Meet Our Staff

Heather Larkin joined Arkansas Community Foundation in 1998 and became its President and CEO in January 2008. Heather has seen the Foundation through monumental asset grantmaking growth to where the Foundation is now largest grantmaker in the state by the number of grants made annually. In 2022, Heather was appointed by 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 was recognized as one of the top 20 Influential Women in Arkansas by Arkansas Business. 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. Heather is a Hull Fellow and attended the Hull Leadership Program, a program to nurture and inspire the Southeast’s philanthropic leaders. In 2005, she was selected as one of five Americans to be a Transatlantic Community Foundation Fellow. Heather is a native of Charleston, Ark. She attended Hendrix College in Conway and while at Hendrix, she competed in several sports including cross-country, track and basketball. Upon graduating with distinction in economics and business, she went to work for Ernst and Young, LLP and became a Certified Public Accountant. She returned to the academic arena and graduated from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Law where she served as survey/comments editor for the UALR Law Journal. Heather has served on the boards of Just Communities of Arkansas, Keep Arkansas Beautiful Foundation, Rotary Club 99 and ACANSA Arts Festival. She was inducted into the Hendrix Athletic Hall of Honor in 2007. She is also a member of various organizations and is a graduate of Leadership Greater Little Rock class 19 and of Leadership Arkansas Class I.

Since 2015, Ashley Riggin Coldiron serves as Chief Development Officer for Arkansas Community Foundation. Ashley has been in the development field since 1992, previously, working for Heifer International, Arkansas Children’s Hospital Foundation and executive director of the CARTI Foundation. She also spent eight years as a capital campaign and development consultant for various Arkansas charities prior to joining Arkansas Community Foundation. Ashley was named to Arkansas Business Forty Under Forty, was a member of Leadership Greater Little Rock Class XV and was named one of Arkansas Money & Politics Power Women of 2022.  Her Master’s Degree in Business Administration was earned at the UA Little Rock, and she graduated from Centenary College of Louisiana with a Bachelor of Science in Business.  Ashley is a 21/64 Certified Advisor, which focuses on multigenerational advising, facilitation and training for next generation engagement.

Jessica Ford is the Chief Communications Officer for Arkansas Community Foundation. A native Arkansan, Ford holds a B.A. in Women’s Studies from the University of Wyoming. She has worked in the nonprofit sector since 2003. Prior to joining the Community Foundation staff, Ford spent over 12 years at Heifer International. She piloted Heifer’s first “Women & Global Leadership Development Program” with a one-year assignment with Heifer Peru. Ford is also an alumni of the Thunderbird School of Global Management’s “Emerging Leaders in the Social Sector” program and was named one of 2022 Future Fifty by Arkansas Money & Politics. She is a member of Leadership Greater Little Rock Class XXXVI and the Arkansas Chapter of PRSA. 

Linsley Matteson Kinkade has dedicated her 22-year long career to supporting Arkansas communities, first serving as a staffer to an Arkansas U.S. representative and an Arkansas U.S. Senator on Capitol Hill. For the past 16 years she has worked in Winrock International’s U.S. Programs, most recently leading the team as Senior Director.

At Winrock, Linsley led a talented team that supported asset-based community development in the rural mid-South through projects that improve quality of life and engender a sense of place. She worked on fostering entrepreneurship and small business development programming that supported proof-of-concept, Main Street and high-tech businesses to increase economic growth.

Raised in rural southwest Arkansas, her passion for our State, its rural communities and its residents is deeply engrained. She has worked with more than 85 communities across the mid-South, and has launched entrepreneurship, economic and workforce development programs that serve diverse stakeholders. She serves on the Community Development Institute’s Central Advisory Board and is a certified Professional Community and Economic Developer. Linsley, her husband, David, proudly call Little Rock home. 

Corey is a 1995 graduate of the University of Central Arkansas. He spent 17 years in public accounting – specializing in nonprofit and governmental accounting, and two years as the controller for a national trucking company. Corey is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and Arkansas Society of CPA’s (ASCPA.) In 2018 and 2021 he was a finalist for CFO of the Year by Arkansas Business and is a graduate of the Leadership Greater Little Rock program. He enjoys activities with his wife and four children, music and volunteering in various church responsibilities.

Based in the Community Foundation’s satellite office in Rogers, Jody Dilday leads the Foundation’s efforts in Northwest Arkansas.  As a member of the Development team, she provides donor services to existing fund holders, works to establish new partnerships, and supports our community-based affiliates throughout Carroll, Washington, Crawford, Sebastian, Johnson and Pope counties. A graduate of the University of Arkansas, Jody has more than 20 years’ experience in the nonprofit sector. She describes her role as that of a “philanthropy concierge.” Deeply rooted in Northwest Arkansas, Jody serves as a matchmaker between good people and good causes and prides herself on facilitating deeply rewarding philanthropic experiences for individuals, families and corporations. As a 21/64 Certified Advisor, she invests time with each donor to understand their motivational values and legacy goals which drive their charitable giving. Prior to joining the Community Foundation, she served for 10 years as the Executive Director of the Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Northwest Arkansas.  Jody currently serves on the Board of Directors of Arkansas Women’s Hall of Fame and Beer and Hymns Charity. In 2017 she was recognized by her peers as the Outstanding Fundraising Executive by the NWA chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Jody and her husband Mark live in Fayetteville and are enjoying the “empty-nest” stage of life as the proud parents of three adult children.

Katy Bland is Communications Associate for Arkansas Community Foundation.  She is a native of Poplar Grove, AR but grew up in Cabot.  A graduate of Cabot High School, Katy received her Associates Degree from Pulaski Technical College and spent two years at University of Arkansas at Little Rock.  Katy was hired at Arkansas Community Foundation in February 2016 as the Office Administrator and was promoted to the Communications Department in July 2020.  She has two wonderful children, Skylar and Asa, who take up most of her time.  

Bethany Hilkert serves as Donor Stewardship Officer for Arkansas Community Foundation. She is responsible for developing and nurturing relationships with the Foundation’s donors. Previously Hilkert was business manager for Arkansas Repertory Theatre, where she started as front of house box office associate and moved to development and special events manager. Before working at The Rep, she was a branch manager for Arvest Bank. A graduate of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Hilkert received a BA in English emphasizing creative and technical writing.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Rich worked for Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families (AACF) since 1995. After serving for nine years as AACF’s research and fiscal policy director, Rich served as its executive director from 2004-2022. Rich has a long and extensive background in conducting and leading public policy research and advocacy on issues impacting children and families; fundraising and development through foundation grantmaking; and nonprofit management. He has served on numerous state and national boards and advisory committees, including the Arkansas Taskforce on Reducing Poverty, the Arkansas Supreme Court Commission on Children, Youth and Families, the Arkansas Youth Justice Reform Board, and the Partnership for America’s Children. A native of Gastonia, North Carolina, Rich has a B.A. in Political Science from Carroll University in Wisconsin; a Master of Public Administration (M.P.A) from West Virginia University; and three years of advanced graduate post-work in public policy at the University of Georgia. He lives in Little Rock with his wife Janie and their dog Tuxedo. They have a grown daughter Lauren and son-in-law Nick who also live in Little Rock.

Octie Jacks serves as Affiliate Officer for Arkansas Community Foundation. Jacks is a native of Forrest City, Arkansas 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. Previously, 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 as a marketing and community engagement strategist 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 prior to joining the Community Foundation. 

Jane Jones is a native of Blytheville, Arkansas, but really grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She returned to Arkansas, though, to attend Harding University in Searcy. Jane has served in several capacities at the Foundation, but currently works as program associate.

Christene Jordan is the Finance Grants Associate at the Community Foundation. Jordan graduated from Philander Smith College with a Bachelor of Business Administration. She recently moved back to Arkansas from Texas to be closer to family. While in Texas she worked as an accounts payable associate for a food distribution company more than over ten years. She enjoys reading, watching HGTV and spending time with her family.

Lauren Morris moved to Little Rock, Arkansas in 2012 and has since been dedicated to improving the quality of life for Arkansans. She studied international public health and received a Master in Public Health from Boston University School of Public Health in 2008. She proceeded to take on a program working with school-based programs as a Nutrition and Physical Activity Specialist for Save the Children US Programs in Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama. Passionate about leading rural programs to improve opportunities for youth and children, Lauren moved to Little Rock to serve as Deputy Director of Programs for Arkansas, Kansas, and Nebraska to address early childhood education, K-5 literacy, and childhood nutrition and physical activity programs before refocusing on a local garden-based program in Little Rock schools. Lauren most recently served as the Project Coordinator for a new initiative through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service that worked with local coalitions to guide policy, systems, and environmental changes to make healthier Arkansas communities. Lauren has a strong commitment to and values quality community and economic development to build stronger communities and continues to contribute her knowledge and skills at Arkansas Community Foundation.

A native of El Dorado, Roberts earned a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Arkansas. Her 20 years of development experience include work with Methodist Family Health Foundation, CareLink and Arkansas Children’s Hospital Foundation. She is a Board member for Girls on the Run Central Arkansas. She lives in Little Rock with her husband Stan and daughters Elli and Ann Kelley.

Based in the Community Foundation’s satellite office in Rogers,  Annetta Tirey serves as the NWA Program Officer and works to advance the Foundation’s grantmaking and community leadership efforts in Northwest Arkansas and across the state. A graduate of the University of Central Arkansas, Annetta has more than 25 years of experience in the NWA philanthropic community. 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, including scholarship management, grantmaking, local and national initiatives to fight hunger and disaster relief efforts. Annetta has also been active in nonprofit volunteerism, event planning and execution and small business entrepreneurship. She and her husband Spencer live in Bella Vista and are the proud parents of two adult daughters.

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. He lives in Cabot with his wife Whitney and daughter Lydia. He is an avid runner and spends most of his weekends running in races varying in distance from one mile to full marathons.