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Member News
First Security Bank’s Margaret Smith was among those honored as “Outstanding Women in Business” by the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce at the organization’s annual Women in Business Awards luncheon on December 6. As a senior vice president, Margaret Smith has worn many hats at First Security Bank. Some of the accomplishments she is most proud of include the development of the Bank Better University, development and management of the corporate Customer Experience Program, and development of an orientation program for new employees. Smith has been active with the Arkansas Bankers Association and served on the board for the Arkansas Bank Marketing Association. She is a past board member for the Faulkner County 4-H, Conway Housing Authority, Faulkner County Leadership Institute, and Junior Achievement. She is currently on the editorial board for 501 Life magazine and is active on several committees through Renewal Ranch. Other women honored were: Lori Ross, Conway Regional Health Systems (Diamond Achievement) Dr. Christine Hurley, Hurley Chiropractic Susan McCoy, JSI Metal Recycling, U-Pull-It of Conway, and Linn’s Auto Lori Quinn, Coldwell Banker RPM Group and Women’s Inc. Magazine
Kim Slaughter, The Blue Focus Jennie Strange, Blackbird Academy of Arts Maret Cahill-Wicks, United Way of Central Arkansas Women in Business honors individuals in the Conway area who have excelled in leadership and community service and who have inspired others on both a personal and professional level. Community members nominated professionals for the Diamond Achievement Award, Outstanding Woman in Business, and Outstanding Woman in Nonprofit. A selection committee composed of female chamber executives from Wisconsin, Texas, and Georgia chose the recipients. Since its inception, Women in Business has grown beyond the annual luncheon. Earlier this year, the Chamber hosted a panel discussion featuring professional women along with a roundtable discussion for college students led by previous Women in Business award recipients. These outreach initiatives are sponsored by Crafton Tull, KimberlyClark, and Stoby’s Restaurant and PattiCakes Bakery. At the luncheon, several female high school students from Conway Christian High School, Conway High School, and St. Joseph High School were in attendance. Each student received a $200 book voucher from legacy sponsor Textbook Brokers.
Student or working professional, no one at the event walked away empty-handed. Each of the nearly 300 attendees received a Gift Bag sponsored by Baptist Health Medical Center that contained a candle from Park Hill Home, a snack from Petit Jean Meats, and other items. New to the 2017 event, presenting sponsor First Arkansas Bank & Trust gave a monetary donation in the name of each honoree to her charity or nonprofit of choice. Bethlehem House, Blackbird Academy of Arts, Conway Regional Women’s Council, Deliver Hope, Haven House, Renewal Ranch, and United Way of Central Arkansas each received donations of $500.
Victoria Maloch Named 2017 Marshall Scholar Victoria Maloch, daughter of Martha and Sen. Bruce Maloch of Magnolia, has earned a prestigious Marshall Scholarship to Oxford University. She will travel to the United Kingdom next fall to pursue a master’s degree in evidence-based social intervention and policy evaluation. She is one of 43 students selected from universities across the country. Maloch graduated from the University of Arkansas in 2017 with a major in honors agricultural business and minors in agricultural communications and leadership in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, graduating summa cum laude. Named for Secretary of State George C. Marshall, the scholarship program was created in 1953 and has provided support for more than 1,900 scholars to study in institutions across UK. Recipients have gone on to become university presidents, Pulitzer Prize winners, MacArthur Fellows, Supreme Court Justices, and even an astronaut. The University of Arkansas has had eight Marshall Scholars.
