Lori Rogers is the program coordinator for the AllCare Diabetes Self-Management Education (DSME) program. Rogers graduated from UAMS with a bachelor's degree in Science and Nursing in 2001. She worked at the local hospital for 13 years before joining the AllCare team in October 2013. Lori resides in Gurdon with her husband Jeff and 3 children, Parker, Landon, and Brooklynn.

Detri Brech is the dietitian for the AllCare DSME program and teaches at Ouachita Baptist University. Brech earned a bachelor of science degree from Ouachita Baptist University, a master of science degree from Louisiana Tech University, and a Ph.D from Oklahoma State University. She is a certified diabetes educator. Before moving to Arkadelphia, she taught at Missouri State and the University of Central Arkansas. She has lived in Arkadelphia for 15 years and has a daughter, Katie, who is a senior at OBU.

Rogers and Brech are active members of BAHCC (Becoming a Healthier Clark County) and the Arkansas DAC (Diabetes Advisory Council).They will be discussing the ADA recognized Diabetes Self Management Program at AllCare pharmacy and the need for this program due to the rise of diabetes in this area and surrounding areas.

Mark Christ is the Community Outreach Director for the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage. 

Christ also currently serves on the Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission and is an award winning author and editor of numerous books about the Civil War in Arkansas. One of his works, "Getting Used to Being Shot At: The Spence Family Civil War Letters," focuses on the war time experiences of a family in Arkadelphia and two sons serving in the Confederate Army. 

Christ will be speaking about Elkin's Ferry and ongoing acquisition and preservation efforts for the property in Clark County. A graduate of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and the University of Oklahoma, Christ lives in Little Rock with his wife and children.

Leah Sexton is originally from Warren, Arkansas, and moved to Arkadelphia in 2002 to attend college. She is an alumna of Henderson State University, having earned a bachelor of arts in communication and a master of liberal arts in social sciences. Sexton is a member of Junior Auxiliary of Arkadelphia, serves on the board of the local Boys and Girls Club, and is an alumna of Leadership Clark County. She is also an alumna of Alpha Xi Delta, for which she currently serves as on-campus advisor. Sexton works in the Admissions department at Henderson as the guest services coordinator, as well as serving as an adjunct instructor of history.

In her spare time, she sings in a cover band, Sensory 2, and loves to travel. Leah is married to Clay Sexton, and they are members of the First Presbyterian Church in Arkadelphia. Leah’s book, The History of the Pink Tomato Industry, is a product of her graduate thesis. She researched the industry that she was engulfed in as she grew up on a small tomato farm in Bradley County, Arkansas.

Stephen Bell currently serves as President and CEO of the Arkadelphia Regional Economic Development Alliance, a position he has held since August 2014. The Arkadelphia Regional Economic Development Alliance was created in 2008 to serve as the umbrella economic development organization for Clark County, Arkansas.

The Arkadelphia Alliance serves the county, which includes the cities of Amity, Arkadelphia, Caddo Valley, Gum Springs, Gurdon, Okolona and Whelen Springs, by supporting the existing business retention and expansion program while recruiting targeted industries in the areas of alternative fuels, customer development centers, distribution/logistics, and green/sustainable building products. The Alliance provides leadership as the umbrella organization which includes the Economic Development Commission of Clark County (EDCCC), Arkadelphia Area Chamber of Commerce and Clark County Industrial Council (CCIC).

Bell earned a bachelor's degree from Hendrix College in Conway and a master's degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He is a graduate of the Institute for Organization Management sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He is a current member of the Arkadelphia Rotary Club as well as a former member of the Stuttgart Rotary Club. 

Before making the move to Arkadelphia, Bell served for more than 18 years as the executive director and executive vice-president of the Stuttgart Chamber of Commerce and Stuttgart Industrial Development Corp. Interesting highlights from his work in Stuttgart are recruitment, organization, and supervision of 200 volunteers for the World’s Championship Duck Calling Contest and Wings Over the Prairie Festival in addition to recruitment and promotion of the 326 business members of the Stuttgart Chamber. While in "the duck and rice capital of the world," Bell also published an annual 152-page advertisement-based city magazine (with ad sales of $45,000 annually) that includes an online edition to market the community.

He currently serves on the Board of Directors of several organizations, including the Arkansas Chamber of Commerce Executives, Arkansas Economic Developers, and the Arkansas Good Roads and Transportation Council. With experience in public relations and marketing, legislative affairs, and economic development - as well as an impressive record of business retention and recruitment - Bell is prepared to help Clark County.

Jeff Venable currently is the District Engineer with the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department, District Seven, Camden, Arkansas. He is a 1978 graduate of Louisiana Tech University with degrees in Engineering and Land Surveying and is a Registered Professional Engineer in Arkansas and a Registered Civil Engineer in Louisiana.  

Beginning in the fall of 1972, Jeff Venable has 42+ years of experience in the construction and engineering related field including 5.5 years working for a roadway contractor, 4.5 years as an engineering consultant, and 32.5 years with the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department. While with the Arkansas Highway Department, he has held the positions of Assistant-to-Resident Engineer, Field Engineer I and 2, Advanced Field Engineer, Assistant Resident Engineer, Resident Engineer, District Maintenance Engineer, and currently, District Engineer in District 7, Camden.

Jeff Venable has worked in various locations with the Department, starting with 3.5 years in the Hope Resident 32 office, 9 years in the Hot Springs Resident 64 office, 6.5 years in the West Little Rock Resident 65 office, 6 years in the Camden Resident 74 office, 6 years in Camden District as District Maintenance Engineer and 1+ years in Camden as District Engineer. Over his career, he has been involved with numerous roadway and bridge construction projects, various maintenance projects as well as several municipal streets, drainage, and land development projects.

Jeff Venable is originally from Hot Springs, Arkansas and has been married to Debbie Venable of Ruston, LA for 42+ years. They have 2 sons, Scott and Shawn Venable, and granddaughter, Lorelai. 

David is the author of the forthcoming book,” When Life Throws You Curves, Keep Swinging.” He is an inspirational speaker with a truly unique story of overcoming hardship, living life to the fullest and motivating young men and women to achieve their full potential in sports and in life.

As a baseball coach in the collegiate and high school ranks for 29 years, David earned 470 victories – despite the fact that he walks on two prosthetic legs and never played the game of baseball himself. David also coached as an assistant football coach for eight years, girls weightlifting for seven years, girls basketball three years and boys cross country for three years.

His story inspires others to overcome obstacles in their own lives and achieve their own success. He is a former head coach of Campbellsville University in Kentucky, where he led the team to a Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship in 1987 — the first baseball conference championship in the history of the school.

David has had 10 district champion teams, eight district runner-up teams, two state final four teams, and one state runner-up team. He was a 10-time coach of the year recipient in various divisions. He has also coached baseball in Holland, Spain, Czech Republic, Sweden, Australia, Puerto Rico, Italy, Curacao, and Hawaii. David has worked as an associate scout for the Texas Rangers, Cleveland Indians and Tampa Bay Rays.

David, who recently retired from coaching, lives in Louisiana with his wife, Susan, and their three children.

View more information online.

Rotarians and community members are encouraged to provide canned meats and vegetables to fill the collection boxes as these staples do not remain on the pantry shelves, according to pantry representative Cindy Jackson. 

The Arkadelphia Rotary Club and the Arkadelphia-Sunrise Rotary Club are partnering with the Ecumenical Food Pantry, an interdenominational food pantry that operates in the city. Organizations and individuals are encouraged to participate by hosting collection boxes in their own businesses.

At the end of the month, representatives from the pantry will speak at a club meeting to build awareness for their efforts. All food will be sent to the pantry at this time. If you would like to participate, please contact the club at arkadelphia.rotary@gmail.com.

Collection Locations:
Club Meetings at Western Sizzlin
Arkadelphia Brookshire's Grocery
Henderson State University (Sturgis, East, Garrison Bookstore, Evans, Huie Library, and Reynolds)
Ouachita Baptist University (Hickingbotham Library)
Arkadelphia Town Hall (Administration, 2nd Floor)