Leadership Texarkana Honors 2024-25 Program Graduates

Leadership Texarkana recognized 41 local residents on May 6 for completing its year-long community leadership program. The graduates were celebrated during an End of Year Celebration held at Crossties Event Center, with State Bank serving as the event’s sponsoring partner.

Throughout the program, participants explored local challenges and opportunities related to economic development, healthcare, government, education, and quality of life. Each monthly session, from September through April, included Strategic Doing workshops aimed at equipping the class with leadership tools and teamwork strategies to drive community progress.

This year’s class tackled projects focused on improving State Line Avenue and boosting civic pride. Teams worked on:

• TXK on Display – Public metal art honoring local manufacturing, in partnership with both cities, AR-TX REDI, Texarkana College, and local businesses.
• Kindness Garden – A green space beautification effort on Hazel Street with Farmers Bank.
• Better Billboards – Promoting goTXK community pride assets with help from Lindmark billboards.

Other projects promoted Texarkana’s image, including creative goTXK outreach, a downtown promotional video for Main Street Texarkana, and a new family-friendly geocaching initiative.

Applications for the Class of 2026 are open now through June 20 at LeadershipTexarkana.com.

An after-hours recruitment event will be held Thursday, June 5 for those interested in applying. Details will be posted on the Leadership Texarkana Facebook page.

2024 Graduates:

• JADA K. ABNER Farmers Bank & Trust
• WES BENNETT Owner, PowerHaul Movers and PuroClean
• ASHLEY GRIMES BOYLES KBB Consulting, LLC
• CHIP CHIPMAN CHRISTUS St Michael Health System
• HILLARY CLOUD Texarkana Chamber of Commerce
• NICOLE COX Guaranty Bank & Trust
• JASMINE CREE Texarkana Odyssey
• BRANDY ELDRIDGE The Assembly Line
• PENNY K. EVERETT Express Employment Professionals
• CHRIS FULLER The Eagle/Owner
• MORGAN GADDIS 1221 Endeavors
• MEKAYLA GARRETT Four States Fiber
• JORDAN "GIBBY" GIBSON Cooper Tire Rubber Company
• MADELINE HAAK Total Medical Supply/ WeAreWashington
• BRANDON HAYNES Graphic Packaging Int’l
• STEVEN HOLLIBUSH Caddo Area Council, BSA
• LLOYD D. JACKSON, ED.D Texarkana AR School District
• SELENA JEFFERIES Texas A&M Univ - TXK
• DEREK JENKINS Pleasant Grove ISD
• LORA JOHNSON Simmons Bank
• NEAL KISER Pleasant Grove High School
• BRITTANY KNOWLES Texana Bank
• COLE LAW Edward Jones
• AMBER LAWRENCE Texas A&M Univ- TXK
• KAYCEE LOMAX RRCU
• KALYN LUMPKINS Complete Computing Solutions
• HEATHER CONNELL LYBRAND Wholesale Electric Supply
• OSCAR O. MORELAND, IV Vanco Systems, Inc
• DEREK J. MURPHY Texarkana ISD
• MORGAN PRITCHETT Daines Insurance
• PATRICK REYNOLDS Southern Insurance Group
• JACI ROBERTS BERRY Norton + Wood
• LORI SPRINGER State Bank
• BROOKE STONE City of Texarkana, TX
• LINDA TAYLOR Ground Floor Collective
• JORDAN THORNTON Texana Bank
• CHRISTY TIDWELL Texarkana ISD
• CAROL TRUMBLE Mayo Manufacturing
• JAMIE TYE Community Healthcore
• BARBARA WALKER Txk Convention Center/HGI
• MICHELLE WARREN Texarkana Water Utilitie