Hendrix College
February 20,2026
Read the full announcement here!
Congrats to our Executive Director, Ben Goodwin, this year’s recipient of the Hendrix College Humanitarian Award, as well as our board member, Cara Connors, recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award!
The Hendrix College Alumni Association will honor four award recipients at its annual awards brunch on Saturday, April 18, beginning at 10:30 a.m. in Worsham Student Performance Hall in the Student Life and Technology Center.
This year’s honorees are Martha Dayer, recipient of the James E. Major Service Award; Judge Cara Boyd Connors ’06, recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award; Torey Hayward ’12, recipient of the Outstanding Young Alumni Award; and Ben Goodwin ’01, recipient of the Hendrix College Humanitarian Award.
Ben Goodwin ’01 – Hendrix College Humanitarian Award
Ben Goodwin ’01 has served in leadership roles at Our House since 2009 and has been executive director since 2017. Under his leadership, the organization has expanded significantly in reach and impact, now serving more than 3,000 individuals annually and earning national recognition for comprehensive services supporting families experiencing homelessness.
A Mathematics graduate of Hendrix, Goodwin also earned a degree in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. He remains deeply committed to community service and nonprofit leadership in Arkansas. He and his wife, Elizabeth Alexander ’03, have two children.
Honorable Cara Boyd Connors ’06 – Distinguished Alumni Award
Judge Cara Boyd Connors ’06 is a circuit court judge serving Perry and Pulaski counties. A Politics major at Hendrix, she studied abroad at St. Peter’s College, Oxford, before earning her law degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law.
Connors began her career in public service as a hearing examiner and deputy prosecuting attorney before founding the Law Offices of Boyd Connors, P.A., where she practiced criminal defense and civil litigation across Arkansas. Elected to the bench in 2022, she presides over civil, domestic, and probate matters. An active community leader, she serves on several nonprofit and professional boards and has been recognized by multiple statewide publications for her leadership and service. She and her husband, Gary, have two daughters.