Gwen Ford Faulkenberry is a teacher, farmer, writer, and mother of four nearly perfect children. She lives in the mountains near her home town of Ozark, Arkansas. She loves the natural beauty of Arkansas and its people, and believes the best in them always. Her vision is to see Arkansas #1 in education, health care, jobs, and quality of life. Her mission is to help make that happen through Arkansas Strong.

Megan Baxter hails from Batesville, AR. You can also find her as a contributor on The Oddfellow, a Batesville-centered community and lifestyle blog. Megan is part of the women’s ministry team at Fellowship Bible Church in Batesville, Ark. She has a degree in Family Psychology from Williams Baptist University, and lives in Batesville with her husband, Christian, and their children.

Kara Wilkins is a solutions-focused communications and community engagement consultant, with an extensive background in the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. She has over a decade of experience working with diverse communities to create innovative solutions to improve health and human equity. Kara has extensive experience in communications, outreach, public policy, development, and advocacy/government relations. 

Madeline Ford is from Ozark, Arkansas, and wrote “Vintage Vines” at age 18 for an English class assignment. She is a high school senior and a member of the cheer and volleyball teams. She attends First Baptist Church in Ozark and spends most of her time on the FFF with her family.

Lindi Phillips is a fourth-generation Ozarker, farming and raising her three children in western Washington County. She and her husband Jared raise sheep, hogs, and cattle with an emphasis on heritage breeds. She aspires to do right by the land, her community, and her ancestors.

Christie Mahl is a wife and mother of two daughters and two grandchildren.  She has a Masters degree in secondary education and taught English and social studies for 32 years in rural communities in Arkansas. She is currently a realtor, pre-school owner, farmer, and avid golfer.

Anna Morshedi is passionate about lifting up her community through civic and volunteer engagement. She’s a mother, a Sunday School teacher at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church in Little Rock, and a Little Rock Sustainability Commissioner. She believes that the only way to tackle the tough problems in our state is by acting, together.

Corrie Radke, named after Holocaust survivor-turned-evangelist Corrie Ten Boom, lives in Arkansas. She was raised by missionaries, and served in a popular missions organization herself for over 20 years, mainly training students in Biblical worldview and Biblical studies. She is married to Torsten, and has three amazing children: a son and daughter in college and another son in high school.

Jazmyne Crouch is a mother, wife, and college student. She lives in Ozark, Arkansas. Jazmyne is pursuing her Associates Degree in Logistics at Arkansas Tech University-Ozark Campus. She enjoys being outside exploring the beautiful mountains and rivers of Arkansas. She has dreams to help legislators in our state improve prison reform for non-violent drug offenders. She loves lending a helping hand, or even just a listening ear to others who are struggling.

Natasha Sawyer is a wife and mother who works the night shift full-time to support her family. This fall, she started Developmental Reading and Writing class to help her transition into college where she hopes to earn her Business degree. Her dream is to eventually open her own hunting and fishing shop that will house a competition archery range. She wants to specialize in compound bows and accessories. “When my son gets old I will teach him how I got started and how to work a job that isn’t running its employees into the dirt….This business won’t only be about selling and making money,” Natasha says. “I believe getting more and more young teens off the streets and interested in this sport will make an impact.”

Sandy Wylie served as a pastor for 50 years, mostly in the Oklahoma Conference of the United Methodist Church.  He holds degrees from the University of Tulsa, Yale Divinity School, and Vanderbilt Divinity School.  His wife Susan worked in nursing and hospital administration.  They have two sons:  Ben is a chemistry professor at Texas Tech University.  Micah is a speech therapist who is completing a graduate degree at the University of Arkansas.  Sandy served as a chaplain in the Oklahoma Army National Guard (1976-87) and taught preaching in various settings, including Phillips Theological Seminary.  In 2011 Sandy and Susan moved from Tulsa to the house they built on Lake Windsor in Bella Vista, AR.  Sandy very much enjoys being a tutor at the Literacy Council of Benton County.

Bob Edwards’ family has lived in Arkansas for five generations. He was raised in Tomberlin, a little farming community in south Lonoke County. He graduated from England Public High School and went to Conway to earn his BA in Biology at Hendrix College, graduating in 1991. Mr. Edwards received his JD in 1998 from the Bowen School of Law in Little Rock. He started at the Arkansas Attorney General’s office, where he eventually served as Chief of Staff for Mark Pryor, the Attorney General at the time.

Outside of his legal career, Mr. Edwards has served in England, Arkansas on the Board of Directors of the England Public School District and has been President of the Board of Alumni at the Bowen School of Law. Mr. Edwards enjoys attending Trinity Episcopal Church in his home of Little Rock with his wife, Tiffany Fitch, and their daughter, Katharine Grace.

My name is Gabriela Rodriguez, aka Gabby. I am 23 years old. My hobbies include being a full-time student, mother of two-year-old twins, house cleaning, and cooking dinner every night. I had a rough childhood. When I was little my mother left, and I couldn’t go to my dad because he was not legal in the United States. I moved from house to house, school to school, and eventually dropped out at age 16 because I thought I wasn’t smart enough. However, if I fall, I get back up. I studied hard and got my GED at age 19. Now I’m in college. It’s my dream to become a nurse so I can help people who are sick and hurting.

Ha Nay Moo was born in 2002, in a Thailand refugee camp. Her family fled their home country of Myanmar a few years before because of the genocide perpetrated on the Karen people by the Burmese military. When Ha Nay was ten, her family moved to the US as part of a migrant worker program. They settled in Clarksville, Arkansas. Ha Nay says she misses the food and childhood memories of her homeland, but loves the small town charm of Arkansas and its natural beauty. She is currently a student at Arkansas Tech University-Ozark Campus. In the future Ha Nay plans on getting her bachelor’s degree and helping others in her Karen community. 

Barbara Justiss is an Arkansas native who spent 30 years in healthcare public relations before becoming CEO of  hospital foundations in El Dorado, Las Vegas/Henderson Nevada and Hot Springs. These foundations raised money for buildings, hospital equipment and programs for women and children. In 1994 Barbara was voted “Outstanding Professional Fund Raiser by the National Society of Fund Raising Executives-Las Vegas Chapter.  Upon retirement, Barbara moved to NW Arkansas. 

Isabella Grace Faulkenberry was born and raised on a ranch in Ozark, Arkansas. She graduated from Ozark High School in 2019 as valedictorian of her class. A National Merit Finalist, she graduated in two years from the University of Arkansas with her BA in Philosophy and is now in her first year of law school at the University of Arkansas School of Law.

Heather Hengsteler, age 28, came to Arkansas from Texas in 2011. All of her children were born in Arkansas. She currently works the night shift in a poultry plant while taking college classes by day. Her goal is to earn an Associate’s Degree in Banking Services at Arkansas Tech University-Ozark Campus.

Amber Reynolds is 42 years old and currently resides in Alma, AR with her husband of 24 years. Together they have 3 kids and 9 pets. She is currently enrolled at Ozark Tech University as a full-time student pursuing a major in Health Information Technology. 

Karl Hansen was born Dec. 10th, 1939 in Franklin County, AR near present day Oak Bend, one of eleven children born to immigrant German father and American mother. Karl is the oldest of the remaining four siblings and old enough to remember steam-driven locomotives and open boxcars that hoboes—and Karl— occasionally rode in.  He has worked at many different trades—from bronc buster and trainer to welding specialist, and has lived in seventeen different states for various lengths of time. Karl has written poems since the age of twelve and is known by the by line of The Rustic Rhymer.

Alex Caldwell was born and raised in Mountain View, Arkansas. He has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and is currently obtaining his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Arkansas School of Law. Alex hopes to practice Law and use his education to help contribute to equitable public policy and rural economic development.

Richard Emmel mainly taught middle school children for forty-two years retiring in 2012. He has managed to stay married to the same wonderful wife for fifty-seven years as of February 8, 2022. He built all the structures on their twenty acres, has a sizable raised-bed garden, and enjoys photography, reading, woodworking, and, above all, writing. In 2000 he helped pass The Baby Sharon Fund (BSF), which assists Arkansas parents of children with a catastrophic illness with things not covered by typical funding. Since its inception, the BSF has awarded $207,000 to needy families. In 2007 Richard wrote a fictional book about Phillis Wheatley entitled Phillis. He finished his second book about Sally Hemings in 2021, Run, Sally Run, and is currently working on a third book about Lucy Terry.

Greg and Syd Adams have been married for 35 years and have lived in Little Rock for 34 years. Greg worked at Arkansas Children’s Hospital as a social worker in the areas of serious illness, loss, and grief support. Greg is also adjunct faculty at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock in the Graduate School of Social Work. Syd has worked at Arkansas Easter Seals as an early childhood special educator for over 30 years. They are active in their community and local church and have two young adult children.