Commissioners

Atty. Phil E. Kaplan Chairman

Mr. Kaplan is listed in Best Lawyers in America under Appellate Law. He is a member of the America Board of Trail Advocate (ABOTA), the America College of Trail Lawyers (ACTL), and the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers. He has practiced in the area of employment law, civil rights, and business litigation since his licensing by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1962. In addition to his extensive trial work, Mr. Kaplan has successfully argued many cases before the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals and the Arkansas Supreme Court.

Rev. Carolyn Staley

Rev. Staley is the Minister of Education at Pulaski Heights Baptist Church. She has worked extensively in the Mississippi Delta region and is involved with HIV/AIDS literacy and education missions to Africa.

Andy Montgomery

Montgomery returns to the MLK Commission after serving as co-chair of the previous version of the Commission. He works as a loan officer for First Community Bank and serves on the City of Batesville's Public Facilities Board.

Lupe Pena-Madison

Ms. Pena-Madison serves the Little Rock School District as the English as a Second Language Communications Assistant (or ESL). Before accepting this position she served as a classroom teacher at Chicot Elementary School.

Dr. Carolyn Blakely

Dr. Blakely is Dean of the Honors College at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. She has previously served on the Arkansas School for the Blind and Arkansas School for the Deaf Board of Trustees.

DeWitt Smith, III

Mr. Smith retired as the President and CEO of Cooper Realty Investment, was a Harvard Business School graduate, and a mentor and leader in the business community.

Atty. Mecole Brown
Ms. Brown began her tenure with Wal-Mart as an attorney and currently serves as the Vice President and Chief Officer of its corporate wide diversity program. Prior to joining Wal-mart, Ms. Brown gained extensive employment law and human resource experience.
Demondrae Cook

Mr. Cook serves as the Vice-President of the NAACP. He also serves as a member of the Second Chance at Life youth advisory board.

Mattie Collins

Ms. Collins has served as a history teacher for the Pine Bluff School District for thirty-nine years. As a community leader and educator, Mrs. Collins has helped numerous high school and middle school students gain interest in obtaining a higher education.

Pastor Cornell Maltbia

Pastor Maltbia has served as the Chaplain for the Arkansas House of Representatives. He is the founder and senior pastor of True Holiness Saints in Conway, Arkansas. Maltbia graduated from the Conway public school system and studied Business Administration at the University of Central Arkansas.

Janis Waddy

Ms. Waddy serves as the Family Caregiver Coordinator for the East Arkansas Area Agency on Aging. She works hand in hand with leaders in the medical and care giving fields to provide essential service to Arkansans across the state of Arkansas.

Ms. Elizabeth Johnson

Mrs. Johnson serves as the Principal of Marvell Elementary School, where she also serves as a leader of education in the local community.

Don Bland

Bland is the Senior Managing Director of Outreach for the Sam M. Walton School of Business at the University of Arkansas. He is the former President and CEO of Wal-Mart Argentina and works with the Northwest Arkansas Chapter of the National Conference for Community and Justice.