Two area leaders have made the 28th class of the Arkansas Business 40 Under 40 honorees.
The annual feature from the Little Rock-based weekly magazine introduces its readers to “…40 impressive leaders who will give you confidence that our state will be in good hands for decades to come.”
From this area, Shawna Ives (pictured above, left), the chief financial officer for White River Health System in Batesville, and Dr. Josh Wilson (right), the vice president of advancement at Ozarka College in Melbourne, made the list.
In its profile of Ives, Arkansas Business noted she was put to the test not long after she was named CFO of WRHS when the pandemic hit, upending the financial health of hospitals locally and across the nation. What Ives did was actually improve the hospital system’s financial security and its bond rating during the pandemic, the magazine said.
Ives, a 2008 graduate of the University of Central Arkansas with a degree in business administration, became a CPA in 2012. She told Arkansas Business her role model is her mother, who taught Ives that “…I could achieve anything if I worked hard enough.”
Wilson is a graduate of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville with a degree in finance. Upon graduation, Wilson was hired by Walmart for corporate work, and then two years later, he earned his master’s degree in public administration at the U of A while also working at the institution, the magazine said. Since 2012, Wilson has worked at Ozarka, holding various positions and working his way up the ladder to the role of vice president of advancement.
The magazine noted Wilson, who earned his doctorate in higher education from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 2017, is a noted fundraiser, grant writer, and serves on several boards in the community. He was also awarded the Communicator of the Year award from the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations in October of 2020.
To view the complete list of the Arkansas Business 40 Under 40, click here.
Get up-to-date local and regional news along with the latest sports and weather every weekday morning by listening to Gary B. on Ozark Newsline, broadcast from the First Community Bank Newsroom on Arkansas 103.3. White River Now updates are also aired weekday mornings on 93 KZLE, Outlaw 106.5, and Your FM 99.5. Have a news tip or event to promote? Email White River Now at news@whiterivernow.com. Be sure to like and follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Add don’t forget to download the White River Now mobile app from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.
