NWA Emerging Leaders

Join fellow Northwest Arkansas Emerging Leaders as they learn the value and discuss the process for getting involved and being heard in your community through engagement in the political process and public service.

Featured speaker Skip Rutherford will inspire you to get involved as he relates on his decades of experience in public service and politics in Arkansas. Rutherford currently serves as the Dean of the University of Arkansas' Clinton School of Public Service in Little Rock. From the Clinton School's website:

At the Clinton School, our students learn about global leadership and civic engagement both in the classroom and through our unique field service program, which provides academic credit for completing both local and international projects in places like China, Rwanda, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and the Sudan.

As one of three universities on the grounds of presidential libraries, the Clinton School promotes a vision of world leaders who are able to work effectively with individuals and organizations to build healthy, engaged and vibrant communities, both in Arkansas and throughout the globe. The Master of Public Service (MPS) degree and its focus on global equity are unique, as are the students who attend from around the world.

Prior to joining the Clinton School in 2005, Rutherford was executive vice president at the influential regional public relations firm Cranford, Johnson, Robinson & Woods (CJRW). Rutherford has served as chairman of the board of the William J. Clinton Foundation and is a past staff member for US Senator David Pryor. Throughout his career, he has led the way in political campaigns and initiatives at the local, state and federal levels while continuing to remain involved in his community through service on the Little Rock School Board (past president), Arkansas School of Mathematics and Science, Arkansas Children's Hospital, Little Rock Central High Museum and the Clinton Foundation.