Jamie Barker

Jamie was born and raised in Smackover, Arkansas. He attended Ouachita Baptist University where he met his wife, Allie, and was a member of the golf team. Jamie has worked in politics in Arkansas his entire career for candidates and officeholders like Senator Tom Cotton, Governor Asa Hutchinson, and Governor Mike Huckabee. He currently serves as the Director of Legislative Affairs for Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Jamie and his wife live in Little Rock with their four children Luke, Tucker, Tripp, and Emma.

Rick Barr

Frederick (Rick) Barr, MD MBA is the Jonathan Bates, MD Endowed Professor and the Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical and Academic Officer at Arkansas Children’s. He is responsible for oversight of all clinical, educational and research programs across the Arkansas Children’s system. He is a pediatric critical care physician and has held faculty appointments at the University of Tennessee-Memphis, Vanderbilt University, Cincinnati Children’s, the University of Mississippi, and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences where he was Chair of Pediatrics and Pediatrician in Chief prior to joining the Arkansas Children’s Executive team in 2020. In addition to his administrative role, he remains active in the clinical care of children hospitalized at Arkansas Children’s, in teaching medical students and residents about Pediatrics, and has an active research program investigating novel therapies for acute lung injury including COVID-19 respiratory failure.

Barry Block

A Houston native, Rabbi Block received his undergraduate education at Amherst College in Massachusetts, where he graduated magna cum laude and phi beta kappa. He was ordained in 1991 at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, from which he received an honorary doctorate in 2016. Currently he serves as the Rabbi for Temple B’nai Israel and has served Reform Judaism nationally and regionally as a member of the Board of the Central Conference of American Rabbis and Chair of its Resolutions and Nominating Committees, and as President of the Southwest Association of Reform Rabbis. He is Dean of the faculty at Union for Reform Judaism’s Henry S. Jacobs Camp, a role he held for 21 years at the Union’s Greene Family Camp in Texas. He is a member of the President’s Rabbinic Alumni Council of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Rabbi Block is the editor of The Mussar Torah Commentary, published by the CCAR Press in 2020. His writing appears in chapters and articles in several CCAR Press anthologies and other publications. He blogs at the CCAR’s Ravblog. A former board member of Just Communities of Arkansas, Rabbi Block is Past Board Chair of Planned Parenthood of South Texas. In 2013, he completed long service to Methodist Healthcare Ministries, the largest non-governmental provider of indigent health care in south Texas, and Methodist Healthcare System, the largest hospital group and second largest private employer in San Antonio. His service there included several terms as Chair of the Healthcare System’s Ethics and Compliance Committee. In 2012, Human Rights Campaign bestowed its Equality Award upon Rabbi Block at its annual gala in San Antonio. Rabbi Block is the proud father of Robert and Daniel.

Denise Ennett

Rep. Denise Jones Ennett is serving her third term in the Arkansas House of Representatives. She represents District 80 which includes a portion of Little Rock and Pulaski County. For the 94th General Assembly, Rep. Ennett serves on the House Public Transportation Committee, the House Insurance and Commerce Committee, and the House Advanced Communications and Information Technology Committee, and is newly appointed to the Autism Taskforce, by the Speaker of House. Rep. Ennett earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Texas at Arlington and a Master of Arts in Higher Education/College Affairs from UA-Little Rock. Rep. Ennett serves on the Board of Directors for Terry House Inc, and the Tiger Foundation. She previously served on the board for the Arkansas Disability Coalition, the Advisory Council for the Education of Children with Disabilities, Volunteers in Public Schools, and Friends of KLRE/KUAR, and President of the Downtown Neighborhood Association. In addition, she has also served on the Mosaic Templars Advisory Board, the City of Little Rock Arts and Culture Commission, the Little Rock Citizen’s Evaluation of New Tax Committee, is a previous member of AmeriCorps VISTA, the American Association of University Women, and League of Women Voters-Pulaski County, and Preserve Arkansas board member.

Rep. Ennett has served as a Parent Mentor for The Center for Exceptional Families, a PTA officer at Carver Magnet Elementary and as an Arkansas PTA Health and Safety Officer. She is married to a retired Air Force Veteran, Cecil. Cecil and Denise are raising their set of twins Camille and Cameron and singleton Dax in the Pettaway neighborhood located in downtown Little Rock.

Maria Furcron

Maria Furcron is a Senior Vice President of Professional and Executive Lending with Bank OZK.  While she enjoys working with many types of professionals, her primary client categories are medical, accounting, architecture, and law firms.  Her primary focus is taking care of the banking needs of the business and the individuals involved in managing the business.  Maria has been with Bank OZK for 10 years, but has been in the banking industry since college graduation. She has been involved with Our House fundraising events for many years and has also provided banking services.   She received her Bachelor of Science from Lyon College in 2001 and her Master of Business Administration from University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 2005.  Maria and her husband, Russ, live in North Little Rock with their eight year old daughter, Ava Lile.

John Mark Goings

John Mark is an Arkansas native from Cabot, Arkansas. Growing up watching his dad build a family business selling insurance led him down the same path. John Mark is the owner and agent of an Allstate Insurance branch. Since graduating college, John Mark quickly became involved in giving back to the community by volunteering. A past Board President of Camp Aldersgate where he was part of the executive committee integral in the success of the expansion of their budget that they now operate today. John Mark serves at the Pleasant Valley Country Club Board President where he is leading the charge in their new capital expansion. In his free time you will find John Mark playing golf, attending as many Razorback games as possible, or hunting. John Mark and his wife, Kaylei, live in Little Rock with their 3 year old daughter, Blakelynn.

David Gutierrez

David Gutierrez is a financial advisor with The Gutierrez Group team at UBS Financial Services. David grew up in Little Rock and graduated from Little Rock Central High School, and he received a BS in Systems Engineering from the University of Virginia. The primary focus of David and his team at UBS is helping clients make wise financial decisions, so Our House’s mission is near and dear to him. David and his wife, Callie, have a very active three-year-old daughter, Eva, and their family attends St. Andrews Church. In the community they are most heavily involved with Our House and ACCESS, and with Our House they have served on the Tie One On and Home for the Holidays committees the past several years.

Shannon Heard

Shannon Heard currently serves as the Associate Director of Executive Education at the University of Arkansas-Walton College of Business, where she oversees executive education programs in Little Rock. Previously, she was the founding Manager of Program Design at the Arkansas Academy for Educational Equity, affiliated with the College of Education and Health Professions at the University of Arkansas. In this position, Ms. Heard’s primary role was leading operational activities for the instructional team within the Academy, ensuring the academic and professional success of K-12 teachers who work in high-need communities across Arkansas. Before joining the Arkansas Academy for Educational Equity in 2019, Ms. Heard dedicated nearly ten years of service to the Family Medicine department at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, where she managed residency and early childhood mental health programs. She enjoys using her program management and interpersonal skills to help stakeholders achieve their goals. Ms. Heard earned her Bachelor of Arts in economics (with distinction) and music from Sewanee: The University of the South in Sewanee, TN. She holds a Master of Business Administration degree with a concentration in organizational communication from the Reynolds College of Business at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She was inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma and Phi Kappa Phi honor societies after completing her Master’s Degree in 2017. Most recently, Ms. Heard earned her Project Management Certification from the University of Arkansas. Ms. Heard is active in various public service projects in the Central Arkansas community, including the Junior League of Little Rock, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., the Arkansas Urban League Young Professionals, and the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. She enjoys spending time with loved ones during her free time, including her family, friends, and Jagger Garfield – her orange tabby. Ms. Heard loves kickboxing, journaling, reading books on personal development, and listening to music, especially jazz, R&B, hip-hop, and soul.

Cynthia Huff

Cynthia Huff has been a dedicated member of the Our House community for many years, starting in 2013, when she and her granddaughter LaShaunti were one of the first families to enroll in the Central Arkansas Family Stability Institute. Since then, Cynthia has worked with the Career Center and Reentry Programs, and served on the Our House Community Council. Her family received Our House’s top honor in 2018, the Resilient Family of the Year Award, which included a college scholarship for LaShaunti. Cynthia now lives in her hometown of Hot Springs, Arkansas, where she works at the Arkansas Blood Institute through AARP’s Senior Community Service Employment Program. Cynthia has been featured in the Arkansas Times as a fierce advocate for the rights of previously incarcerated people, and she is proud of the continued success of her granddaughter, who is currently a student at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro.

Scott Irby

Scott Irby is the President of the Our House Executive Committee. He has a trial-oriented practice and focuses his attention on mass torts, complex commercial litigation, products liability, intellectual property, and real property disputes. Irby has served as lead trial counsel, in both state and federal courts, representing companies and individuals alike. Irby began his professional legal career as law clerk to Senior United States District Judge G. Thomas Eisele. After two years with Judge Eisele, he joined Wright Lindsey Jennings and has developed a reputation as an exceptional and respected litigator. Irby is a member of the American Bar Association, the Arkansas Bar Association, the Pulaski County Bar Association, the Defense Research Institute, and the Arkansas Association of Defense Counsel. In 2014 and 2015, Chambers USA recognized Irby as an “Up and Coming” attorney for his work in general litigation. He is recognized by Mid-South Super Lawyers in Class Action and Mass Tort, and is a Benchmark Litigation “Future Star.” Scott is a native Arkansan, having grown up in central and northeastern Arkansas. He attended the University of Arkansas for college and law school, finishing first in his law school class.

Janna Knight

Janna Knight is active as a volunteer in our community. Prior to COVID, she volunteered at Rockefeller Elementary school and at Pulaski Heights Elementary school as a reading tutor. She later volunteered at Hall High school as an ESL and reading tutor. She also volunteered for several years at the Wrightsville Prison Women’s unit. She is currently volunteering at the Pulaski County jail with the men in the “Restore Hope” re-entry program. In her professional career, Janna worked as a Development officer at UALR. She belongs to Pulaski Heights Methodist Church and has more recently served on a committee to help an Afghan family get resettled here. She and her husband have three daughters. 

Andrea Hogan Lewis

Andrea Hogan Lewis is an Assistant Vice President of First Security Bank with a concentration in Community/Business Development and Marketing. She is very active in emphasizing the importance of saving money at an early age and financial literacy across our local school districts and communities. She has brought this passion for financial literacy to Our House, where she has volunteered as a financial instructor for several years, and has recently headed up a partnership to provide Our House clients with bank accounts.  Andrea is currently an Ambassador for the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce, serves as a board member for Volunteers in Public Schools for the Little Rock School District, and is a member of the Friends of Reading Advisory Board for AR Kids Read, and now is honored to serve on the board of directors for Our House. Andrea grew up in Turrell, AR and is a graduate of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing. She also has an MBA from the University of Phoenix. Andrea is married to Marcus Lewis of Little Rock, and together they co-host a buzzing webcast series “Marriage University”. They have three children:  Hogan, Saniya and Zari.  She is a member of the Second Baptist Church of Little Rock and in her spare time, she enjoys great food, shopping, playing with the kids, and spending time with family and friends.

Carla Morris

Carla Morris is a Division Manager at Arkansas Division of Workforce Services for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program where she provides oversight to the Program and Logistical Administration Section of the TANF Department. She is a Staff Pastor at Second Baptist Church for the Discipleship Department where she provides leadership to the Christian Education, Intercessory Prayer, New Members Orientation, Financial Freedom, Ministers in Training, Leaders in Training, Teachers in Training, and the Antioch School of Church Planting and Leadership ministries. In addition, she is a Board Member of City Church Network and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. Carla is a strategic, transformational visionary business leader who operates with a pastoral heart who has the ability to see the big picture, fill in gaps between the need for new possibility and the need for practicality by providing a prescriptive set of habits to initiate change in organizations, groups, others, and herself through her keen ability to teach, supervise and motivate others through change management. She is always evolving and committed to the growth of others, her community and State, and herself. As a result of her humble commitment to growth and development within her Church, Community, and State, she is passionate about seeing the dreams and visions of all become a reality by modeling the way.

Shamim Okolloh

Shamim Okolloh was born in Nairobi, Kenya and moved to the US at age 19. She is the Vice President and Community Outreach Officer at Encore Bank. She oversees Encore Bank’s outreach program in Central Arkansas with a focus on financial inclusion for the underserved minority community who are often unbanked and underbanked. Before joining Encore, Okolloh was the Member Service Coordinator at the Arkansas Foodbank, a position she held since 2014. She also spent three years at Heifer International as the East Africa Program Coordinator where she supported students, teachers, farmers and community leaders in rural Uganda. Okolloh has a bachelor’s degree in environmental science from Spelman College and a Master of Public Service from the Clinton School of Public Service in Little Rock. She was named among the Top Ten College Women and feature in Glamour Magazine. Her favorite humans are her two children Liam and Ella and she enjoys East African cuisine.

Stephanie Stewart

Stephanie Stewart has been a stay at home mom for the past five years and also a caretaker for her dad. She previously had a twenty-year career at UAMS and Arkansas Children’s Hospital working as a Senior Systems Analyst in the Budget and Information Technology departments. Stephanie is originally from Pine Bluff. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Finance in 1994. She is a member of Pulaski Heights Methodist church and has served in leadership roles over the years. Stephanie and her husband Todd annually support Our House through event sponsorships as well as monthly donations. Stephanie got involved in working at the Our House Resale store two years ago and has been a dedicated volunteer ever since.

Lauren Straub

Lauren Straub is an exemplary person, mother, and member of the Our House community. Lauren first came to Our House in 2018 with her daughter Riley, and began working as a Job Trainee at the Our House Resale Store. Lauren and Riley lived in the shelter, and then transitioned into the Family House, where they took full advantage of all the resources Our House had to offer – Lauren attended Parenting Classes and Family Fun Nights in Little Learners with Riley, she attended Recovery Support classes, served as a member of Community Council, and even went back to school while still working full time. Lauren and Riley moved into their own apartment in Maumelle in 2020, and continued to be involved with Our House through the CAFSI program. Lauren now works at Parker Cadillac and is close to finishing her Bachelor’s degree, while Riley is thriving at Maumelle Elementary school. Lauren has a lot of insight and respect for the hard work and resiliency it takes to turn your life around, and credits the lessons she learned from Our House as a key foundation in her stability.

Magen Tune

Magen Tune serves as the Local Market Organization’s Market Executive for the state of Arkansas. In this role, she is responsible for business integration, strategic planning, coordination and leveraging of the bank’s local philanthropic contributions, managing events and sponsorships facilitating relationships with the community and opinion leaders. Magen has been with the bank for 13 years and, prior to her current role, she served as the Sales Support Associate in Business Banking for Little Rock, AR. Magen spent the first eight years of her career in Consumer Banking, where she held multiple positions in the financial center as well as an administration role supporting the Consumer Market team. Before joining the bank, Magen worked at a local bank while attending college. Magen received her undergraduate degree in Business Management from the University of Central Arkansas and her Master of Business Administration from University of Phoenix. Active in the community, she has taken a leadership role working closely with nonprofit organizations in Arkansas, assisting with planning and organizing bank volunteer days to meet the needs of these critical organizations. She is an active member of the Arkansas Leadership Team, Bank of America Women’s Leadership Council, and the local Power of 10 Women’s chapter. She currently is serving her fourth year as a Board member with Junior Achievement of Arkansas.

Millie Ward

President and Co-Founder of Stone Ward in Little Rock, AR. Millie is leading in a league of her own when it comes to doing whatever it takes on any given day to keep Stone Ward and its clients moving forward together as a creative force for good. In 2015, named Sam M. Walton Arkansas Business Hall of Fame for her recognition as a business influencer ,leader, and speaker. Millie and her co-founder Larry Stone have built their business from a $2 million business in 1984 to a $50 million-plus full-service, fiercely independent agency today. Along the way, she and Larry both have been inducted into the Southwest Advertising Hall of Fame. She has had the honor of working with hundreds of local, national, and international clients, from financial to global non-profits, and has remained close friends with many, proof that her client-agency relationships go beyond business. Millie is driven by a sense of optimism, gratitude (and her daily eight-ounce Red Bull), Millie has worked with an abundance of highly successful business and community leaders across the country who have collectively inspired and informed her own approach to leadership. Over the years, Millie has been named Rotary Business and Professional Leader of the Year, SMEA Top Manager of the Year, Woman of the Year, and Top 100 Women in Business. A classically trained copywriter, Millie’s passion for simple persuasive communication has propelled her ability to contribute to the success and profit of companies and brands in almost every industry, shaping challenger brands into leaders and non-profits into life-changing forces. Today she sits on the board of the Little Rock Federal Reserve Bank, The Venture Center, Bridge2Rwanda, Baptist Health Foundation, and the Arkansas Executive Forum. Her competitive spirit in tow, she still finds time to cheer on her granddaughter at softball and basketball games with the same passion and enthusiasm she brings to work every day.