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Hendrix College Welcomes New Trustee Chair, Board Members


CONWAY, Ark. (September 13, 2017) – Albert Braunfisch ’86 of Little Rock has been named to a five-year term as chair of the Hendrix College Board of Trustees, and Kim Evans of Little Rock and Mike Malone ’92 of Fayetteville are the board’s newest members. Braunfisch will lead the Board’s late September meeting, which will be the first for Evans and Malone.

An investor and businessman, Braunfisch has been a member of the Hendrix Board of Trustees since 2006. In addition, he currently serves on the board at not-for-profit cancer care provider CARTI and the Arkansas Arts Center, and is a member of Little Rock’s Fifty for the Future, a group of community leaders focused on developing more economic opportunities in the greater Little Rock area.

“It is an honor to take over from David Knight, who has done an exceptional job during his tenure as chair,” Braunfisch said. “Hendrix has a very strong board, a terrific senior leadership team, and highly respected faculty. I look forward to working collaboratively with all three as we continue to focus on advancing the mission of the College and attracting exceptional students who will become tomorrow’s leaders and innovators.”

Evans, who is senior director of development for the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine, holds a bachelor’s degree in international economics from Georgetown University and a juris doctorate from the William H. Bowen School of Law at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Her previous work includes serving as legal affairs and planned giving director for the Arkansas Community Foundation, and as director Center for Nonprofit Organizations at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. During her time there, the Center released the first study of the economic impact of nonprofits on the Arkansas economy. 

A former assistant attorney general of Arkansas, Evans serves on a number of nonprofit and for-profit boards that seek to improve the lives of Arkansans, including Southern Bancorp, Centers for Youth and Families, eStem Public Charter Schools, and the Carl B. and Florence E. King Foundation of Dallas, Texas. She is a sustaining member and past president of the Junior League of Little Rock, and served on the nominating and strategic planning steering committees of the Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI). Centers for Youth and Families, Inc., honored her with the 2017 Ellon Cockrill President’s Award.

Evans is a member of the Arkansas Bar Association and the Central Arkansas Estate Council, and president of the Arkansas Charitable Gift Planning Council. Her daughter is a current Hendrix student.

After Malone graduated from Hendrix, he went on to earn a Master of Arts in public policy from the University of Minnesota. He works for the Runway Group, LLC on a number of quality of life projects and initiatives in northwest Arkansas. Previously, he spent more than a decade as president and CEO of the Northwest Arkansas Council, focusing on regional infrastructure, economic development, and education challenges facing northwest Arkansas. He also has worked for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations and the U.S. Senate in Washington, D.C. During the Clinton Administration, he worked at the White House for six years in various roles, including deputy assistant to the President for management and administration.

From 2009 to 2013, Malone served on the Arkansas Lottery Commission, a public board charged with establishing and overseeing the operations of lotteries in the State of Arkansas. During his term, more than $300 million was raised for higher education scholarships for Arkansans.

Malone has served on numerous boards, including the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, NorthWest Arkansas Community College Foundation, the Arkansas Capital Corporation, Fayetteville Public Library, Accelerate Arkansas’ Executive Committee (chair since 2016), the Men’s Advisory Council of the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas, the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce, and the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Committee on Healthcare. He was recognized as a member of the Northwest Arkansas 40 Under 40 in 2007, the Arkansas 40 Under 40 in 2008, and graduated in Class VIII of Leadership Arkansas. 

“We are looking forward to Kim and Mike sharing their gifts with the Board and by extension, with the Hendrix community,” said Bill Tsutsui, president of the College. “They bring perspectives and knowledge that will sharpen our focus on providing inspiring, meaningful academic experiences that extend beyond students’ four years on campus.”

About Hendrix College

A private liberal arts college in Conway, Arkansas, Hendrix College consistently earns recognition as one of the country’s leading liberal arts institutions, and is featured in Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges. Its academic quality and rigor, innovation, and value have established Hendrix as a fixture in numerous college guides, lists, and rankings. Founded in 1876, Hendrix has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. To learn more, visit www.hendrix.edu