The Southern Arkansas University Alumni Association, Inc., will honor nine outstanding SAU alumni during the annual Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 4, 2023.
The Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Dr. Kathleen Mallory (posthumous); Dr. John Cotton and Janet Poppleton will be recognized as the Distinguished Golden Muleriders; Rhonda Rhynes, Joey Baker, Allen Loe, and Eric Cowling will receive the Distinguished Alumni Award; Rickey Burnell and Isaac Woods will be honored as Distinguished Young Alumni.
Tickets may be purchased online at www.saualumni.com/alumnidinner or by calling the Alumni Office at (870) 235-4079. Individual tickets are $20, or a table with eight seats can be purchased for $160.
Dr. Kathleen Mallory – Lifetime Achievement Award (posthumous) Dr. Mallory was one of the first two black students to attend classes at Southern State College while she was teaching at Carver School in Stephens, AR. Dr. Mallory graduated from Philander Smith College in 1955 and earned her master’s degree from the University of Arkansas in 1957. While teaching at SSC, she completed a doctoral degree at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.
Dr. Kathleen Mallory – Lifetime Achievement Award (posthumous)
Dr. Mallory taught in public schools across the region, including Crossett, Camden, and Hope, earning Hope-Hempstead County’s Teacher of the Year in 1971. On August 29, 1974, Dr. Mallory became the first black faculty member in the general education program at SSC. As an English professor at SSC and later Southern Arkansas University, she made extraordinary contributions to the University and English curriculum across Arkansas.
After spending over half a century in the classroom, Dr. Kathleen Mallory retired from Southern Arkansas University in 2010. She educated students, invested in their lives, and made an impact on their futures. Looking back at her career, Dr. Mallory said, “I’ve always been happy to know that my students were successful.”
Dr. Mallory was actively involved in community efforts, which included being a charter advocate for the Single Parent Scholarship Fund, Magnolia Housing Commission, SAU Foundation Board of Governors, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. She began the Youth Writing Festival at SAU with the aim to get students more involved in writing and to recognize the outstanding works of students across the region.
Janet Poppleton, ’72 (Laytonsville, MD) – Distinguished Golden Rider Award Janet Waters Poppleton graduated from Southern State College in 1972 with a Bachelor of Arts degree with highest honors. An English major with a journalism minor, she was selected as editor-in-chief of the All-American campus newspaper, The Bray, and assistant editor of the yearbook. She was a member of Lambda Sigma Alpha, Sigma Tau Delta, and Alpha Chi and was recognized by Who’s Who Among Students in America’s Universities and Colleges. She also was chosen for a summer internship for the Arkansas Democrat.
Janet Poppleton, ’72 (Laytonsville, MD) – Distinguished Golden Rider Award
Following graduation, she moved to Texas and earned a Master of Arts in English in 1976 from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, where she was a teaching assistant and undergraduate instructor. She later became a dedicated community advocate and volunteer in Longview, serving as a board member of Trinity Episcopal School, Habitat for Humanity, Gregg County Early Childhood Development Center, and Junior League. She was active in other organizations and in politics, serving as Precinct Chairman.
In 1993 she followed a new opportunity to Washington, DC, becoming press secretary/communications director for Congressman Ralph M. Hall of Texas, developing communications strategies and serving as his spokesperson and speech writer. Three years later Hall appointed her chief of staff, responsible for the management of his Washington and district office operations and staff, legislative priorities, and constituent services, while concurrently managing press operations for another decade. In 2007 Hall appointed her chief of staff for the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, a position she held for six years as both majority and minority chief of staff during Hall’s tenure as chairman and ranking member, while continuing as chief of staff of his Congressional office. As committee chief of staff, she managed professional staff and operations to advance legislative initiatives and provide jurisdictional oversight of the agencies responsible for research and development in energy and the environment, space and aeronautics, research and science education, and technology and innovation.
During her career, she was a John C. Stennis Congressional Staff Fellow, a mentor for emerging Congressional staff leaders, and a member of the Chiefs of Staff Association, Texas State Society, and Women of Faith Chiefs of Staff. In 2011 she was featured in a profile by the National Journal as one of “Fourteen Powerful Women on the Hill.”
She retired from Capitol Hill in 2014 and, in 2016-2017, was a consultant and guest lecturer for the Congressional Management Foundation, providing advocacy training for food bank directors affiliated with Feeding America. She lives in Laytonsville, MD, with her husband, Miller, a retired attorney, and has a son, Marcus Perry of Los Angeles, stepdaughters Aubrey and Ashley Poppleton, and three step-grandchildren of Evans, GA. She continues to be active with Women of Faith and to be an advocate for civil discourse and bipartisanship.
Dr. John Cotton, ’63 (McAlester, OK) – Distinguished Golden Rider Award Dr. John Cotton graduated from Southern Arkansas University in 1963 with a degree in biology. During his time at SAU, Cotton was an involved member of Alpha Chi.
Dr. John Cotton, ’63 (McAlester, OK) – Distinguished Golden Rider Award
Cotton has a long and distinguished career in the military. He joined the U.S. Navy in Little Rock, Arkansas, while attending medical school in 1965. He joined the Navy through an early entry procedure known as the Ensign 915 Program. When Cotton completed his medical school studies, he began active duty in 1968 by serving on the USS Rockbridge and the USS Durham. In 1969 he was assigned to serve as the senior medical officer at the Naval Ammunition Depot in McAlester. After his release from active duty in 1971, Cotton began practicing family medicine at the McAlester Clinic in McAlester. He became affiliated with the U.S. Naval Reserve in McAlester in 1972 as a general medical officer and later drilled at Naval Reserve Centers in Oklahoma City and Dallas. In Oklahoma City, he served as commanding officer of a detachment of the Fourth Marine Division, Field Service and Support Group in support of a Marine Mechanized howitzer detachment. His assignments in Dallas included commanding officer of the 4th Marine Air Wing Medical, Marine Air Group 41; director of medicine of Fleet Hospital 21, commanding officer of Fleet Hospital 21 and director of Health Services for Naval Readiness Command 11. From 1972 to 1995, Cotton’s active duty assignments included tours in a number of destroyers and amphibious ships, providing support of training deployments for mechanized Marine units; Marine Air Group 41 deployments and extensive training with the Fleet Hospital program. Cotton achieved flag rank in 1995 and served tours in the Naval Reserve finance office in the Pentagon in Washington as well as deputy Pacific Fleet surgeon and commander of Naval Medical, Korea, Deputy Atlantic Fleet surgeon and medical officer of the Naval Reserve. He retired on Jan. 1, 2002, at the rank of Rear Admiral, Upper Half. Cotton has received numerous honors, including the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal, the U.S Navy/Marine Corps Ribbon, the Naval Reserve Ribbon with Hour Glass Device, the National Defense Service Ribbon with Bronze Star Device, and the Sea Service Ribbon. Cotton retired from the Navy in 2002 after 33 years of service and from medical practice in 2014 after 43 years but still volunteers as a Hospice Medical Director.
Cotton currently resides in McAlester, OK.
Joey Baker, ’77 (Little Rock, AR) – Distinguished Alumni Award
Joey Baker, ’77 (Little Rock, AR) – Distinguished Alumni Award Joey Baker is an instructor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Pharmacy, where he has taught personal finance for over twenty-three years. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Southern Arkansas University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Central Arkansas. Joey retired from Pharmacists Mutual Company in 2019, where he provided insurance and financial services to Arkansas pharmacists for twenty-eight years. In an effort to give back to his community, he has endowed two scholarships: the first benefits students graduating from his hometown of Emerson, Arkansas, who are enrolled at Southern Arkansas University. The second scholarship is with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Pharmacy to benefit students that attended Southern Arkansas University.
Joey has served as a guest speaker for academic and corporate groups nationwide to promote financial literacy. Most recently, he, along with his daughter Lindsey Baker (MAT 2015 at SAU), have written a book on personal finance entitled Baker’s Dirty Dozen Principles for Financial Independence, published in December 2020. Replete with humor and stories from contributors, the book offers an accessible and engaging introduction to personal finance. It was ranked the #1 book by “Financial Education For Everybody,” a partner of Amazon, in their Financial Literature Category, and also recognized by GoBankingRates.com as 1 of 10 Financial Books That Will Change Your Life (and Finances).
Joey and his wife Brenda live in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Rhonda Rhynes, Esq., ’76 (Joppa, MD) – Distinguished Alumni Award
Rhonda Rhynes, Esq., ’76 (Joppa, MD) – Distinguished Alumni Award Rhonda Rhynes graduated from Southern Arkansas University, (cum laude) in 1976 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science. Her brothers and two nieces are also graduates of SAU. While a student at SAU, Rhynes served as Student Government Association vice president and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Iota Zeta Chapter president. She was elected to Alpha Chi Honor Society. In addition to being an SAU graduate, Rhynes has her Masters degree in Business Administration and Personnel Management from Webster University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Maryland School of Law. While at SAU, Rhynes was in the ROTC program and successfully competed for and received an ROTC Scholarship. She was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army and served alongside her brothers in Germany. While serving in the Army, Rhynes rose to the rank of Major and held leadership positions including Company Commander, Adjutant, and Secretary of the General Staff. She received the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Army Achievement Medal, and the Army Superior Unit Award among other commendations. After leaving the Army, Rhynes worked at the Department of Defense, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the National Archives and Records Administration. The majority of Rhynes’ career was in HR policy. She was the lead Human Capital strategist for the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and helped develop strategies and plans that moved the USACE from 161st place to 149th place on the Best Places to Work rankings. Rhynes holds certifications as a Human Capital Strategist and Strategic Planning Professional. She has been the recipient of several performance and special act awards. Rhynes volunteers in her community, serving at her church, aiding veterans, and at local food banks. She is a board member of the Trinity Lutheran Church Christian School which provides education for students from pre-K to 8th grade. An avid traveler, Rhynes has visited six continents and looks forward to visiting Australia in the near future. She is the proud mother of Jeremy.
Allen Loe, ’78 (Columbia, LA) – Distinguished Alumni Award Robert Allen Loe was born in El Dorado, Arkansas, in 1954. Later moving to Prescott, Arkansas, with his family, he graduated from Prescott High in 1972. After working for a couple of years, Allen chose to attend Southern State College (SAU).
His interest in the biological world began at an early age following his grandfather, a logger, through the hardwood forests of southwest Arkansas. This interest was ultimately fulfilled by studying under Dr. Henry Robison, Dr. Hugh Johnson, and Dr. Dan England here at SAU. Upon graduation in 1978 and with the encouragement of Dr. Robison, Allen was accepted into the University of Louisiana at Monroe (NLU) Graduate School of Biology. It was there he earned his M.S. Degree, in Aquatic Biology specializing in freshwater ecology.
In 1979 Allen began his career in Public Health Disease Monitoring and Transmission at the newly formed Ouachita Parish Mosquito Abatement District. After becoming director of the program in 1984, his education in epidemiology continued with the US centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in Atlanta, Georgia, and Denver, Colorado. There he earned Certification in Arthropod-Borne Transmissible Diseases including Encephalitis, Yellow Fever, Dengue Fever, Malaria, Dog heartworm, Tularemia, and others.
Allen Loe, ’78 (Columbia, LA) – Distinguished Alumni Award
In 1991, as President and CEO, Allen and his best friend Dr. Matthew L Evans, MD, (SAU) as secretary/treasurer, started Vector Disease Control, Inc. (www.vdci.net) an Arkansas-based company providing mosquito control services, and protection from the diseases they transmit. Over the next 20 years, VDCI grew to be the second-largest mosquito protection provider in the United States. Upon Dr. Evans’ passing in 2007, Allen became sole owner of the company. VDCI grew to have offices in 23 states and three foreign countries, employed 250 people, and owned more than 150 vehicles. VDCI’s fleet of aircraft were contracted with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to aid both disease and disaster situations across the U.S. Its fleet of 14 aircraft have assisted nationwide with every significant hurricane making landfall since 1997. With the outbreak of West Nile Virus in New York City in 1999 and its subsequent spread, VDCI’s epidemiology teams worked closely with federal, state, and local Departments of Health nationwide. After his retirement in 2011, VDCI has continued his legacy adding additional areas in the United States. And with expansion into India and Africa, VDCI has truly become a global-international company.
Though their friendship began in college, it was during their 17-year professional relationship that Allen and Dr. Evans became owners of a 1,486-acre rice/bean farm in North Louisiana. Remembering his roots in Southwest Arkansas, the pull to return to the natural world was strong. Over the years, Allen has restored 680 acres to natural hardwood forest and over 200 acres to natural wetlands. The abundance of natural habitat and the birds and mammals attracted there has made Slackwater Farms a sought-after hunting destination by sportsmen from across the country and abroad. The construction of a 4200 square-foot lodge in 2000 also provides a natural venue for weddings, family reunions and corporate retreats. With an unbridled entrepreneurial drive, Allen formed RAL Ventures, Inc., in 1999. RALV is a holding company involved in investments, real estate, and oil and gas production and leases.
During his career, Allen has been a member of and held board positions in many organizations in several states. He has been a guest on local and national television and radio, interviewed on ABC, CBS, FOX and has been quoted in USA Today. He has been a guest speaker before national and international organizations and stood before federal and state panels to provide expert testimony regarding public health issues. Still today, Allen is recognized as consultant to FEMA, the CDC, and state departments of health across the U.S.
The importance of education is the common thread running through his life and all of Allen’s companies. Understanding the life-changing impact of professional educators who have made an impact on his life, he has provided, promoted, and championed the education of others. Whether through continuing education programs for his employees, providing public health information to community and civic organizations, or hands-on demonstrations to 3rd and 4th graders about the natural world, Allen continues to believe that the human race is not doomed to its own demise. Hopefully, it will eventually recognize that we all live in a natural world and must protect every aspect of it. Our continued existence depends on the protection of all ecosystems. Perhaps Allen’s greatest community service and most generous acts are sharing freely his innate intelligence and hard-earned education both from the natural world and academia. Whether in the world of transmissible diseases or a duck blind, he freely shares his knowledge of biology and statistics. It could be said that his most treasured gift to the world has been his interaction and relationship with his employees, his friends and acquaintances and a giving spirit with total strangers, wherever he goes.
Allen’s hobbies are not only science-driven; he also enjoys hunting, fishing, winter sports, and off-road driving in the Tetons and is an avid collector of select and vintage automobiles. He enjoys the world of music, especially the blues genre and at one time owned and promoted a blues club in Monroe, Louisiana. He’s played guitar from his early college days, and he and Matt both entertained at live concerts, including one at SAU’s Harton Theater. Another love has been the countless hours training black Labrador Retrievers that have served as his most steady and devoted companions. Allen is a private pilot with over 2800 hours of flight time and rated in eight different aircraft. Allen and Abigail split their time between homes in North Louisiana, Arkansas, and Teton County, Idaho.
Eric Cowling, ’88 (Collierville, TN) – Distinguished Alumni Award
Eric Cowling, ’88 (Collierville, TN) – Distinguished Alumni Award Born and raised on a family farm in Foreman, AR, agriculture has always been in Eric’s blood. Eric graduated from Southern Arkansas University in 1988 with a degree in Agriculture Business. Shortly after graduating, Cowling joined Helena – beginning his career as a truck driver in Nebraska. He spent twenty years in sales and management roles servicing farmers and dealers across the Midwest. The past decade he has held executive roles at Helena’s corporate headquarters in Collierville, TN. For the past two years, he’s led Helena Agri-Enterprises, LLC as their president and CEO.
Eric’s work ethic and people-first approach have been pivotal, and he encourages all employees at Helena to do the same. Having worked in a variety of roles, Cowling is relatable and an example for all.
His passion for agriculture doesn’t stop at Helena. He stays involved by speaking at industry, association meetings and is a board member of Crop Life America.
Cowling serves on the board of directors for the Tennessee Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and is an active member and volunteer at Germantown Baptist Church.
Rickey Burnell, ’09 ’20 (Daphne, AL) – Distinguished Young Alumni Award
Rickey Burnell, ’09 ’20 (Daphne, AL) – Distinguished Young Alumni Award Rickey Burnell holds two degrees from Southern Arkansas University. Burnell completed his undergrad in computer information systems in 2009 and later returned to complete his master’s degree in Supply Chain Management in 2020.
Burnell has held corporate HSSE roles with Murphy USA, Inc., International Paper, and currently serves as an environmental, health, safety, and security manager for Continental Aerospace Technologies in Mobile, AL.
As an Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity member, Burnell has a heart for community service. Rickey co-founded and coached youth football and basketball leagues in Southwest Arkansas to help with at-risk youth in his community in Camden, AR.
Isaac Woods, ’04 (Racine, WI) – Distinguished Young Alumni Award
Isaac Woods, ’04 (Racine, WI) – Distinguished Young Alumni Award Isaac Woods is a 2004 summa cum laude graduate of Southern Arkansas University with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with an emphasis in Finance. At 19 years old, Isaac was one of the youngest graduates in the history of SAU. He grew up in Pine Bluff, AR. While at SAU, Isaac was a President’s Ambassador, as well as being involved with Alpha Chi and Sigma Beta Delta Honor Societies, Students in Free Enterprise (now Enactus), the Black Student Association, Business Student Advisory Council, National Pan-Hellenic Council, Inter-Greek Council, and Accounting and Finance Society. He was also active in Phi Beta Lambda, where he competed and won awards representing SAU at the national level. Isaac is a Life Member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., which he also joined during his time at SAU.
Woods went on from SAU to obtain his M.B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis and became a certified public accountant.
In 2020, Woods was named vice president, treasurer, and executive officer at the $7 billion industrial automation company, Rockwell Automation. This promotion made Woods the youngest person of color ever elected to serve as a Rockwell corporate officer.
In addition to his full-time role at Rockwell Automation, Woods is also co-founder and partner of TaylorMade Wealth Management, a minority-owned CPA and advisory firm based in Racine, WI, serving over 700 clients across the country with tax advisory and preparation needs, as well as other accounting and financial services.
In 2022, Woods was recognized by the Milwaukee Business Journal as a member of its prestigious annual “40 Under 40” class of business leaders.
Woods has continued to stay involved in giving back by serving on the board of directors of SecureFutures, a Wisconsin-based non-profit dedicated to enhancing financial literacy and outcomes among high-school students, particularly in under-resourced communities and serving with the SAU Rankin College of Business Advisory Council. Woods has also been a speaker at the Rankin College of Business T.E.N.: The Executive Network.
