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UA - Pulaski Tech to present Women’s History Month panel discussion at CHARTS Theater March 27

University of Arkansas Pulaski Technical College will host a panel discussion in observance of Women’s History Month on Wednesday, March 27 at 11 a.m. at the Center for Humanities and Arts (CHARTS) Theater on the UA-PTC Main Campus in North Little Rock.

A reception beginning at 10 a.m. in the CHARTS lobby will precede the panel discussion. The panel discussion and reception are free of charge and open to the public as well as all UA-PTC students, faculty, and staff. The event is presented by UA-PTC Cultural Diversity and Community Involvement Committee.

The discussion will focus on the National Women’s History Month theme for 2024, Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. The theme recognizes women throughout the country who understand that, for a positive future, it is important to eliminate bias and discrimination from our lives and institutions.

During this special celebration, the Arkansas Women’s Hall of Fame will honor two outstanding female students with scholarships to UA-PTC.

Featured on the panel will be:

• Terri Hollingsworth, Pulaski County Circuit and County Clerk
• Anna Beth Gorman, Chief Executive Officer, Women’s Foundation of Arkansas
• Judge Joyce Elise Williams Warren, Former Circuit Judge, Juvenile Division, Pulaski and Perry Counties

About the panelists

Judge Joyce Williams Warren (retired) is the first Black female judge in Arkansas, having been appointed as the Pulaski County Juvenile Judge in 1983. In 1990, she became the first Black person ever elected to a state-level trial court judgeship when she was elected, unopposed, to the position of Circuit Judge, 8th Juvenile Division, in the Sixth Judicial District, which encompasses Pulaski and Perry Counties.

She is a woman of many firsts, starting with being one of ten Black students who integrated West Side Junior High School in 1961. Warren graduated from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (now UA Little Rock) in 1971, with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Anthropology. In 1976, she earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Law (now UA Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law), becoming the school's first Black female graduate.

After receiving her law degree, Warren became the first Black law clerk at the Arkansas Supreme Court. She was an Assistant Attorney General and served as an Administrative Assistant to Governor Bill Clinton. She worked as an attorney in both the private and public sector and has other trailblazing firsts in her legal career.

At the time of her retirement on December 31, 2020, Judge Warren had presided over juvenile and domestic relations cases for over 31 years at the state level, and was one of the two longest serving juvenile division judges in Arkansas. She has received numerous awards and accolades for her exemplary service, leadership, and collaboration to improve the child welfare and the juvenile justice systems in Arkansas.

In 2023, she was inducted into both the Arkansas Women's Hall of Fame and the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame. Even in retirement, she continues her dedication to helping children and families in many ways, one of which is by serving as a Judicial Consultant to ZERO TO THREE: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families.

She and her husband, James M. "Butch" Warren, have three adult children and eleven grandchildren.

Terri Hollingsworth was elected on Nov. 6, 2018, to a four-year term as the Circuit and County Clerk of Pulaski County. She received the most votes of any candidate on the ballot in Pulaski County. Sworn in on January 1, 2019, Ms. Hollingsworth is the first African American woman elected to a Pulaski County-wide executive position.

She has worked in management positions in both the public and private sectors and nonprofit organizations. She has served on all levels of government and began her career working for the City of Little Rock as a city planner and later as the city’s economic development administrator. Ms. Hollingsworth worked for Arkansas Secretary of State and was Director of the State Board of Election Commissioners.

She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and Links, Inc. and, is a board member of Audubon Arkansas. A graduate of Howard University in Washington D.C., Ms. Hollingsworth, earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She and her son, Joshua Davis, 21, are natives of Little Rock and attend Second Baptist Church – John Barrow.

Anna Beth Gorman, CEO of the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas, has committed her professional life to public service with a specialized focus on advancing the status of girls and women in our society. In her tenure with the Women’s Foundation, she is leading the effort for the Foundation to be the leading equity partner in building women’s economic security across the state of Arkansas. The Foundation has seen tremendous growth under her leadership while focusing on two signature initiatives, Girls of Promise and Women Empowered.

In 2022, she was the Democratic Nominee for Arkansas Secretary of State. In the same year she was recognized as one of the 250 most influential leaders in Arkansas by Arkansas Business. She is widely recognized as a business and community leader, practitioner of economic development and is a sought-after expert on the value of including women in the economy.

Prior to her tenure with the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas she was the Chief Membership, Volunteer, Program Officer for Girl Scouts Diamonds of Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, serving as an executive with the Girl Scout organization for several years. She began her career in Public Service working for the Texas Senate Committee on State Affairs.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia, as well as a Master of Public Administration and a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She is a past chairman of the North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce, active in Club 99 Rotary, board member of Arvest Bank Little Rock, Arkansas Women’s Hall of Fame, and founding board member of the Southern Capital Project.

About CHARTS

The Center for Humanities and Arts (CHARTS) is located at UA–Pulaski Technical College’s Main campus at 3000 West Scenic Drive in North Little Rock, Ark. Opened in 2016, the 90,000 square-foot facility houses a 456-seat proscenium theater for concerts, theater performances, recitals and other events. In addition, CHARTS houses the Windgate Gallery for art exhibits. For more information, contact Michele Grainger at [email protected].