angels.

Life is good.

Miss Genine LaTrice Perez works as a full-time prevention specialist for the Region Nine Regional Provider at the Family Service Agency. She is the Lead Literacy Teacher at Tendaji’s Program IMPACT after school program, a proud matriculate of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock where she received a Bachelor of Liberal Arts Degree and a Masters of Arts Degree in Professional and Technical Writing. Miss Perez is an adjunct composition and business-writing instructor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.


Dr. Phillip L. Pointer, Sr. is the Senior Pastor of Saint Mark Baptist Church.  He is also the Department Chair for Philosophy and Religion at Philander Smith College in Little Rock, AR.

Raised in the Greater Washington D.C. area, Pastor Pointer would become a fourth generation Baptist pastor, coming from a dual line of Baptist pastors that runs on both sides of his family.

Having now served as a Senior Pastor for 15 years, Pastor Pointer’s journey as a pastor began in October 2002 with an assignment at St. John Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia. After three years, in October 2005, he led the merger between St. John Baptist Church and Providence Baptist Church. This historical consummation formed the Providence St. John Baptist Church and was there for 10 years.

Pastor Pointer also earned a Master of Divinity Degree with honors from The Samuel Dewitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University in Richmond, Virginia.

Since his arrival, he has taken the congregation to new heights in the area of contextual understanding of God’s Word all while fostering the membership’s consistent spiritual growth and maturity. Concurrently, in December 2014, Pastor Pointer earned a Doctor of Ministry from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, OH. His doctoral study emphasis was “Preaching Prophetically in a Postmodern Culture: Communicating with Contemporary Audiences.”

Dr. Pointer resides in Little Rock, Arkansas with his wife, Keya, and their three children: Gabriela, Phillip, Jr., and Elijah.

Lamarr D. Bailey is a native of Chicago, Illinois, but was raised in the small rural town of Fordyce, Arkansas. He is currently serving as the Executive Pastor of Saint Mark Baptist Church in Little Rock, Arkansas. He gives oversight to the business and administrative functions of the church with special emphasis to financial, operational and personnel management. Prior to his current assignment, he was employed as a private investigator and claims specialist with Equifax Services for about 14 years. He also serves as the Vice-Chairman of the Board of Elders of Saint Mark Baptist Church and serves on the National Advisory Team of Destiny Church of Fort Worth, Texas. Mr. Bailey is a graduate of Henderson State University of Arkadelphia, Arkansas, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree. He has a servant’s heart and strives to teach others not only through his words, but also by being a good role model. He resides in the city of Maumelle, Arkansas with his lovely wife, Lorie. They are the proud parents of 2 children and 4 grandchildren.

Ms. Kandi Hughes, a native of Little Rock, Arkansas, has served as an attorney at Southwest Power Pool since 2016. Prior to joining Southwest Power Pool, Ms. Hughes served as the Associate General Counsel at the University of Central Arkansas and as an Assistant City Attorney for the City of Little Rock. Ms. Hughes, a former intern with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation in Washington, D.C., received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Policy Studies with a concentration in Health Policy from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. She received her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s William H. Bowen School of Law and her Master of Business Administration at the University of Central Arkansas. Ms. Hughes is currently pursuing an LLM in Energy and Natural Resources from the University of Oklahoma, College of Law.

Ms. Hughes’ professional affiliations include membership in the Arkansas Bar Association where she is a former member of the Governance Committee, the Arkansas Bar Commission on Diversity and a member of the Class of 2015 Leadership Academy. Ms. Hughes is also a member of the American Bar Association, the American Water Works Association, the National Black MBA Association, the Pulaski County Bar Association, William R. Overton Inn of Court, Corporate Counsel Women of Color, and Arkansas Women in Power.

Ms. Hughes’ civic affiliations include membership on the Duke University Alumni Admissions Advisory Committee, the Junior League of Little Rock, where she received the New Member of the Year Award in 2015, a parent volunteer with the Girls Scouts of America, legal counsel for the PEARLS Foundation, and a member of the Greater Little Rock Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. Ms. Hughes has been an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and is the current president of the Chi Eta Omega alumni chapter.

Ms. Hughes’ public service includes serving as vice-chair of the Central Arkansas Water Board of Commissioners, secretary of the Tendaji Community Development Corporation Board of Directors, and board member on the Leadership Foundation for Women as well as the Oscar Washington, Jr. Scholarship Fund. Ms. Hughes is also a graduate of the Little Rock Regional Chamber’s Leadership Greater Little Rock Class XXXI and a member of Saint Mark Baptist Church, where she is a member of the Personnel Committee and volunteers within the legal group. Ms. Hughes is former member of the Little Rock School District Community Advisory Board and a former board member of the Arkansas Foodbank.

Ms. Hughes was recently recognized in Arkansas Business’ Arkansas 200 (2017) and Arkansas 250 (2018), a group of Arkansans who influence the way we live, learn, and do business in the state of Arkansas. She is the 2018 recipient of the Irma Hunter Brown Women’s Leadership Award given by the Arkansas Democratic Black Caucus. Ms. Hughes has two beautiful children, Kairi and DJ.

Marcus Guinn is a graduate of UA Little Rock with a bachelor’s degree of finance and LSU’s Graduate School of Banking in Baton Rouge, LA. He has enjoyed a 33 year career in banking and currently serves as Executive Vice President & Loan Manager for Arvest bank in Central, Southwest and Northeast Arkansas. In his current position, Guinn manages more than 50 commercial bankers and is responsible for the overall growth and probability of Arvest’s $1.6 Billion loan portfolios within the footprint. Guinn and his wife of 17 years, Valencia, live in Little Rock. He is the father of two sons, one daughter, and one grandson.  

Guinn is an active alumnus of UA Little Rock dedicated to the future success of College of Business students. He is a member of the College of Business Advisory Board. Through his work at Arvest, which often partners with the UA Little Rock College of Business, Guinn attends many College of Business events and fundraisers, advising business students, giving valuable advice as a guest speaker, and mentoring those who intern at Arvest.

In his other volunteer roles, Guinn serves as president of the Central Arkansas Risk Management Association as well as a board member on the Baptist Health Foundation, Positive Atmosphere Reaches Kids (P.A.R.K), and TENDAJI Community Development Corporation. He is also a regular presenter at Money Matters, a financial literacy and education program at St. Mark Baptist Church sponsored by Arvest.

Mrs. Timmons is a resident of Maumelle, Arkansas and is co-founder of the Timmons Arts Foundation.

Dr. Steele is a pediatrician and Chief Strategy Officer. He received his medical degree from Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN and completed his pediatric residency from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Rob also serves as the President of both the Arkansas Children’s Care Network and Arkansas Children’s Medical Group. He is the primary senior leader responsible for business development, market positioning, external relations, and is the catalyst for unified strategic planning. He is responsible for coordinating development of and implementing the long-range and annual strategic planning process, service line and business planning and implementation, physician/medical staff planning, community needs assessment, and new business development and outreach. His passion is working to positively impact the health and welfare of children.

Arthur Boutiette was born in Arlington, Massachuttes, attended seminary in Boston and in 1968 joined the U.S. Air Force and latter ended up in Arkansas. He has served as the chief administration officer of the U.S Junior Chamber of Commerce; he is the Director of the Arkansas Social Security Disability agency, a title that he has held for over twenty years. He is the President and owner of Boutiette’s Antiquarian books, a rare book business which was conceived 36 years ago. He has been married to his wife Melanie for the past  36 years and they have three children.

copy to come…