About NWAEL
Northwest Arkansas Emerging Leaders exists to connect and engage Northwest Arkansas young professionals through personal and professional development experiences.
Membership is open to anyone in Northwest Arkansas that has a desire to get involved in the community, expand their leadership skills and become engaged in the program of work. There are no ongoing requirements or minimum participation levels. Joining simply requires completing an online registration form.
Our History
Northwest Arkansas Emerging Leaders developed out of the Vision 2025 plan prepared by the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber, which identified a need to engage professionals in the community and prepare the next generation of leadership.
The organization formed in late 2008 and rolled out a full slate of programming and teams the following year. The first full year saw more than 250 people attend programs and events and five teams formed. By the end of 2009, membership topped 100.
The next two years saw the group focus on supporting its teams and member-driven initiatives like developing sustainable practices for nonprofit events, prepare members for board service, establishing community bike programs and educating members on issues and candidates seeking public offices.
These efforts paid off with growing membership and community recognition. The Sustainability Team’s efforts to develop a protocol for nonprofit event recycling led to the receipt of the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal’s Greenest Initiative Award in 2011. The following year, Walmart honored the organization by naming it a finalist for its Community Partner Award. In 2018, NWA Emerging Leaders was awarded the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce’s Spirit Award which recognizes an organization’s significant contribution to the betterment of the community.
The organization has continued to evolve since then. NWA Emerging Leaders has become the leading organization for emerging talent to gather, network and affect their community. Today, Northwest Arkansas Emerging Leaders has more than 650 members involved in five initiatives (detailed below) and participates in more than a dozen events and programs each year.
Our Leadership
Marci DeVenney
Business & Community Engagement Manager | Downtown Bentonville
Marci DeVenney is the Business & Community Engagement Manager for Downtown Bentonville Inc. Previously, she spent six years with Arvest in lending. When she is not running around in Downtown Bentonville, she spends her time working with environmental sustainability throughout NWA. Additionally, Marci serves on the Steering Committee of NWAEL and is active with Net Impact and Zilch Waste. Most of her sustainability work centers around events, education and engagement.
Marci lives in Bentonville with her husband, Adam, and their 6 animals.
Ashley Mauldin
Architect | Crafton Tull & Associates
Originally from Central Arkansas, Ashley moved to NWA in 2015 to work for Crafton Tull. She has a Bachelor’s of Architecture from Louisiana Tech University, and fully admits that she misses good Cajun food, crawfish boils, and random trips to New Orleans! While in Little Rock she became an avid cyclist, but since moving to Northwest Arkansas she seems to have traded her biking time for hiking time. A fan of anything outdoors, Ashley spends most of her free time hiking, riding 4 wheelers, camping, gardening, yoga-ing, spending time with her boyfriend and playing with her dogs. She also very much enjoys cooking/baking and is mildly famous amongst friends and family for her carrot cake and apple bread. While work and play are both important, she also believes in the value of finding time to volunteer and give back to the community.
Currently, Ashley is the Team Leader for NWAEL Greenways and Trails Initiative. She is also on the Executive Planning Committee for the Rogers Cycling Festival, a Board member for the Crafton Tull Foundation, member of the NWA Council Emerging Professionals Round Table, and a member of the Fayetteville Construction and Development Committee.
Stephanie Hackmann
Sourcing Support Manager – Indirect Spend Management | Walmart Sourcing & Procurement
Currently, she works as a Senior Sourcing Support Manager for Walmart’s Indirect Spend Management team. Her job is to analyze and enable purchasing decisions for their Realty team. She has a passion for sustainability and works with the Global Sustainability and Energy teams to help explore energy efficient and sustainable solutions for Walmart stores. She is also a sustainability advocate in the community. She has had a leadership role in Emerging Leaders sustainability efforts for the past 3 years and also currently serves on the board for NWA’s Net Impact chapter where she promotes sustainability education and waste diversion at their community events.
Outside of work and community organizations, Stephanie enjoys hiking & being outdoors, playing sports, reading, farmer’s markets & gardening. She also loves spending time with her husband John and their pets.
Craig Overton
Mortgage Banker | Flat Branch Home Loans
Craig has loved Northwest Arkansas since 2001 and appreciates the hard work of Arkansas families that he gets to witness every day. He currently sits on the board of directors for Single-Parent Scholarship Funds of Benton County and NW Arkansas Emerging Leaders.
Craig has known banking for almost 16 years and is an alumnus of the University of Arkansas. He has been perfecting different forms of finance and equipping himself with the best tools for lending. He’s been meeting the needs of families in Bentonville for practically a decade now and can’t think of any reason to slow down.
What Our Members Think…
Words from our members about NWA Emerging Leaders
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Let's Get in Touch.
If you are interested in learning more about NWA Emerging Leaders, any of our initiatives, or would like to attend one of our upcoming events and need more information, use the form below or call the Rogers Lowell Chamber at 479-636-1240.
PHYSICAL ADDRESS
Rogers Lowell Chamber
317 W. Walnut St.
Rogers, AR 72756
PRIMARY CONTACT
Ross Phillips
SVP of Community Development
Rogers Lowell Chamber
(479) 636-1240 | ross@rogerslowell.com
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