At Arkansas Children’s, We Champion Excellence.

EXCELLENCE IN THE WORKPLACE MEANS DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND FULL INCLUSION AMONG THE TEAM, LEADERSHIP AND THE FAMILIES WE SERVE.

We are committed to increasing and promoting diversity amongst team members while also improving the inclusion and belonging experience for patients and families. We attract more diverse team members through intentional efforts in staff recruitment, education and support.

A Message from our CEO

Marcy Doderer“At Arkansas Children’s we serve all children and families from across Arkansas and beyond. Our goal is to deliver the best care by reflecting the richness of that diversity in our team members. This means, creating an environment where all team members can feel safe, seen, heard and included in all aspects of what we do. As we work every day to provide better care to the children of Arkansas, we are also working to create a more diverse, equitable and inclusive environment for our team members. We know that injustice and inequity stand firmly in the way of unprecedented child health. By creating a more just and equitable environment for our team members, we hope to serve as an example for our communities and our state.”

 Marcy Signature

The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee is a standing committee of Arkansas Children’s, Inc. (collectively Arkansas Children's) System Operations Council. It was established to support Arkansas Children's in the commitment to build and sustain a diverse and inclusive environment for employees and the patients and families it is privileged to serve.

The Arkansas Children’s, Inc. Diversity and Inclusion Committee focuses on five critical business components:

  • Leadership engagement
  • Diverse workforce
  • Inclusive workplace
  • Healthcare equality
  • Supplier diversity

Our focus on these critical business components helps us ensure we have great inclusion experiences for our diverse population of employees, patients and families. Arkansas Children’s strives to maintain a culture where everyone feels valued and actively participates in achieving the mission of championing children by making them better today and healthier tomorrow.

 

Tammy Diamond-Wells

Tammy Diamond-Wells, RN, MSN, NE-BC
Co-Facilitator/Member
Vice President, Clinical & Diagnostic Services | Arkansas Children's


Headshot of Nicole Huddleston.

Nicole Huddleston
Co-Facilitator/Member
Director of Operations | Arkansas Children's Northwest


Colleen Abbott

Colleen Abbott
Member/ERG
Respiratory Therapist | Arkansas Children's Northwest


Headshot of Cristina Ambriz.

Cristina Ambriz
Member
Business Operations Manager | Arkansas Children's Northwest


Erin Argo

Erin Argo
Member
Content Development and Marketing Director | Arkansas Children's


Tracey Bradley-Simmons

Tracy Bradley-Simmons
Member
Business Operations Director | Arkansas Children's 


Cory Davis

Cory Davis
Member
Director of Child Life & Patient Experience | Arkansas Children's


Vanessa Delgadillo

Vanessa Delgadillo, CFRE
Member
Philanthropy Executive Director | Arkansas Children's Auxiliary


Marcy Doderer

Marcy Doderer, FACHE
Member
President and CEO | Arkansas Children's


Chad Dugger

Chad Dugger, MSN, RN, CPN
Member
Nursing Excellence Director | Arkansas Children's Northwest


Neemah Esmaeilpour, MD

Neemah Esmaeilpour, JD
Member
Assistant General Council | Arkansas Children's


Headshot of Grace Gephardt.

Grace Gephardt
Member/ERG
Simulation Center Director | Arkansas Children's


Susan Goolsby

Susan Goolsby
Member/ERG
Clinical Nutrition Assistant Director | Arkansas Children's


Headshot of Halley Hamon.

Halley Hamon
Member/ERG
Volunteer Engagement Manager | Arkansas Children's


Jason Hedrick

Jason Hedrick
Member/ERG
Talent Strategy Director | Arkansas Children's


Placeholder Image

Sarah Harlan
Member/ERG
Community Engagement Coordinator | Arkansas Children's


Lara Otten

Lara Otten
Member/ERG
HR Communications Specialist | Arkansas Children's


V.P. Parker

V.P. Parker
Member
DEI Director| Arkansas Children's


Headshot of Matt Pinkerton.

Matt Pinkerton
Member/ERG
System Support Manager | Arkansas Children's Northwest


Headshot of Donna Rayford-Graves.

Donna Rayford-Graves
Member/ERG
Development Officer | Arkansas Children's Foundation


April Shepard

April Shepard
Member/ERG
Manager | Arkansas Children's


Vontifany Smith

Vontifany Smith
Member
Senior Organizational Development Consultant | Arkansas Children's


Carla Sparks

Carla Sparks
Member
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Specialist | Arkansas Children's


Lauren Widmer

Lauren Widmer
Member/ERG
Registered Dietician | Arkansas Children's Northwest


Donnell Williams

Donnell Williams
Member-At-Large
Senior Administrative Assistant | Arkansas Children's


Ben Wingfield

Ben Wingfield
Member/ERG
Supply Chain Operations Director | Arkansas Children's


Pele Yu

Pele Yu
Member/ERG
Pediatric Section Chief | UAMS 

Learn about Employee Resource Groups at Arkansas Children's and how they are impacting patients, employees and the culture of our health system.

Employee Resource Groups (“ERGs”) are voluntary, employee-driven groups at Arkansas Children's organized around a particular shared interest, characteristic or experience. They serve to build an inclusive work environment, increase employee satisfaction and engagement, encourage connection and mentorship among team members and support Arkansas Children's by reinforcing the value of diversity.

Discrimination stands firmly in the way of attaining unprecedented child health in Arkansas. Your support actively creates an anti-discriminatory environment across the entire health system rooted in diversity, health equity and inclusion. Arkansas Children’s is actively working to identify barriers for diverse families, such as non-English speaking patient families, and enact solutions that provide true healthcare equity. Your gift today helps create and deliver an organizational culture where everyone—our patients, families and teams—feels valued and actively participates in Arkansas Children’s, achieving our mission of making kids better today and healthier tomorrow.

Healthcare Quality Index Top Performer 2022

Human Rights Campaign 

Arkansas Children’s was a identified as a Leader and Top Performer in 2022.

Strategic Plan

Our Promise to Arkansas. Unprecedented Child Health. Defined & Delivered.

View Strategic Plan