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.

N. Wesley Hunt

Wesley is a Project Manager and Attorney with Entergy Arkansas, Inc. A native of Fordyce, Arkansas, home of the mighty “Redbugs,” Wesley continued his education at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, where he graduated summa cum laude with a BA in History. At Fayetteville, he met his beautiful wife, Isabel, with whom he returned to Little Rock in 2005 to attend the UALR Bowen School of Law and Graduate School, where he earned a JD (2008) and MBA (2009). Wesley served on the Little Rock Racial & Cultural Diversity Commission from 2008 – 2010, and he is a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arkansas. Recently, Wesley was selected as a member of Class XXVII of the Leadership Greater Little Rock Program. He and his wife attend St. James United Methodist Church in Little Rock, and they are proud parents of two, Max and Sophie.

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 SIOP/ESL Instructional Specialist. Before accepting this position she served as a classroom teacher at Chicot Elementary School.

Dr. Carolyn Blakely(retired)

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.

Pastor Dexter Howard
Dr. Dexter L. Howard is the Founder and Senior Pastor of Life Harvester Church in Fayetteville, Arkansas (Soon to be Restoration). As a native of Little Rock, AR Dr. Howard graduated from Central High School. He then attended the University of Arkansas and earned a full athletic scholarship with the Arkansas Razorbacks football team, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Communications. He met and married his wife, the former Genette Seawood, in 1994. They are the happy and proud parents of six daughters.
Demondrae Cook

Markeith Cook is the workforce assistant for the El Dorado Chamber of Commerce, where he will be the first point of contact for people who visit the Chamber.

READ MORE...

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(retired)

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