Meet Our Staff

As President & CEO, Heather is responsible for leading Arkansas Community Foundation and expanding its role as a statewide community resource through strategic partnerships. She works with the Community Foundation’s board of directors to implement the Foundation’s strategic vision, ensure asset growth, and steward charitable funds for individuals, families, businesses and private foundations. Heather has seen the Foundation through monumental asset growth to more than $780 million and grantmaking growth to more than $48 million annually. The Community Foundation is now largest grantmaker in the state by the number of grants made each year. Heather was appointed by then Governor Asa Hutchinson to the Arkansas Women’s Commission, was named Woman of the Year in Philanthropy by the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas and has been recognized by several publications as one of the top influential people in Arkansas. She was also named as a “Scholar in Residence” at the Clinton School of Public Service Center on Community Philanthropy for exemplary contributions in the field of community philanthropy. Over the course of work at the Community Foundation, Heather has been honored to work with philanthropists, foundations, corporations and nonprofits in Arkansas to strengthen local communities. She joined Arkansas Community Foundation in 1998 and became its President and CEO in January 2008.

Contact Heather at 501-372-1116.

Ashley Riggin Coldiron is the Chief Development Officer for Arkansas Community Foundation. She oversees all strategies to promote the acquisition of grantmaking assets through gifts. She ensures delivery of excellent service to donors and assists leadership in setting and implementing the Foundation’s vision. Based in the Little Rock office, she is a native Arkansan and holds a B.S. in Business from Centenary College and an M.B.A. from UA- Little Rock. Ashley has worked in the nonprofit sector since 1992 and is a current board member of the Estate Planning Council of Arkansas. She has worked for Arkansas Community Foundation since January of 2014.

Jessica Hughes Ford is the Chief Communications Officer for Arkansas Community Foundation. Jessica leads the communications team and is responsible for ENGAGE Magazine along with other Foundation publications, the website, media relations, information for Aspire Arkansas, crisis communications, public relations, social media and telling the Foundation’s stories of impact. She also provides support for all communication needs to the local affiliate network. Based in the Little Rock office, Jessica is a native Arkansan and holds a B.A. in Women’s Studies from the University of Wyoming and has worked in the nonprofit sector since 2003. She is a member of Leadership Greater Little Rock Class XXXVI and serves as treasurer for the Arkansas Chapter of PRSA board. Jessica has worked for Arkansas Community Foundation since February of 2020.

Linsley Matteson Kinkade is the Chief Program Officer for Arkansas Community Foundation. Linsley leads the community investment team and provides leadership in setting and implementing the key strategies for achieving the Foundation’s vision of vital communities at local and state levels. Raised in rural southwest Arkansas, she has dedicated her career to asset-based community development in the rural mid-south through projects that improve quality of life and engender a sense of place. A graduate of the University of Arkansas, she holds a B.A. in Journalism, serves on the Community Development Institute’s Advisory Board, and is a certified Professional Community and Economic Developer. Linsley has worked for Arkansas Community Foundation since 2023 and proudly calls Little Rock home.

Corey Moline serves as the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer for Arkansas Community Foundation. Corey is a CPA and provides financial and organizational leadership to the Foundation while overseeing accounting, finance, financial planning/analysis, human resources, information technology and the Foundation’s facilities. After graduating from the University of Central Arkansas in 1995 with a B.B.A. in Accounting, he spent 17 years in public accounting and two years in private industry. He has twice been a finalist for Nonprofit CFO of the Year by Arkansas Business and is a member of Leadership Greater Little Rock Class XXVI. Corey has been with the Community Foundation since 2014.

Jody Dilday is the Vice President of Northwest Operations for Arkansas Community Foundation. As a member of the development team, she supports the Foundation’s community-based affiliates in Carroll, Washington, Crawford, Sebastian, Johnson and Pope counties. Based in the Rogers office, Jody serves as a philanthropic advisor to existing fundholders and works to establish new relationships with professional advisors including wealth managers, estate planning attorneys and CPAs. She holds a B.A. in Social Work from the University of Arkansas and has spent her 25+ year career in social services and nonprofit leadership. She was recognized by the Association of Fundraising Professionals as the Outstanding Fundraising Executive in 2017. Jody joined the Community Foundation and opened the Northwest Arkansas satellite office in 2017.

Katy Bland is the Communications Associate for Arkansas Community Foundation. Katy provides communications support for all 29 affiliates. She does certain event planning and coordinating for the Foundation. Maintains the organization’s website and all content. Manages all social media on three platforms. State board liaison for our board of 16-18 board members from across the state. Manages our brand and all branded material. After graduating from University of Arkansas Little Rock, she worked in the accounting department at Nexstar Broadcasting as an AR Analyst. She has worked for Arkansas Community Foundation since February 2016.

Bethany Hilkert is the Donor Stewardship Officer for Arkansas Community Foundation. She aids the development team by providing crucial support services and database integrity. She also works directly with fundholders who seek advice on making meaningful grants to organizations and projects. She strives to exceed fundholders’ expectations and inspire trust in the Community Foundation. After graduating from University of Arkansas Little Rock, Bethany worked for many years in customer relation positions in the retail, banking, and non-profit industries. She has loved working at Arkansas Community Foundation since 2018.

Rich Huddleston is a Program Director at the Community Foundation. As part of the community investment team, Rich oversees the Foundation’s Aspire Arkansas data initiative which seeks to build stronger communities through strategic use of state and local data. He also leads the Foundation’s work in a range of programmatic areas. Prior to joining the Foundation, Rich was with Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families from 1995-2022.  Rich lives in Little Rock with his wife Janie. He has been with the Arkansas Community Foundation since 2023.

Octie Jacks serves as Affiliate Officer for Arkansas Community Foundation. Octie is a native of Forrest City and graduate of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff with a degree in Business Administration. She manages statewide outreach through the affiliate program and provides liaison support between the central office, local affiliate staff and advisory boards. Octie was senior sales associate for Medicare New Business Development at Cigna and Program Manager and Community Health Advisor Manager for American Cancer Society Arkansas. She also spent ten plus years in various nonprofit and for-profit sectors. Octie has over a decade of experience of working with diverse communities to create innovative solutions to improve health and human equity. She started at the Community Foundation in 2021.

Jane Jones serves as Program Officer and is the primary administrator of online grant and scholarship programs. Originally from Blytheville, Arkansas, Jane grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, before returning to Arkansas to attend Harding University in Searcy, where she earned a degree in interior design. After graduating, Jane worked as a flight attendant for American Airlines for 10 years, followed by a career in residential construction. She joined the Foundation in 2007 and has served in various roles.

Christene Jordan is the Finance Grants Associate at Arkansas Community Foundation. Christene is the processes all grant requests, distributions, interfund transfers and designated scholarships. In addition, she serves as a backup for posting payables and printing checks. Christene graduated from Philander Smith College with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree. Before Arkansas, she resided in Texas where she worked as an Accounts Payable Associate processing all payables including product invoices, freight invoices and service bills for a food distribution company for over ten years. Christene has worked for the Community Foundation since 2022.

Carrie Long is the Office Administrator at Arkansas Community Foundation. Carrie is responsible for managing daily operations, scheduling appointments and will be the first person you speak with when calling or visiting our office. She is an Arkansas native and attended the University of Central Arkansas. After 19 years of coaching high school competitive dance teams, Carrie joined the Community Foundation in 2022. Outside of the office, she enjoys being an active member in her church, quality time with friends and family and hiking with her golden retrievers.  

Lauren Morris is the Program Director for the Community Foundation’s 29-affiliate network where she builds the affiliate program through training, coaching and facilitating across the state. On the community investment team, she works with local advisory boards to build effective, strategic grantmakers and philanthropic leaders in their communities. Lauren was a Hull Fellow with Philanthropy Southeast 2021-2022. Prior to joining the Foundation, her career centered on leading and coordinating grants and programs that built stronger communities with a special focus on community health. Lauren lives in Little Rock with her husband and two girls. She has worked for Arkansas Community Foundation since 2017.

Lesley Roberts is the Regional Development Director for Arkansas Community Foundation. She serves as a philanthropic advisor to current and prospective donors wanting to grow or create charitable funds. Lesley also collaborates with professional advisors including wealth managers, estate planning attorneys and CPAs to implement charitable giving plans for their clients. She focuses her efforts on communities in the state with an 870 area code. Lesley holds a B.S.E. from the University of Arkansas and has spent most of her 20+ year fundraising career working with statewide nonprofit organizations. She joined the Community Foundation team in 2022.

Annetta Tirey is a Program Director located in the Northwest Arkansas regional office. Annetta manages discretionary grants and community leadership projects statewide and in the Northwest Arkansas region. She also works with the program team to build and share community knowledge for major areas of grant focus and other issue areas impacting Arkansas communities. A graduate of the University of Central Arkansas, Annetta has more than 25 years of experience in the philanthropic sector. Prior to joining the Foundation, Annetta served as Executive Director of the Northwest Arkansas Community College Foundation and spent over 20 years at Tyson Foods in community relations and leading corporate social responsibility efforts. Annetta has worked for the Community Foundation since 2021.

Phillip Walker is the Senior Accountant for Arkansas Community Foundation. He serves as the primary administrator for recording all contributions and payables. He is responsible for printing checks on a weekly basis and assisting the Finance Director with monthly financial processes such as reconciliations. Phillip is a native of Arkansas and a 2011 graduate of the University of Central Arkansas. He spent four years in public accounting and six years working at various nonprofits before joining the Community Foundation in 2021.