Board of Trustees
The trustees of the University of Arkansas System are appointed by the governor of Arkansas to 10-year overlapping terms. The board sets policy for the University of Arkansas as well as other universities, colleges and institutes within the system.
Kelly Eichler, chair
Kelly Eichler of Little Rock is the public policy director for Gov. Asa Hutchinson. She previously served as a deputy prosecutor for Pulaski County and on the Arkansas Board of Corrections. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Arkansas and a law degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Bowen School of Law. Her term expires in 2026.
Scott Ford, vice chair
Scott Ford of Little Rock founded Westrock Group in 2013 and is the CEO of Westrock Coffee and special advisor to Stephens Group Inc. He has worked in several leadership roles, including president and CEO of Alltel Corp. and in the Investment Banking Division at Merrill Lynch. Ford serves on the Board of Directors of AT&T Inc. and Agaciro Development Fund, the sovereign wealth fund for the Republic of Rwanda. He has served on the Board of Directors of Tyson Foods and as chair of the Little Rock Branch of the St. Louis Federal Reserve.
Ted Dickey, secretary
Ted Dickey is a general partner at CapRocq Core real estate fund and an adviser to Innovate Arkansas, a technology entrepreneurship initiative. Dickey previously spent six years in corporate finance at Stephens Inc. He earned his bachelor’s degree and was elected Phi Beta Kappa the University of Arkansas before earning his Juris Doctor at the U of A School of Law. He served on the U of A Technology Park Board and was appointed to the Arkansas Ethics Commission. His term expires in 2030.
Sheffield Nelson, assistant secretary
Sheffield Nelson of Little Rock is a senior partner at Jack Nelson and Jones. Sheffield Nelson of Little Rock is a retired president and chief executive office of Arkla Gas. He has served on the board of the Arkansas Department of Higher Education and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Nelson earned his undergraduate degree from Arkansas State Teachers College, now the University of Central Arkansas, and his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Arkansas. His term expires in 2025.
Tommy Boyer
Tommy Boyer, of Fayetteville, graduated from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville in 1964, where he was also an All-American basketball player. He retired from the Eastman Kodak Company in 1989, and founded Micro Images in Amarillo, Texas. Within two years, Micro Images had become the largest Kodak document imaging systems broker and reseller in the United States. Boyer was inducted into the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame in 2013 and the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2000. His term expires in 2027.
Steve Cox
Steve Cox of Jonesboro graduated from the University of Arkansas in 1982 after having earned All Southwest Conference and All America honors during his football career as a punter and kicker, later playing in the NFL for the Cleveland Browns and Washington Redskins. He rose through the ranks of banking before becoming a managing partner at Rainwater and Cox LLC, which oversees ownership and management of an array of commercial, hotel and agricultural properties. His term expires in 2028.
Ed Fryar
Edward Fryar Jr. of Rogers is a graduate and former professor of the University of Arkansas. He earned degrees in economics and agricultural economics and was a professor of agricultural economics for more than 13 years. He co-founded Ozark Mountain Poultry in Rogers in 2000, which grew from 15 employees to more than 1,800 before selling it in 2018. He was inducted into the Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame in 2019. His term expires in 2029.
Jeremy Wilson
Jeremy Wilson of Bentonville is a graduate of the University of Arkansas with more than 25 years of business experience in the state. In 2012, he cofounded NewRoad Capital Partners, a private equity firm. He is also founder and chair of NOWDiagnostics, a leader in innovative diagnostic health testing. His term expires in 2031.
Nathaniel Todd
Retired Col. Nathaniel "Nate" Todd is director of the Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs and previously served as the chief financial officer for the Central Arkansas Veterans Health Care System in North Little Rock. Prior to his retirement from military service after a 37-year career, he served as the director of health financial policy in the office of the U.S. Army Surgeon General. He is from Pine Bluff and is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. His term expires in 2032.
Kevin Crass
Kevin Crass is a senior partner in the litigation practice group at Friday, Eldredge & Clark LLP in Little Rock. He is a graduate of Ouachita Baptist University and the UA Little Rock Bowen School of Law. He served on the Board of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals Bar Association and the Federal Practice Committee for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas. He currently serves on the Board of Visitors of UA Little Rock, is the chair of the War Memorial Stadium Commission, and a past chair of the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce. His term expires in 2033.