Staff Archive - Page 2 of 3

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).

Jim Robb

Jim Robb joined APSRC as the new Director of School Support in July 2022.

Prior to joining APSRC, Jim Robb served as the business manager and Chief Operations Officer for the West Memphis School District. Robb holds a Bachelor of Science in Education, an MSE in School Leadership and Digital Learning, is CASBO certified, and holds an Arkansas Teachers License. He has also served in the roles of Director of Technology and Grant Director.

During his 22 years in Arkansas Education, he has specialized in creating and implementing innovative ways to simplify the process and management of all things school. His unique combination of skills have been applied in all areas of education with a particular focus on finance and technology.

In his free time, Robb enjoys spending time with his wife Karla and son Ty – the latest of which have been live-streaming Ty’s high school baseball games.

Kendal Wells

Kendal Wells serves as a contractor for the Technology team at the Arkansas Public School Resource Center. He held the role of APSRC’s Director of Technology until his retirement in July 2021.

Before coming to APSRC, Kendal served 22 years as the Technology Director at the Cabot School District and a Systems Analyst for a combined 8 1/2 years at the corporate headquarters of Wal-Mart in Bentonville, Arkansas, and Texas Instruments in Dallas, Texas.

Kendal is an active member of the Arkansas Society for Technology in Education (ARKSTE), has served in leadership positions in that organization and received the ARKSTE Leadership Award in 2014. Kendal has also served on various State committees including the 2016-2018 State Technology Plan and the Engineering & Infrastructure sub-committee for the Governor’s FASTER committee on bandwidth.

Kendal’s latest endeavor at APSRC is working on the Comprehensive Financial Analysis Model commonly known as CFAM. His background is the foundation for the development of this revolutionary financial analysis tool that quickly and easily presents a picture of a district’s financial situation.

When Kendal is not working in the office, he enjoys spending time with his family and working on projects in his shop, including the construction of a 2-seat airplane.

Luanne Baroni

Luanne Baroni currently serves as Director of Charter Development, joining the team in September of 2022. Ms. Baroni previously served as the Assistant Superintendent/Director of Communications for LISA Academy Public Charter School in Little Rock. She was with LISA Academy for 17 years, serving as a math teacher, math department chair, Dean of Discipline, and Middle School Principal.

Ms. Baroni also has more than 10 years of experience in Higher Education Administration. She served as Dean for Enrollment Management at Augusta State University in August, GA, for seven years as Director of Admissions, and Financial Aid for Tift College of Mercer University for three years. She also worked in Corporate Human Resources for a major financial institution in Atlanta prior to stepping into higher education administration.

Luanne is originally from Georgia where she earned her Bachelor of Arts. degree in Business Administration/Behavioral Sciences from Mercer University in Macon, GA, and her Master of Science in Management from Georgia State University in Atlanta.

Jim Fowler

Jim Fowler joined APSRC in September 2020 as the CSP Grant Finance Specialist. Before joining the team, he spent six years with the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage & Tourism as a Fiscal Analyst and Accountant. Jim earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Los Angeles before relocating and making Arkansas his home.

Katie White

Katie White serves as the Director of Communications for the Arkansas Public School Resource Center, joining the organization in August of 2023. Bringing nearly a decade of experience in communications to her role, she has an expansive background in public relations, marketing, management, and public service. Katie previously served the state as the Deputy Director of Communications for the Arkansas Department of Health, working in various positions for the ADH since 2016. she has a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing from the University of Central Arkansas.

Marti Jo Hall

Marti Jo Hall recently joined the APSRC as a Communications Specialist in May 2023. With a strong background in marketing, public relations, project management, and public service, she brings several years of experience and education to this role. Marti Jo holds a Bachelor’s degree in Art History with a minor in Museum Studies from Arkansas State University and is currently pursuing a Masters in Public Administration and Nonprofit Management at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Jeana Williams

Williams joined APSRC in 2017, and has previously served as Interim Director of Teaching and Learning and Associate Director of Education.

Prior to her work at APSRC, she spent 24 years working as an educator in the state of Arkansas. She began her career in the classroom where she spent 16 years as a secondary mathematics teacher. In 2010 she was awarded the National Math and Science Initiative All American Teacher of the Year for Mathematics in Arkansas. She later worked as an administrator in the Greenbrier School district on both the secondary and elementary levels. Since becoming an administrator, she has assisted those obtaining licensure through the School Leadership Management and Administration department at the University of Central Arkansas as an
adjunct instructor.

Many times during her career, Jeana served in positions on the state and national level. She was an AP Calculus AB Reader for College Board and a national trainer for Laying the Foundation in mathematics. She served as President for the Arkansas Council of Teachers of Mathematics and was a consultant for the Arkansas Advanced Initiative for Math and Science. She has assisted with National Board as a reader for state funding and a support site mentor. She completed Phase I of Master Principal with the Arkansas leadership Academy before changing careers. Jeana’s passion for education led her to spend many years assisting educators from all around the state and sharing through presentations at many different conferences.

Cheryl Blue

Cheryl Blue joined APSRC as the Recruitment & Retention Facilitator in July 2022. Cheryl has 24 years of experience in education, with her last 15 years at Greenbrier High School where she taught secondary mathematics. She also served as the district’s mathematics consultant. Previously, she taught secondary mathematics at Guy-Perkins High School, Magnolia Junior High School, and Haynesville High School.

In addition to providing classroom instruction, Cheryl has conducted test prep courses for AP Calculus students across the state and developed curriculum for Arkansas AIMS. She has served as a reader for the AP Calculus Exam, a curriculum author for Learnbop, and an edTPA Scorer scoring novice teacher portfolios for Pearson.

Cheryl holds a Bachelor of Science in Education and certification for Middle School and Secondary Mathematics from Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia, and a Master of Arts in Education from the University of Central Arkansas. In 2020, she obtained her Educational Specialist in Leadership for Curriculum Director from Arkansas State University.

Kimberly Parks

Kimberly Parks joined APSRC as the Director of Special Services in July 2022. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Education from the University of Central Arkansas in 2010, where she was certified in Early Childhood Education (P-4), Special Education (P-12), and English as a Second Language (P-12). In 2018, she graduated with her Master of Science in Educational Reading from Arkansas State University. In 2021, she completed her Educational Specialist in Leadership for Building Level Administration and Special Education Director.

Kimberly spent her first semester teaching in a Learning Alternate Behavior classroom at Cabot Middle School South, followed by seven years at Greenbrier High School where she taught a reading program along with co-teaching English, Math, and Science. At Greenbrier, she sat as the co-chair for the special education department, monitored files for the district, and helped with data tracking for several programs. Prior to joining APSRC, Kimberly was at Conway High School where she taught both 1:15 and co-taught classes in English and Social Studies along with some Transition and Behavior classes. In the summer of 2021, she worked as an Educational Consultant and Literacy Specialist for AETN where she helped create educational packets and many other tasks to go along with the first season of “Rise and Shine” Arkansas.

Kimberly lives outside of Conway with her husband, Ronnie, and three boys, Gus, Tate, and Dayne. She has experienced life as both a teacher of Special Education and the parent of a student in Special Education, so she has an understanding of more than one standpoint. Kimberly’s passion for working with all children of different abilities and ensuring they are getting the education that is a best fit for them is what drives her in her educational career.