Rural Community Alliance Board

	President – Lavina Grandon.  A retired teacher with 32 years of experience in rural schools, Lavina Grandon led the opposition to Governor Mike Huckabee’s effort in 2003 to consolidate all schools in Arkansas with under 1500 enrollment.  She lives in north central Arkansas and serves as a board member for the national organization, The Rural School and Community Trust. Grandon is the founder of Rural Community Alliance and has been a board member since 2005.
	Treasurer – Kerry Cunningham.  Kerry Cunningham is an educator in a rural school district  in the Ouachita Mountains of west central Arkansas. She helps organize chapters in central and west central Arkansas. She has been a board member since 2005
	Secretary – Candace Williams.  Candace Williams is a senior and majoring in Family and Consumer Science at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, Arkansas.  She is from the small Delta town of Elaine, Arkansas.  She has been a board member since 2007.
	Delta Organizer – Dorothy Singleton retired from a career in telecommunications and has been active in community organizing and advocacy since her retirement in 2001. She has worked and volunteered for such organizations as ACORN, Arkansas Single Parents Scholarship Fund, and the Arkansas Good Faith Fund. As lead organizer for Rural Community Alliance, she works with communities in south and east Arkansas and trains and mentors other Rural Community Alliance organizers and volunteers.
	Vice-President – Erma Brown of Stephens recently retired as Ouachita County Administrator for Arkansas Department of Human Services. She holds a MS degree in Counseling. Currently she is the Region 13 School District Representative of the Arkansas School Boards Association and is a member of the Stephens School Board, serving as Vice-President. She has served on the Arkansas Child Abuse Prevention Board, the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, as board member for the Camden Chamber of Commerce, and as president of the Women’s Crisis Center. Brown joined the board in 2009.
	Member – Beverly Cothran is a media specialist at Bruno-Pyatt school in the Ozark Mountain School District and contributes many hours to organizing Frontier Days, serving with the Mid-Marion County Rotary as Interact leader, Marion County Youth Leadership sponsor, and working with children at Pyatt Baptist Church. She was Arkansas Rural Teacher of the Year in 2005 and has earned similar honors at the school and county level.  She is a National Board Certified Teacher.  Cothran’s term began in 2009.
	Member – Andrew Taylor. “Coach” Taylor is a retired teacher and coach and currently operates a construction company in Eudora, Arkansas. He has been actively advocating for rural schools since 2005 and has been an integral part of the Eudora Community Revitalization Project. Coach Taylor’s board term began in July 2010.
	Chapter Leader Advisory Member—Penny Harris is the chapter leader at Bradley and serves as an ex-officio member of the board in the role of chapter advisor.  Penny is a phlebotomist and rural mail carrier, as well as serving her community in a number of ways.  Penny organized one of the first RCA chapters in 2005 and due to her strong leadership also has one of the largest and strongest chapters, with 97 members.

Staff

Executive Director – Renee Carris a Certified Public Accountant with a Master’s Degree in Community and Economic Development. Her duties include maintaining records of chapters and members, handling budget and finances, scheduling meetings and events, overseeing day-to-day operations of staff, overseeing implementation of strategic plan, and articulating mission and vision of the organization to the public.

Policy and Education Director–Lavina Grandon is a former teacher with a Master’s Degree in English. She is the founder of Rural Community Alliance and has been involved in education and community advocacy since 2003. She produces newsletters and brochures, creates organizing and advocacy packets, writes grants, and oversees formulation of policy. Grandon also serves on the board of the national organization The Rural School and Community Trust.

Lead Organizer (part-time) – Dorothy Singleton retired from a career in telecommunications and has been active in community organizing and advocacy since her retirement in 2001.  She has worked and volunteered for such organizations as ACORN, Arkansas Single Parents Scholarship Fund, and the Arkansas Good Faith Fund.  As lead organizer for Rural Community Alliance, she works with communities in south and east Arkansas and trains and mentors other Rural Community Alliance organizers and volunteers.

Volunteers

Rural Community Alliance Chapter Leaders are local community people who volunteer to lead an Rural Community Alliance chapter. They enlist members, hold meetings, lead local advocacy efforts, participate in leadership training, serve on the Policy Council, and carry out the Rural Community Alliance mission and vision in their communities.

Policy Council – Made up of Chapter Leaders, the Policy Council meets once a year to assist the board in identifying the organization’s mission, vision, and goals and to determine policy issues the organization will pursue for the coming year.