Conway Corp Names Brett McDaniel Chief Operating Officer 

Conway Corp has announced the promotion of Brett McDaniel to chief operating officer.    

McDaniel will ­­­­­­­­­­direct, administer and coordinate the activities of operations in support of policies, goals and objectives established by the Chief Executive Officer and the Board of Directors. He is responsible for the overall direction, coordination and evaluation of the operations division at Conway Corp, including electric, water and telecommunication services. 

“I am looking forward to working with Brett as he moves to the role of COO,” Conway Corp CEO Bret Carroll said. “Brett’s experience over the past 18 years has given him insight that is critical as we plan for the future of all of our utility and telecommunication services. He is committed to Conway Corp and our customers and will serve them well in his new role.” 

McDaniel began his career with the company in November 2005 as a water systems engineer. He was promoted to water systems senior engineer in 2008 and was named engineering & planning manager in 2017. 

McDaniel replaces Greg Dell, who retired as COO on March 31, following a 39-year career with the company. 

Hendrix College Names Teresa A. Garrett as Provost 

Hendrix College has named Teresa A. Garrett as executive vice president of academic affairs and provost of the college. 

Garrett will join the Hendrix community on July 1 and comes to Hendrix from Sweet Briar College in Virginia, where she served as vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college and is a faculty member of the department of chemistry. 

“We are excited and fortunate to welcome Dr. Garrett to the Hendrix community as Provost. As an accomplished scholar, teacher, and leader, she will add tremendous value to our leadership team and to our work in Academic Affairs as we plan for the future of the College,” said Hendrix College President Karen Petersen.   

Prior to her tenure at Sweet Briar, Garrett was Associate Dean of Faculty and Professor of Chemistry at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York. 

Garrett earned her Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry from Florida State University and her Ph.D. in biochemistry from Duke University, where she also taught as an assistant research professor.  

She will succeed Interim Provost David Sutherland, who is retiring at the end of this academic year after 32 years at Hendrix. A professor of mathematics, Sutherland served for 20 years as the college’s associate provost for academic affairs. 

University of Central Arkansas Names Michael Hargis as Provost & Executive VP 

Michael Hargis has been named the next provost and executive vice president for the University of Central Arkansas. Hargis will begin in the role July 1. 

Hargis will preside over UCA’s five academic colleges — College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; College of Business, College of Education, College of Health and Behavioral Sciences and College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics — the Schedler Honors College, Graduate School and the broader academic division. Hargis succeeds Patricia Poulter who retires as provost and executive vice president in June. 

“I am thrilled and deeply honored to be selected to serve as the next provost and executive vice president at UCA,” Hargis said. “I look forward to the opportunity to collaborate with the dedicated faculty, staff, students, and executive team at UCA to advance our mission.” 

Hargis has served as dean of the UCA College of Business since 2014. He has also served as interim dean of the COB and interim provost and executive vice president. 

“Dr. Hargis has been a distinguished leader in Arkansas higher education for almost two decades, and under his leadership, UCA will accelerate our momentum and reach new heights,” said UCA President Houston Davis.  

TECHNOLOGY 

Mainstream Technologies recently hired Will Spicer as enterprise account executive. He will work with clients on software solution needs.  

Mainstream also hired Joshua Carroll as a software developer. Carroll will be responsible for the design, development, and deployment of full-stack software solutions. 

Chris Jones was recently hired as a senior data engineer. Jones will be responsible for design, development, and deployment of data warehousing, analytics, and business intelligence solutions. 

UTILITIES 

Conway Corp Announces Promotions, Certifications 

Dale Gottsponer has been promoted to manager of engineering and planning at Conway Corp. Gottsponer will be responsible for directing and coordinating the operation of the company’s engineering and planning department, including forecasting, system planning, system design and engineering analysis as it supports the community and the company. 

Gottsponer began his career with the company in 1989 as an electric systems engineer 1. He was promoted to electric systems senior engineer in 2008. 

Tylor McPherson, Cody Tackett, and Kyle Troxler have been promoted to apprentice lineman 3 in the electric department. 

All three are enrolled in a four-year apprentice program to become journeymen linemen through the Missouri Public Utility Alliance. McPherson, Tackett, and Troxler were hired as groundsmen in 2018. 

Ryan Tucker recently earned his Kaseya Certified Administrator certification. Kaseya is the premier provider of unified IT management and security software for managed service providers and small- to medium-sized businesses.  

Tucker began his career with Conway Corp in 2008 as a video encoder and production coordinator. He was promoted to senior programming coordinator in 2019, and transferred to the technology division and was promoted to his current role as systems administrator 1 in 2021.