Staff Archive

Scott Smith

Scott Smith currently serves as Executive Director of the Arkansas Public School Resource Center. Mr. Smith is the former Chief Counsel for the Arkansas Department of Education and the Arkansas State Board of Education.

Mr. Smith joined the Department on May 8, 2000, as Staff Attorney for the Department and the State Board of Education. On March 8, 2002, he was named Chief Counsel for the Department and the State Board of Education. Prior to joining the Department’s staff he served as an Attorney Specialist with the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, Revenue Division from 1994-2000.

Prior to working at the Department of Finance and Administration, he served as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for the 19th Judicial District 1992-1994. Mr. Smith attended the University of Mississippi and the University of Arkansas.

He received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree (B.S.B.A.) from the University of Arkansas (Fayetteville) in 1989 and his Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from the University of Arkansas School of Law in Fayetteville in 1992.

Lisa Walters

Lisa Walters has been with the Arkansas Public School Resource Center since July 2008 serving as the Executive Director’s executive assistant and office manager. Prior to joining APSRC, Ms. Walters was an administrative assistant in the Legal Department at the Arkansas Department of Education for twelve years. From 1988 through 1996, Ms. Walters served in the Governor’s Office as an executive assistant to the Chief of Staff and the Governor’s Scheduling staff. She began her career with the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service’s Engineering Department in 1985. Ms. Walters attended Arkansas Tech University and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Education in 1984.

Joie Ketcham

Joie Ketcham is the Administrative Assistant for the Arkansas Public School Resource Center. She joined the team in August 2017. She has 13 years of experience in nonprofit organization management. Prior to this position, she served as the Continuing Legal Education Director for the Arkansas Bar Association, and 11 years as the Member Services Director and office manager for a local association management and governmental affairs firm. She earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Central Arkansas and holds a certificate in Nonprofit Organization Management.

Trevor Nix

Trevor Nix joined APSRC as a Finance Specialist in July 2022.

Nix came to APSRC with six years of public accounting experience. After graduating in 2016 from Ouachita Baptist University with a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting and Finance, he began his career as a Tax Staff with JPMS Cox in West Little Rock. In January of 2018, JPMS Cox merged with HoganTaylor LLP based out of Tulsa Oklahoma. In January 2020, he was named Tax Senior with HoganTaylor. Passing his final part of the CPA Exam in September of 2020, Trevor became certified by the Arkansas State Board of Public Accountancy as a Certified Public Accountant in January of 2021. He is both an active member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants as well as the Arkansas Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Outside of work, Trevor cherishes his time with his wife Beth and their two children Ellie and JT.

Michael Helms

J. Michael Helms is currently serving as the Director of Legal Services of the Arkansas Public School Resource Center (APSRC).

Prior to joining APSRC, Michael served as Chief Legal Counsel for the Office of the Arkansas Lottery, Assistant Chief Executive Officer for the Arkansas Workers’ Compensation Commission and as an Enforcement Attorney for the Arkansas Securities Department. Michael was in private practice from 1998 until entering state service on a full-time basis in 2014.

Michael received his Bachelor of Business Administration, Economics degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 1995 and his Juris Doctor (With Honors) from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, William H. Bowen School of Law in 1997.

Tripp Walter

Tripp Walter currently serves as a Staff Attorney for the Arkansas Public School Resource Center, where he has worked since May, 2010. Prior to holding this position, Mr. Walter worked for the Arkansas Department of Education for over six years as a Staff Attorney and Interim General Counsel. Before moving to Arkansas, he worked as a university attorney, municipal attorney and municipal judge in Texas for 18 years. He holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Houston, and a J.D. from Texas Tech University. He is licensed to practice law in Arkansas and Texas.

Ken Rich

Ken Rich is the Director of Finance Services for the Arkansas Public School Resource Center. For the past 12 years, he served as superintendent of the Salem School District in Salem, Arkansas. He has 27 years of experience in education as a principal, assistant principal, teacher, and coach. Ken has been very active on the state level throughout his career, serving on numerous boards and committees.

Kathy Hanlon

Before joining APSRC, Kathy Hanlon served as the chief financial officer at Fayetteville Public Schools, where she began working in 2014. Prior to that, Ms. Hanlon was the chief financial officer at Rogers Public Schools from 1994 to 2014. She has served on the Southern Association of School Business Officials Board since 2011. In 2010, Kathy was recognized as the Arkansas School Business Administrator of the Year. That same year, she served as president of the AASBO board. Kathy earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Illinois State University.

Denise Palmer

Denise Palmer is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). She earned her Associates of Arts degree from UofA at Helena, AR (formerly PCCC), and her Bachelors of Business Administration degree in Accounting from Delta State University in Cleveland, MS. Denise has over 25 years of experience in accounting. Her diverse accounting background includes for-profit, not-for-profit, and school accounting.

Ben Janelle

Ben Janelle joined APSRC as the Director of Technology in July 2021. Ben has 15 years of Arkansas K-12 information technology management and support experience, the last 7 of which he was the Information Systems Director for the Russellville School District. Prior to that, he served as the Network Administrator and Technology Coordinator for Dover Schools.

Ben has IT support experience in military, corporate, education, non-profit, and residential spaces. He has degrees from Arkansas Tech, DeVry, and the Community College of the Air Force, and is an Arkansas Society for Technology in Education (ARKSTE) past president (2020).