March 17, 2026 • 52 mins
A career can look like a zigzag until you hear the why. Jennifer Martinez Belt went from an Arkansas newsroom dream to Capitol Hill and the White House, then back home to build stronger communities through nonprofit fundraising and philanthropy. Now, as Chief Philanthropy Officer at the Scott Family Amazeum in Bentonville, she’s helping shape what childhood learning and family access can look like in a fast-growing Northwest Arkansas.
We talk about what surprised her most in Washington, DC, why 9/11 changed her calculus, and how those years taught her urgency, pacing, and the behind-the-scenes reality of how decisions get made. From there, we get practical about giving: philanthropy is not just big checks. Jennifer breaks it down to time, talent, and treasure, and explains why “on fire fundraising” can’t replace disciplined development, strong boards, and long-term donor relationships.
Then we go inside the Amazeum’s mission and momentum: playful learning, a safe place for families, and a commitment to affordability and access. Jennifer shares what it takes to lead a $25 million capital campaign, why the Early Learning Advancement Center is a priority for Arkansas families, how teen programming fits into the vision, and what it means to expand beyond the museum walls with a new children’s space at XNA airport. She also reflects on raising teens in Bentonville, advocating as a parent, and what Northwest Arkansas nonprofits will need over the next decade: collaboration, focus, and the courage to think ahead.
If you care about Northwest Arkansas philanthropy, nonprofit leadership, early childhood education, or the role of museums in community growth, hit play. Subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show.
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SPEAKER_00 (00:01):
This is Central to NWA, a UCA podcast.
I'm your host, Paul Gatling, andwe are bringing the University
of Central Arkansas to NorthwestArkansas.
Each episode, we will talk withleaders, alumni, and innovators
driving this region forward,people who are shaping
industries and defining what isnext for our state.
(00:22):
Let's get started.
Welcome back to Central to NWA,a UCA podcast.
I'm your host, Paul Gatling.
So glad you are with us todayagain for episode number nine.
And our guest today is someonethat I'm lucky to call a friend.
I call her a friend.
I don't know if she calls me afriend, right?
She is also a trusted partner tothe University of Central
(00:44):
Arkansas through her uhbelongings.
She's a founding member of ourUCA Northwest Arkansas Advisory
Council.
And her career has taken her toWashington, D.C.
and to statewide nonprofits, andnow working for one of the most
high-profile and belovedinstitutions here in this place
we call uh Northwest Arkansas.
(01:04):
So happy to have with meJennifer Martinez Belt.
She is UCA class of 1999.
SPEAKER_02 (01:10):
Oh, you said the year.
SPEAKER_00 (01:13):
I know.
Chief Philanthropy Officer atthe Scott Family Amazum in
Bentonville.
Jennifer, welcome to thepodcast.
SPEAKER_01 (01:20):
Thank you.
Thank you.
And congratulations, Paul, onbeing named one of the top
podcasts in Northwest, Arkansas.
That recently came out.
So I have some um big shoes tofill or some very exciting times
to have here.
Well, it is exciting.
SPEAKER_00 (01:35):
Uh I'm, you know, that was an exciting
recognition.
I'm not sure uh that we belongon the list of some of those
other podcasts.
You know, a lot of greatpodcasts up here.
But yeah, excited you're here.
You excited about this?
SPEAKER_01 (01:47):
I am excited.
I think everyone, I mean, I'vebeen listening to the podcast
and I try to listen to thepodcast rather than view it
because I think that gives atotal different element.
But um, some of the alum youhave on, you know, are friends.
I just heard from Corey.
I've heard listened to Aaron.
Um, I've listened to quite a fewthat I didn't realize were alum.
Right.
And then I keep thinking, oh,you need to have this person on
(02:08):
because they have such aprominent career and give so
much to the to the region.
So um thank you for having meon.
SPEAKER_00 (02:14):
Exciting to be here.
Yeah, good point that youmentioned about not realizing we
have a little over 4,000 UCalums in the two county.
SPEAKER_01 (02:22):
I read.
It's so wonderful.
And, you know, now with youknow, not just being a UC
ambassador on campus back almost30 years ago, but now being um
up here in Northwest Arkansasand kind of reconnecting with
people, the stories are fun.
And, you know, now how we serveand how we um kind of connect
and help each other throughoutthe community.
It's really nice.
(02:43):
And you are still an ambassador,just not a campus ambassador,
UCA ambassador.
That's correct.
I I look forward to the times weget to get together and talk
about how the campus hasevolved, how our our school has
evolved.
And now that I have a you know,teenage daughter who's looking,
I like sending uh you emails andsaying she's getting more
(03:04):
information about our campus.
So it's it's it is an excitingtime.
SPEAKER_00 (03:07):
Perfect.
All right, all right.
So a lot to get to here, so manyquestions um to get to, but this
one has always served me well,going back to my time at the
Business Journal.
Still a great question that Iask people because we have so
many people in NorthwestArkansas who are from anywhere
and everywhere, right?
You know, the number that Ihear, you know, there are 40
people a day moving to NorthwestArkansas.
(03:28):
You feel it?
Did you know that?
Yeah, you see it.
I see it.
You feel it.
That's the uh official NorthwestArkansas Council number.
So anyway, this is my favoritequestion.
This is how we're gonna startour roller coaster ride today.
I'm ready.
So when did you move toNorthwest Arkansas and what were
the circumstances that broughtyou here?
SPEAKER_01 (03:45):
Okay, so I thought I always was from Northwest
Arkansas.
I'm actually from the RiverValley.
Somehow you move away from home.
So I'm from Fort Smith, but um,we moved here in 2020.
We're COVID movers.
So what a perfect time to moveto a new community.
So I've been here since 2020.
Yeah.
Um, and the circumstances kindof relied on COVID.
(04:07):
Central Arkansas had been a homefor a long time, had been in
Little Rock off and on for overa decade, and really had
established Little Rock as homebase.
Um Arkansas was where we wantedto raise our family and our
kids.
And it during COVID, everythingkind of just shut down.
And one area for growth, notonly for growth in community,
growth in career, um, it washard to deny that northwest
(04:31):
Arkansas wasn't that space.
And when things were kind of ata lull, there was opportunity
for both my husband and I totake our careers to Northwest
Arkansas and really for ourchildren to prosper and grow.
So we took a chance and throughcaution to the wind and we're
like, we're going.
And I hate to say we haven'tlooked back, but it has been
(04:52):
very rewarding.
We absolutely miss our communityin Little Rock.
We miss the people, but theopportunities here, the the
continued expansion ofeverything we're around and
being a part of it has beengreat.
Yeah, I mean, you don't lookback, but you can say uh you
couldn't envision livinganywhere else.
No, not at this point in ourlives.
It is it is awesome.
(05:12):
And how our how our family isdoing is awesome.
Okay.
SPEAKER_00 (05:16):
All right.
So, like you said, you're a FortSmith native.
Yes.
UCA alumna.
Yes.
What got you to Conway?
How did you, why did you chooseUCA?
SPEAKER_01 (05:23):
So Fort Smith Southside, my journalism
teacher, um, went through hereducation degree at UCA.
And at that time, I was innewspaper and did all the good
things.
And one thing that was reallyattractive was the um
communication degree from UCA.
And Paul, you kind of, youmentioned we know each other.
(05:44):
I'm gonna take the opposite, theopposite direction of whatever
mainstream is.
So, you know, from FordsmanSouth side, everyone was going
to U of A.
That is, I'll say it, grade 13.
Everyone was going thatdirection.
It was just kind of a norm.
If you were going to college,that's where you were going, or
maybe to OSU or OU.
(06:04):
And those are all greatinstitutions.
Those weren't the fit for me.
That was not what I was lookingfor.
I was not looking for a repeatof what I had.
And to be honest, I don't evenremember touring those colleges.
But when UCA came to our schooland I went and toured UCA, it
was the perfect size.
The class size, the curriculum,um, the campus, I fell in love
(06:28):
with everything.
I think from my graduatingclass, there were less than 12
of us that actually went to UCA.
It just sent like the hub of thestate for me, um, being in
central Arkansas, being inConway, and it just felt right.
The size was right, thecommunity was right.
And I got in and I was like,okay, that's it.
(06:49):
There were no questions askedabout it.
Conway just was the right spaceat the right time, the right,
right campus for me.
SPEAKER_00 (06:56):
And you had communications, you know,
circled early.
That's what you were going therefor.
What did you think you werepreparing yourself for?
Like what did you see five orten years as a college graduate
doing with that?
SPEAKER_01 (07:08):
So I always thought it was going to be a writing
career in journalism.
I loved a big nerd.
I brought, I told you, I broughtmy yearbooks with me.
I was in yearbook, I was anewspaper.
Um, in Fort Smith, I did a showcalled Teen Beat.
You can check us out at Channel5, KFSM, if you ever get back
into the 90s film.
Um, you know, at that time, wehad really great teachers and
(07:32):
professors, and I was focused onwriting.
Um, we were not in the fancybuilding back when I started
ACA.
We were at the basement ofMaine.
And I mean, the old crepitMaine.
It wasn't, you know, thisfabulous um new building.
So really proud of where it istoday.
But I really saw myself eitherwriting for a paper or um
(07:57):
working at a TV station.
I wanted to share stories.
I wanted to be a writer.
I was going into news.
So your first job aftergraduation was not news.
It was going to work inWashington, D.C.
Uh-huh.
I took that.
I took my communications degreeand I ended up doing um press
(08:18):
secretary work, deputy presssecretary work in Washington.
SPEAKER_00 (08:21):
Yeah, so you've touched uh your career is you
started with politics and then,you know, food insecurity,
historic preservation, arts andculture, um, and now children's
education.
You know, what would you say umties all of those chapters
together?
SPEAKER_01 (08:36):
Well, you're a fellow Rotarian, so you get that
it's all about service aboveself.
Um, I think I got to see at areally early age, who at 23
moves to Washington, D.C.
and gets to staff, you know,members of Congress, much less
having opportunities to workunder a White House
administration.
These were really great, bigopportunities for me.
(08:59):
And I got to see legislation andhow things were processed in our
country.
And I realized how long itactually took to make things
work.
Um, I came home and I actuallygot to see, I think moving away
from the state, I actually gotto see a more beloved area and
love Arkansas even more deeper.
(09:20):
What I ended up doing as acareer was really serving back
and volunteering.
You know, the whole word ofphilanthropy is, you know,
loving mankind.
And that was a different way ofservice for me.
So if I couldn't make it work inthe storytelling era of writing
about the news, I was gonnastorytell about how we make our
(09:42):
community stronger and better.
And that's what I've been doingfor the last two decades.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (09:45):
Okay.
Well, let's, you know, thatWashington DC, D.C.
is not an insignificant chapterin anyone's career.
So let's let's talk about that.
You spent time in the U.S.
House, the Senate, the WhiteHouse.
Yeah.
How did you make thatconnection?
Did all three.
How did you arrive inWashington, D.C.?
SPEAKER_01 (10:01):
So it all started with a trip to Kroger.
This um man was standing atConway Kroger, this gentleman
with kind of an off-beaten tie.
And I've told him this story.
So he, I mean, he remembers it.
And um wanted to know what Ithought about the price as a
college student at UCA about theprice of my prescription drugs.
(10:22):
I'm like, what a weirdo.
Who is this old dude asking meabout the price of my
prescription drugs?
It was Congressman Vic Snyder.
And uh I went in after UCA, um,the great Ernie Dumas, which I
hope we get to talk a little bitabout, um, had an opportunity to
go and work in I had my collegedegree.
I finished, you know, in 99, andI got the opportunity to intern
(10:46):
for Vic Snyder.
Um, and at that time, I remembermoving to Washington to do this
internship after graduation.
And I wanted maybe to be apolitical writer.
And it was more about um, like,who, what are you?
What are your issues?
And I remember calling myparents like, what am I?
What are my issues?
You know, because I wasn'traised in a hugely political
(11:07):
home.
You know, it was time, tell, andtreasure.
You give to what, you know, tohelp people, and and I kind of
navigated my way.
An opportunity came open inCongressman Mary and Barry's
office of Arkansas, um, whichreally represents the Delta.
I got to be part of that belovedoffice, work there, an
(11:28):
opportunity at the end of theClinton administration came
open.
And again, it was Arkansas'stime to shine.
I mean, at that time, the statelooked a lot different, our
politics looked a lot different,and Arkansas really did have a
different hold in Washington.
So I was able to work at the endof the Clinton administration.
And then after that, theelection didn't go in in that
(11:53):
direction.
For Bush won.
So I remember saying, I'm notdone.
I'm not done yet.
And I went to um SenatorLincoln's office to his chief of
staff and said, Look, I reallywant to write.
And I became her deputy presssecretary.
There was a position there forme, and I stayed there on for
another year.
SPEAKER_00 (12:11):
What surprised you about that world coming from
Arkansas, born and raised?
What surprised you about uh, youknow, the beltway once you were
up there living in it, workingin it, that sort of thing?
SPEAKER_01 (12:23):
You know, it's run by a lot of young kids.
A lot of young people arehelping write and write the
agenda for a country andbriefing um these elected
official officials.
I was very fortunate to be partof really smart work for really
(12:43):
smart, you know, electedofficials, but at the same time,
we got to be a part of theirstory.
So we were, I was introduced toso much and in such a short
time.
And the pace, I loved thatcampaign pace.
I love you know, everyone's inin in current uh kind of current
(13:04):
jobs now, it's more of slowdown, you're going too fast.
Well, that's the only pace Iknow because of the urgency of
of the work I've had to do inthe past.
But the most surprising thing ishow how young everyone is on the
hill.
And if you want to get thingsdone, how you know, how the
sausages made, how you have tomake things work and who you
(13:25):
have to help navigate.
Um, I can't say what it is likenow, but you know, I had
opportunities to see the greatJohn McCain and Ted Kennedy.
I mean, these were the guyswalking the halls, and you would
see things happen on the floor,but then you would get to see
behind the scenes of how thingswere were um really how they
(13:47):
acted behind the scenes.
And it was great.
Those stories are just sowonderful.
SPEAKER_00 (13:50):
Well, was there a um did you know or meet anybody
from UCA in Washington, D.C.
Was there any sort of UCAnetwork?
SPEAKER_01 (13:57):
There was not a tight UCA network that I rec can
recall, but there was a tightArkansas.
Sure.
We were really, really close.
It was probably the first time Ireally understood calling the
hogs or anything like that.
I think we all just kind ofgathered together under
statehood.
You know, we really wanted tobe.
Um, I mean, at that time, it wasabout being from the South, and
(14:21):
everyone else was different.
You know, there's this big eventthat I um, well, you won't be
surprised.
I held this one event forArkansas, um, kind of co-chair
one year, it's called Taste ofthe South.
And so Arkansas had to getRiceland Foods, Tyson.
You know, we we represented ourown state, but you kind of
identified where you were from.
So it wasn't so much college asit was, oh, I'm from Arkansas.
(14:45):
Those are all my people.
My name, my roommates were fromMississippi and Georgia that we
hung out with the same crew, andyou wanted to be friends with
Georgia because they had, youknow, Coke and Diet Coke in
their offices.
We had rice in our office, youknow, all the free freebies.
You wanted to know who had what.
Yeah.
So what a fun time.
I mean, all it was a great time.
All together.
(15:05):
How many years did you work?
Three years.
So I I had, you know, I I triedto touch each branch.
Okay.
So what brought you back toArkansas?
Uh, that was a real harddecision.
Um, so after my time there, so Iwas there for the anthrax scare.
We were in that building.
So being tested for anthrax, um,I was there for 9-11, which was
(15:26):
really, you know, that hit mepretty hard, evacuating a
building.
And of course, just having leftthe White House, you know,
months prior.
I had friends in the WhiteHouse, you know, we were in the
Senate office buildingevacuating.
I lived on Capitol Hill.
That that really was difficultfor me.
Like I loved my work, but I uhin my 20s, I wasn't willing to
die for this kind of thing.
(15:47):
That was a whole new level of,you know, I wasn't ready
prepared for.
I was ready to go home.
I was like, I don't want to behere anymore.
I'm gonna go home.
Uh I'm not gonna, that's notgonna happen in, you know,
Arkansas.
Um, and there were just a numberof things that I was like, I,
you know, my rent living withsix other women is like, okay, I
(16:10):
I'm ready for grow up time.
You know, I can own a house inLittle Rock for what I pay for,
a one-bedroom room with sixother women.
So I think my time and tenure umjust kind of came came full full
tuition.
I came came home.
SPEAKER_00 (16:27):
And so one of the things eventually that you did,
I mean, you worked for a lot ofseveral different places, but
you also started your ownbusiness.
You started your own business.
SPEAKER_01 (16:34):
Yeah, Martinez Belt Consulting.
That was really that was thatwas really awesome because of
what made it awesome.
Well, my passion to help a lotof the smaller nonprofits.
Um, a lot of people havemisconception of, oh, I can just
start a nonprofit and raise abunch of money and do a lot of
(16:54):
good.
And I've been part of mergingnonprofits with the Yakuza Food
Bank and the Rice Depot.
There's a there's a space inneed for a lot.
And a lot of these smallernonprofits just don't have the
basic, um, there's not a lot ofpeople who do philanthropy well.
You can't just throw an eventand call it a day.
And there's a lot of on firefundraising.
(17:15):
People come out and say, we haveto have this or it's closing
down tomorrow.
So, you know, being a student ofum professional fundraising,
there's a lot of missteps youcould have.
And I saw a lot of that in thecommunity and throughout the
state.
And so when I started my my kindof consulting business, I took
on a lot of small nonprofits.
I also took a lot of individualsthat just really had large
(17:39):
portfolios and were given the,you know, the assignment to go
raise a lot of money without alot of assistance.
So I made extra steps in in myconsulting to work not only with
board members to explain whatnonprofits were really all
about, work with individuals whowere given huge caseloads that
(17:59):
had no idea how to manage them,and then work with other small
nonprofits to set them up forsuccess.
I really enjoyed it.
Yeah.
There was no money in it, but itwas the best three years ever.
Right.
And uh, but in my in myretirement, I hope I can go back
and to do that.
SPEAKER_00 (18:15):
Well, it sounds like you also, you know, not just not
only enjoyable, but you alsowere taught some lessons that
you probably would not havelearned inside a large
organization.
Right.
SPEAKER_01 (18:28):
Yeah.
Yeah.
It it um it's definitely not oneof those things that'll make you
hugely successful, but it'sdefinitely one of those things
that are major fulfilling.
Right.
Um, and having a certain skillset, you want to be able to
share that with others.
And during that period of mylife, um, I was able to do that.
Yeah.
Okay.
SPEAKER_00 (18:47):
You mentioned the Arkansas Food Bank.
You worked uh worked with them,you worked with the Peel Compton
Foundation here in Bentonville.
SPEAKER_01 (18:54):
They got me up here too.
I mean, give me a big projectand what I do.
I mean, you'll see throughout mycareer that most of the
nonprofits that I've taken onhave been working towards
something bigger, have beenworking towards a new alignment
or a new phase.
So with the Food Bank, they werecoming on.
They had just received Don W.
Randall's money and they weregoing from a small nonprofit to
(19:17):
a big nonprofit.
Yes, please.
I was definitely signed up forthat and I was ready to take
that on.
I am so proud of my work there.
I'm so proud of the team that'sstill there.
Um, because where I started andwhere I left it, you know, was
was just a really that those arethe the jobs I want to do.
Same with Peel Compton.
We got to put a new missionstatement together.
(19:39):
We got to launch the amenitiesat Kohler, we got to open Osage.
I mean, who gets to do thosekinds of things?
So when that opportunity came,um, and serving the community,
especially for NorthwestArkansas and making lives
better.
I was on board.
Um, and it was only Sam Deanthat was able to lure me away,
saying, Hey, we need to do thisexpansion for children and
(20:01):
families.
And I'm all like, yeah, okay, Ilike it.
And that's what I'm working onnow.
SPEAKER_00 (20:05):
Right.
At a high level, how do youdefine philanthropy?
You mentioned it earlier aboutwhat it maybe is or isn't, but
just how do you definephilanthropy?
SPEAKER_01 (20:15):
There's so many different facets of philanthropy
through corporation, throughindividual giving, through
community.
I would like to just go back tothe basics of your time, talent,
treasure.
At the basics, if you're lovinghumankind, it doesn't have to be
through a million-dollar gift.
While those are nice, um, it'sreally about what you can give
(20:38):
of yourself.
And if that's volunteering,coming in and serving others, if
it's, you know, writing thatcheck, whether it's$10 or$100,
that's what you can.
Or people just donating throughwhatever your talent might be,
having an accountant come in anddonate their time, you know,
coming in and spending an hourof your law services.
(21:02):
Um, there's always a way to giveback, and that fills, you know,
fuels the need of a nonprofit.
I think that's or what youshould do.
I I think that's kind of how theworld should work is um we're
not here for free.
I mean, I I don't think that'sthat's just kind of how I was
raised and kind of what Ibelieve in.
SPEAKER_00 (21:21):
So um, you know, it's no secret we are in a major
philanthropic market.
There are some significant uhfoundation dialers here, you
know, the you mentioned thecorporate giving, the individual
wealth, the individual donors.
Is it harder or easier to raisemoney in this region compared to
other regions?
I mean, what's what I guesswhat's different about the
(21:43):
culture of giving inNorthwestern?
Northwest Arkansas.
SPEAKER_01 (21:46):
So, yes, I've raised statewide, I've raised in Texas,
I've raised central Arkansas andnow Northwest Arkansas.
It is different up here in thatthere's not there is very strong
philanthropy here.
From a lot of establishedfamilies.
Um, but at the same time,there's a lot of new families
here that don't have those um,you know, roots per se.
(22:12):
And there's some misgivings ofsomeone else will pick up the
tab.
You know, someone else would bethe one to give.
But, you know, that has been alittle bit more of a challenge
for me.
But corporations do really dopick up a big part of the tab um
for Northwest Arkansas.
They are willing to invest andwilling to invest in their
associates.
(22:32):
You know, they want the thequality of life to be great.
Um, and that's been one of mychallenges in Northwest Arkansas
is to make sure that that theindividuals that move here and
want to be here realize thatthere is there is a space for
them and that there is room forthem to make this their home and
to give back.
And I'm I'm seeing more of anuptick.
It's more of conversation andmore of learning.
(22:54):
Um, it doesn't matter what yourwhat your zip code is, there's
opportunity for you to give.
If you're going to come here andbe here and make this your home,
there's opportunity for you tobe involved.
SPEAKER_00 (23:05):
Yeah.
I mean, an opportunity and maybeslash responsibility, you know,
to be more involved.
SPEAKER_01 (23:13):
You know, as we go into the next generation of
families and foundations, youknow, they have every
opportunity to change thedirection of how they want to
give.
And that's of major concern tome in that, you know, they they
can aspire to look at thingsdifferently and, you know,
change ambitions, change goals,change, change um what what what
(23:34):
they may have differentinterests in, because the world
is changing.
So I'm interested to see howthis next generation comes
forward with where theirinterests lie and how that
affects Northwest Arkansas.
Right.
Okay.
SPEAKER_00 (23:48):
All right.
The Scott Family Amazium inBentonville, yeah.
Crystal Ridges campus.
You've been there, I think, alittle over three years.
Yes, sir.
I've been there.
So for anybody listening thathas not been to the Amazum, and
shame on you if you have notbeen to the Scott Family Amazum,
um, how do you describe it tosomebody experiencing it for the
first time?
SPEAKER_01 (24:09):
We are so much more than a children and science
museum.
We are a place of curiosity andcreativity from cradle to
career.
Um, you can catch us any day onour best day and experience just
an amazing amount of hands-onexperiences that can be from a
(24:31):
newborn to the newborn mother.
We want to give everyone theopportunity to learn and be at
their best.
Um, I think there is so muchgoing on in the world that I
think you need a safe place togo with your friends, your
family, your children.
And that's the amazing.
(24:52):
Um, you know, my job is to makesure people not only know about
us, but are able to experienceus at a, you know, uh an
available cost that's accessibleto everyone.
You know, we offer pricelessnights on Wednesdays.
Um, you know, our true cost atthe door is over$25.
Yet we charge$10 less than that.
(25:13):
So it is an important part ofour community that there is a
place that you can go and feelsafe, no matter what age, creed,
race, religion you are, and youcan go and be there and be
yourself with your family.
SPEAKER_00 (25:28):
So for you personally, then, what makes
this your job and at this placeum so rewarding among all the
things that you've done in yourcareer?
Um, what does it mean to youpersonally to do what you do and
for this for this place?
SPEAKER_01 (25:43):
So I've always been someone who wants to be
somewhere where I can see wherethe rubber hits the road.
So, you know, if you're having abad day, you can walk out onto
the floor and you get to guide afield trip and you get to see
children getting off a schoolbus who have never been there
before.
I mean, it happened just lastweek, Paul.
Four buses came from Missouri,and these kids are like cheering
(26:05):
you on like you're a superstar.
And that's all I needed for theday.
I'm all like, I'll go write agrant to anyone.
I'll stay late, I'll I'll doanother event for you because
they have never seen somethinglike this.
And they want to come and playand have fun and do arts and do
(26:26):
climbing walls and learn about,you know, we had a traveling
exhibit from India about India.
So they were learning aboutIndia that day.
And learning that curiosity andwhat they were creating and
working um side by side withtheir classmates.
It was awesome.
It was everything that I couldhave ever dreamed, you know.
So why not?
(26:47):
Why not make someone else's lifebetter?
SPEAKER_00 (26:49):
So if I need to ask you to do something, I just need
a cheer for you and give yousome applause and some cheer in
your own.
SPEAKER_01 (26:54):
Yes, I work for I work for cheers.
I definitely work for thepraise.
There's no doubt about it.
That's fun.
SPEAKER_00 (27:01):
All right.
So you mentioned the capitalcampaign, the construction, the
the expansion that's going onright now, the expanding future
campaign.
Yeah,$25 million initiative.
You've got the backyard, thehangout, the early learning
advancement center, all thosethings, DLAC are going to be
added to the Amazum.
You were pretty, you were verypublicly out in front of this as
(27:23):
the chief uh philanthropyofficer of the Amazon when we're
when we're working on that goal.
What does it take to lead acampaign at this scale uh in
this market when you don't havethe finish line in front of you?
SPEAKER_01 (27:36):
Well, you know, thank you for that, Paul.
I appreciate that question.
So we all know that thiscommunity is expanding.
And to be truly honest, thisbuilding, we're already, we mean
we've done the work, like we'realready, this is already
something we're building in thatwe're gonna fill it up right
away.
Like we're already gonna be atcapacity when we fill this up.
(27:57):
$25 million is nothing to bat aneye at.
The price kept increasingthrough COVID and through, you
know, construction prices.
So um we had to make a reallyquick decision in like what was
gonna be first on thisconstruction ballot because you
know, we heard we heard from thecommunity they wanted to see
more access for early learnersand more access for our teens.
(28:20):
You know, the Amazum really hitsthat sweet spot from two to 12.
But what are we doing for thoseearly learners?
What are we doing for our youthand teens?
Where like what are we gonna do?
So we decided to focus on abuilding that really celebrates
those early learners and thosecaregivers.
Everyone that starts out needsthe ability, um, especially in
Arkansas.
(28:40):
We have, we have some seriouslearning issues in terms of
before they get to kindergarten,before they even get to pre-K,
what are we doing?
How are we addressing thatproblem?
And that's where the Amazumcomes in.
It's so much more than a museum.
You know, Sam Dean, our CEO,likes to say we're a movement,
but we're a movement in thatwe're providing some of the best
programming nationally, not justregionally, nationally.
(29:04):
We're national leaders and partof a learning ecosystem that
allows us to celebrate not justearly learners, but their
caregivers as first teachers.
Yeah.
You know, we have to empowerthem to know, oh, these are
signs that maybe there's aproblem.
And this will avoid our kidsfrom having to be in therapy in
grade three or grade four.
(29:25):
So Amazum is doing some really,really cool work, and the
building will be part of that.
So the Early LearningAdvancement Center will not just
be a place for you to come andplay, but playful learning with
your with your youngest undersix.
The hangout is a really greatnod to our community.
Um, as you said, we're onCrystal Bridges right next door.
(29:45):
We've got Whole Health, we'vegot the awesome.
We work with their students allthe time.
They came in for an adult nightand did an awesome heart um
well, not heart dissectionduring Valentine's Day.
They're great students.
We love having them on ourbuilding, but it's a place where
people can come and kind ofconverge and be together.
(30:06):
Um so that doesn't have apaywall, the hangout will be a
space where our kids can comeand eat.
Um, we envision having familygame nights there, but it's a
space really that the communitywanted to see just come
decompress and be.
So for our youth, um a buildingisn't going up quite as fast,
but we are focused onprogramming for our youth.
(30:27):
Um, we have a youth makers ummarket that we do throughout the
community.
So we are answering it in adifferent light in that we're
addressing um, you know, 12 to16, 18-year-olds addressing what
they need through ourprogramming.
And then this campaign willreally address that backyard
space as well.
So I'm about 18 million in.
(30:48):
Hopefully by the time this airs,I'll be at 20 million in.
But I I think the community iscontinually ready to support
this because these are thingsthey want to see.
Again, it's that quality oflife, it's opportunity, not just
for Northwest Arkansas.
We've got visitors from all overthe country that come as a
destination.
It doesn't hurt that CrystalBridges is the neighbor, right?
(31:09):
But when you come to NorthwestArkansas, you want to stay and
make this um, I mean, it's atourist attraction.
SPEAKER_00 (31:16):
Yeah, I'm I'm glad you mentioned that uh about the
people that come from all overthe country and the world too.
I mean, do you ever when youpull into your driveway in the
parking lot there to work, doyou just stop and think, you
know, you're expanding.
Crystal Bridges is opening theirexpansion this summer.
You have a four-year medicalschool with Stanford Medicine as
the partner next door, just allthis growth on the Crystal
(31:37):
Bridges campus where you get togo and work every day.
It's it's amazing.
SPEAKER_01 (31:41):
It's it's it's bonkers.
Yeah.
It's it's really great, but Iwouldn't have it any other way.
And but isn't that to say aboutall of Northwest Arkansas?
You take a turn and it's like,wow, this is developing.
And it really just lends itselfto who we are in this region of
the state.
(32:02):
And it's what attracts peoplehere is because we're kind of
that community of doers.
We're that community ofbelievers and dreamers, but
where everyone's ready to jumpin and be a part of that.
So um, yeah, the amazingecosystem.
It is that kind of um place forcollaborators to come together
(32:22):
with ideas.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (32:24):
I want to go back to something you said about, you
know, one of the major tenantsof the Amazum is the access,
right?
And you recently partnered withuh the airport X and A to have a
new children's place space aspart of the concourse uh
expansion out there.
Um what does it mean to toexpand the Amazum's reach beyond
your walls?
(32:44):
I mean, in this case, really along way beyond your walls out
to the airport.
SPEAKER_01 (32:48):
Who better to do it than the amazum, right?
And I I hope I hope you continueto see our work throughout.
This is not our first projectoff campus.
We love, love, love doing theseprojects.
And you'll see more of that umin time to come.
We just turned 10, Paul.
We're we're very young in museumyears, but our work continues to
outpace um any other museum thatthat I've ever seen.
(33:11):
Um X and A.
So this will be um opening thissummer as well.
So we are seeing more flightsand more visitors than any other
regional airport in our state.
So we, you know, beat out littlerock.
Um and with that comes theresponsibility of welcoming
people and making people feelcomfortable, right?
(33:32):
So we've got a really greatairport and an opportunity there
to make families feel great.
So what does X and A do?
They call us to say, hey,there's a children's space, and
we're our we TC the design.
It is amazing.
Of course, that's in our name,but it is going to be a really
hands-on place, not just forkids, but for adults too.
(33:54):
When you're sitting waiting foryour flight, you know, we hate
that the that the walking had togo away.
The other the state's only uhwalkable.
SPEAKER_00 (34:04):
Yeah, the um, yeah, the the moving moving walkway,
yes.
SPEAKER_01 (34:09):
Had to had to depart.
But you might see some of thoseparts in some of the things
we're doing.
But what there it'll be a greatplace for kids to explore why
they're waiting on a flight.
Um, they'll be learning what aflight is, they'll be actually
doing some hands-onopportunities there.
So um it it launches thissummer.
We we are ready to to be apartner and to make sure that
(34:31):
whoever's coming or going intothis region knows a little bit
about um the discovery offlight, um any fears that they
have will be put aside and thatwe're good partners in welcoming
people to our community.
Sure.
SPEAKER_00 (34:44):
All right.
So uh speaking of the community,you know, you and your husband
Scott, you're raising twoteenagers here in Binville.
And yes, we are.
And you're and you're bothleading, you know, very, you
know, demanding professionallives, public-facing lives.
So, how do you how do you thinkabout work-life balance in in
this season of your life here?
SPEAKER_01 (35:04):
I mean, it is a hot potato job, you know, and that's
kind of how Scott and I met wasthrough development, you know,
his love of building bigbuildings and my love of raising
the money for it.
So, um, two kids.
Sloan is, you know, in highschool now.
She is thriving, and we she isjust doing amazing, you know.
(35:26):
I think serving the community,she was just part of the Heart
Association Sweetheart Call.
Um, that made me super proudseeing her give service back.
Um, we're really happy with theschool system here.
We're really, um that was one ofthe struggles I had, you know,
in other communities.
Um, but proud, proud to balancework, work in life because it
(35:49):
needs to look a little bit likeI think in nonprofit, you're
able to do both.
I think that's why I chose thiscareer.
If I am not able to be a mom atmy job, I don't I didn't know
that I'd be able to be correct,be a parent.
Um, and it's a little bitdifferent for my son.
Thomas is on the autismspectrum.
(36:10):
Um, so I have to be much morehands-on with him.
And my career fortunately doesallow me to have a little bit
more hands-on with him.
So um, work-wife balance.
I don't know what that is.
I don't think it exists.
I think some days I'm reallyawesome at being a mom, and I
think some days I'm reallyawesome at being in the office.
(36:30):
And I I think I choose what daysto be champion at some.
But as you said, I like tocheerlead through it all.
And some days I'm gonna miss andsome days I'm gonna score.
SPEAKER_00 (36:39):
So, as a champion and a cheerleader, you know,
what kind of example do you hopeyour kids see through your work
with the Amazing?
SPEAKER_01 (36:46):
I hope that they're kind to others.
I hope that they're kind to eachother.
I want them to really step up.
Um, I want them to step up forpeople that don't have a voice.
And obviously Thomas has adifferent situation, but I hope
they advocate for others.
And I mean, at the at the end ofthe day, you know, you want to
be strong in yourself, but youyou also want to be strong for
(37:09):
others.
So I hope that they see that Iknow when I had an opportunity
when you have an opportunity tospeak up for yourself or for
someone else, that they do that.
SPEAKER_00 (37:18):
Do you um I know you said you were you were hellbent
on journalism and media andcollege.
Do you still write any?
Do you still how do you feedthat if you do?
SPEAKER_01 (37:29):
So I think that's something I we had to do uh we
we just went through aleadership um training for work,
and we had to do something thatwas on our bucket list, and I
was like, oh, I'm gonna write abook.
I there definitely are chaptersthat I've started in my book.
I don't know if it'll be aboutmy DC days.
I was gonna say, what would yourbook be about?
(37:50):
Well, there's definitely a bookabout being a Hill rat and
living that life.
I have to I taught I talk to alot of the alum from the Hillrat
days, and we definitely havesome chapters in there.
Um, but I also want to writeabout philanthropy and about
giving of oneself.
I think there's something therein terms of how um how to enrich
(38:11):
people and how Arkansas is partof that story.
Um, being raised here and beingable to come back here several
times in different capacitiesand what Arkansas's given to me.
SPEAKER_00 (38:24):
Who were your 22-year-old Jennifer Martinez?
Who were your media heroes inArkansas?
Who were your journalism peoplethat you looked up to or read
religiously, or who did youthink hung the moon?
SPEAKER_01 (38:38):
Such a I'm I'm gonna nerd everybody out, but um you
know, it was probably localjournalism.
I was a stringer, so if youwere, is this my turn to talk
about absolutely okay?
Yeah, or I'd cut my bug.
So, okay.
If you were a really goodwriter, which Amber Manasco and
(39:01):
I were roommates, so we're alsookay at writing.
Okay.
And one of our professors wasthe great, and is he's still
with us, the great Ernie Dumas,who you know because you were a
journalism major.
Ernie Dumas, I have to hold upmy book.
SPEAKER_00 (39:16):
Um is on the Mount Rushmore of Arkansas journalism.
SPEAKER_01 (39:21):
Best.
He was a professor after afterhis time um with the paper.
He um Ernie Dumas was aprofessor at UCA because this
ties us back to UCA.
And so if we finished ourwriting assignments, he would
sit on the edge of his desk andhe would talk to us about his
time of following Arkansaspolitics.
(39:41):
Because remember, I wasn'tpolitical.
Yeah, I just really, reallyloved to write stories.
So he was sat on the edge of hisdesk and talked to us about um
his time with Bill Clinton, histime with um following prior,
his time with all these Arkansasgreats.
And it was more about hisjourney in storytelling that I
(40:04):
just adored.
And it was more of gettingaccess to the story that I
really loved.
So my beloved writers were like,Ernie Dumas, right now it's Rex
Nelson.
It's it's um, I loved um, Iforgot to think of her name from
channel four.
I mean, I was in love withCarolyn Long when I was little.
I knew Burr Edson.
(40:25):
I mean, I was a local down homekind of get the news.
SPEAKER_02 (40:30):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (40:30):
Um, I had a hard time going from print to TV.
That was a really hard, I didn'tknow where that was gonna lie.
And being a student in the 90s,you know, we were the first ones
at UCA to get a um email becausewe were communications students
because the internet came outand they didn't know how what
we're gonna do.
And it was really hard becauseeveryone was sharing print's
(40:52):
gonna die, print's gonna die.
Don't be a print major becauseyou'll have to go online.
You'll have to become, you know,someone else will get your job.
So I remember that being a bigthing.
But you know, I used to read LawCabin, Law Cabin, because I was
at in Conway and um I was astringer there.
So I I mean, I was really intoprint writing.
(41:13):
I mean, it is been hard for meto not get.
I still get the Sunday paper,but I don't get the daily paper.
But that was that was where allthe smart people lived.
You know, we lived in the paper.
And yeah, not to be offensive,but that's where you got your
really great news.
That's where you read every day,and that was my drive.
So it's gonna read the newspaperevery day.
(41:34):
That's where I get news.
I mean, just like you said,that's where I get my newspaper.
I didn't necessarily, I wentfrom being, you know, maybe a TV
buff to really looking at umprint.
And I I loved it, but you know,the whole now online thing was
really ridiculous.
SPEAKER_00 (41:50):
And this book you have here for people who are or
not uh watching but arelistening, The Education of
Arnie Dumas, this is a new book.
I didn't know this until youbrought it in today.
SPEAKER_01 (41:58):
Oh again.
And I'm gonna have to borrowthat.
He changed um the direction ofmy career in life just because
of his work and hisstorytelling.
He taught me to be a greatwriter, not just a great writer,
but a great journalist.
Um, but I took that career allthe way to Washington, D.C.
If it weren't for um Mr.
Dumas, I I don't know what Ihave done.
(42:21):
I would have went to work forRandy Dixon at Channel 7.
Yep.
Um, probably still would havehad a an okay great career.
Sure.
But or maybe not.
Maybe Randy wouldn't have hiredme.
Well, you have to That was myplan.
SPEAKER_00 (42:32):
That was my plan.
You'll have to give me a reporton that book.
Okay.
All right.
So you've seen Arkansas from uh,you know, a national level and
now a very hyper-local level.
Um, you know, what what makes,you know, in Northwest Arkansas,
speaking of news, is in a lot ofnews headlines pretty much every
day.
What makes Northwest Arkansas umspecial right now?
SPEAKER_01 (42:53):
Oh, so many things.
There's so many wonderful thingshappening in this area.
I, you know, one of the thingsthat drew kind of brought me
here was the fact of the yes andum you'll get that from Kayleen,
you'll get that from KayleenGriffins with the the visit
Batonville.
But just the attitude ofNorthwest Arkansas.
(43:14):
I've never, you know, being anonprofit um in different areas
of the state, we we hideeveryone would hide the list.
You don't share the secretsauce.
Here, the secret sauce, therecipe is like here are the
ingredients, here's a recipe,here's the first taste.
Everyone is open, honest, andwilling to really share how to
(43:35):
win because all tides rise, youknow.
It really is that feeling of,oh, you have an idea or you have
a problem.
I know someone who can help youwith that.
I've never been around acommunity that's more um open to
collaboration.
I mean, even with the new STEMschool, hey, let's let's get in
(43:55):
line.
You, you're, I mean, we'vealready had the first meeting,
or you know, hey, this new Artsomething is coming up.
It is, it is all hands on deck,everyone's at the table, and
your voice is heard.
SPEAKER_00 (44:06):
It's really unique.
So here's your chance to be openand honest then for this
question over the next decade.
What is this region going toneed from its nonprofit and
philanthropic leaders over thenext eight to 10 years?
SPEAKER_01 (44:20):
We have to continue to collaborate.
We have to continue to beforward thinkers and not chase
what everyone else is chasing.
We're going to have to pass andsay no on some things.
I think people look for umphilanthropy to, you know,
usually our role has been tofill in those gaps.
(44:42):
But I think in the directionthat Northwest Arkansas is
going, those gaps are going toneed to be left emptied.
And we're going to have to belooking towards new futures like
AI.
We need to be able to move atthe pace that our industry and
that our community needs us tomove and not a local standard
(45:04):
because we're not, we're not thestandard.
We are exceptional.
And that's what I've seen inthis region is we can't think
just basic.
We have to keep up with a reallyhigh standard.
So in the nonprofit industrywhere there are those gaps, I
don't think we think today wehave to think way in advance of
(45:27):
what our students are going toneed, what our community is
going to need.
Um it's it's at a differentlevel.
SPEAKER_00 (45:34):
Well, listen, um, this has been great.
I want to get a couple of UCAthoughts from you in uh as we as
we wind down.
I mentioned that you're uh oneof the founding members of our
uh first UCA Northwest ArkansasAdvisory Council.
Um so glad that you said yes.
Yeah, really.
Of course.
Glad that you said this.
So what is one thing about UCA,maybe a feather in our cap, or
(45:55):
one thing that we do really wellthat you wish Northwest Arkansas
knew more about?
What do you think NorthwestArkansas should know more about
UCA?
SPEAKER_01 (46:03):
Um, and you and Rive, you've talked about this.
It's it should no longer be asecret.
Um, you know, it's kind of nowthat inside joke with the the
best kept secret.
And I now you don't want to be abest kept secret.
I think the secret's out.
I I think that the next chapterof UCA has unfolded.
And I think now that you getinto an industry, go ahead and
(46:25):
ask.
And when you see someoneexcelling at something, go ahead
and ask where they're from, youknow, where they're undergrad.
And you're not, you're you won'tbe surprised that they're from
UCA.
You know, I'll be having lunchand I'll say something and
they'll say, Oh, I forgot totell you, I went to UCA, and I'm
all like, okay, you're in, youknow, and and praising them and
bringing them along.
I think we haven't been goodstewards of always bringing that
(46:48):
along, like maybe, maybe theUniversity of Arkansas has been.
Um, and I encourage everyone,maybe, I mean, the Red Wolves
too, they're they're reallygreat at bringing their alumni
alum along as well.
I think that's something for oneof the things that I'm
earmarking for myself up here islike, oh, you're you're a UCA
grad, follow me.
(47:08):
You know, you're in, you'reinvited.
And then I've started that nowwith some of the things that I
have control of giving accessto.
But um we are small and mighty,but you you see our success.
I mean, look at, you know, Dr.
Missy Clifton.
I mean, she is a phenomenaldoctor um with her premier
dermatology.
(47:29):
Um, half of the ambassadors youhave, I mean, there's there's so
many different people that arepowerhouses up here and
throughout the whole state.
And I think we just need to givea nod to each other, like, hey,
we don't have to be a secret.
Um, we just, I think noteveryone's braggadocious about
it, but I think if you dig alittle bit and be like, do you
(47:49):
know where they went to school?
Um, so I'm happy to be thatcheerleader and advocate and be
like, I know where they went toschool.
And I just have to say it.
SPEAKER_00 (47:57):
If you were a cheerleader and an advocate for
a um UCA grad that's coming uphere in a few weeks, uh a newly
minted graduate of theUniversity of Central Arkansas,
what advice would you give them?
SPEAKER_01 (48:08):
Besides meeting Paul.
Bullet point one.
Bullet point one, introduceyourself to Paul Gowin.
Um I would say join and inLinkedIn's been a really great
thing, but to really um dig inand join, be a joiner, um,
(48:32):
whether that's through yourlocal rotary chamber, um be
invested in what's happening inthat community.
Um, we have really unique,different systems, whether it be
Springdale, Rogers, Lowell,Betonville, Fayetteville,
everyone has kind of adifferent, while we're all
(48:53):
really great collaborators,there's opportunities for you to
join in and then bring thatnetwork back into the UCA
network.
You're you're gonna meet someonethat's gonna know or benefit
from that alumni.
And you can then use that.
So, so network, whether it'sjoining, like I said, uh, if you
(49:15):
for for nonprofits, we do AFP,which is fundraising
professionals, there'sconstruction professionals,
there's you know, interiordesign professionals, join your
local, you know, professionalnetwork, but then also get
involved involved, whether it'srotary, koanas, lions.
Um, you know, I'm a bigRotarian, and that's important
(49:35):
work to me.
But at the same time, getinvolved, network, and then the
rest will will come to you.
SPEAKER_00 (49:41):
Yeah, I've said it before and I will say it many
other times.
I'm a I'm a big believer innetworks and networking, and
we've all seen the headline umrecently of uh that Arkansas is
the most popular destination forpeople to move to uh uh last
year.
Now, whether that's uh based indeep fact or not, that's up for
debate, but it's uh that's it'sout there in a lot, a lion's
(50:02):
share of that is here inNorthwest Arkansas.
But overall, there are a lot ofpeople moving to Northwest
Arkansas that weren't 30 yearsago, 40 years ago.
We used to be uh and still are,you know, a very parochial
state, but now there are uhmentioned it before, there are
people from anywhere andeverywhere who are moving to
Arkansas.
So network with those people.
(50:23):
You never know who you mightmeet, you never know where your
network will lead you to.
SPEAKER_01 (50:27):
And just say yes.
Unless you upset, say yes.
If someone asks you to a lunch,if someone asks you to
participate and join on a board,if someone asks you to be on a
council or serve on a committee,say yes.
Right.
I mean, the experience, I mean,the opportunities that I've had
and I've said yes to um mightlead to a lot of exhausting
(50:47):
days, but at the same time,those are experiences that have
always led to a next open dooror open opportunity.
So, you know, serve and you'llget you'll get to where you need
to be.
SPEAKER_00 (51:00):
Very good.
All right.
Jennifer, this has been um asfun as I thought it would be.
SPEAKER_01 (51:04):
Oh, good.
SPEAKER_00 (51:05):
Enjoy it.
Uh, is there anything that youwould um you'd like people to
know about the Amazum or how tosupport uh the work that you're
doing before we go?
SPEAKER_01 (51:13):
The Amazum will be hosting our one annual um event
that we have all year at theUngala, um, April the 17th.
Um it is for adults only.
Yeah, a lot of fun 21 and over,Chris.
Yeah, you've you've attended.
Um, it's a really great time foryou to just, you know, kick off
the fancy suit, come as you areand play, play, play.
(51:35):
Um, adults get to be themselvesand they get to to be a little
curious and wander around.
We'll have differentactivations, we'll have a lot of
great food, a lot of great fun.
And so I encourage everyone tocheck out emasium.org and come
and check us out.
Perfect.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (51:50):
All right.
Jennifer Martinez Belt,University of Central Arkansas
class of 1999.
The chief philanthropy officerat the Scott Family Amazum in
Bentonville.
And a proud member of theNorthwest Arkansas Advisory
Council for Alma Moderate UCA.
So thanks for your friendshipand for your leadership.
And really, uh, for mepersonally, really appreciate
(52:11):
you being here.
Thanks very much.
All right, and my continuedappreciation to all of you who
who tune in and watch us here onCentral to NWA, a UCA podcast.
Until next time, go Bears.
That's it for this episode ofCentral to NWA, a UCA podcast.
I'm Paul Gatling, SeniorDirector of Northwest Arkansas
(52:32):
Engagement for the University ofCentral Arkansas.
Be sure to subscribe to the showand follow UCA on all the
appropriate social media.
I'll see you next time onCentral to NWA.
This is Central to NWA, a UCA podcast.
I'm your host, Paul Gatling, andwe are bringing the University
of Central Arkansas to NorthwestArkansas.
Each episode, we will talk withleaders, alumni, and innovators
driving this region forward,people who are shaping
industries and defining what isnext for our state.
(00:22):
Let's get started.
Welcome back to Central to NWA,a UCA podcast.
I'm your host, Paul Gatling.
So glad you are with us todayagain for episode number nine.
And our guest today is someonethat I'm lucky to call a friend.
I call her a friend.
I don't know if she calls me afriend, right?
She is also a trusted partner tothe University of Central
(00:44):
Arkansas through her uhbelongings.
She's a founding member of ourUCA Northwest Arkansas Advisory
Council.
And her career has taken her toWashington, D.C.
and to statewide nonprofits, andnow working for one of the most
high-profile and belovedinstitutions here in this place
we call uh Northwest Arkansas.
(01:04):
So happy to have with meJennifer Martinez Belt.
She is UCA class of 1999.
SPEAKER_02 (01:10):
Oh, you said the year.
SPEAKER_00 (01:13):
I know.
Chief Philanthropy Officer atthe Scott Family Amazum in
Bentonville.
Jennifer, welcome to thepodcast.
SPEAKER_01 (01:20):
Thank you.
Thank you.
And congratulations, Paul, onbeing named one of the top
podcasts in Northwest, Arkansas.
That recently came out.
So I have some um big shoes tofill or some very exciting times
to have here.
Well, it is exciting.
SPEAKER_00 (01:35):
Uh I'm, you know, that was an exciting
recognition.
I'm not sure uh that we belongon the list of some of those
other podcasts.
You know, a lot of greatpodcasts up here.
But yeah, excited you're here.
You excited about this?
SPEAKER_01 (01:47):
I am excited.
I think everyone, I mean, I'vebeen listening to the podcast
and I try to listen to thepodcast rather than view it
because I think that gives atotal different element.
But um, some of the alum youhave on, you know, are friends.
I just heard from Corey.
I've heard listened to Aaron.
Um, I've listened to quite a fewthat I didn't realize were alum.
Right.
And then I keep thinking, oh,you need to have this person on
(02:08):
because they have such aprominent career and give so
much to the to the region.
So um thank you for having meon.
SPEAKER_00 (02:14):
Exciting to be here.
Yeah, good point that youmentioned about not realizing we
have a little over 4,000 UCalums in the two county.
SPEAKER_01 (02:22):
I read.
It's so wonderful.
And, you know, now with youknow, not just being a UC
ambassador on campus back almost30 years ago, but now being um
up here in Northwest Arkansasand kind of reconnecting with
people, the stories are fun.
And, you know, now how we serveand how we um kind of connect
and help each other throughoutthe community.
It's really nice.
(02:43):
And you are still an ambassador,just not a campus ambassador,
UCA ambassador.
That's correct.
I I look forward to the times weget to get together and talk
about how the campus hasevolved, how our our school has
evolved.
And now that I have a you know,teenage daughter who's looking,
I like sending uh you emails andsaying she's getting more
(03:04):
information about our campus.
So it's it's it is an excitingtime.
SPEAKER_00 (03:07):
Perfect.
All right, all right.
So a lot to get to here, so manyquestions um to get to, but this
one has always served me well,going back to my time at the
Business Journal.
Still a great question that Iask people because we have so
many people in NorthwestArkansas who are from anywhere
and everywhere, right?
You know, the number that Ihear, you know, there are 40
people a day moving to NorthwestArkansas.
(03:28):
You feel it?
Did you know that?
Yeah, you see it.
I see it.
You feel it.
That's the uh official NorthwestArkansas Council number.
So anyway, this is my favoritequestion.
This is how we're gonna startour roller coaster ride today.
I'm ready.
So when did you move toNorthwest Arkansas and what were
the circumstances that broughtyou here?
SPEAKER_01 (03:45):
Okay, so I thought I always was from Northwest
Arkansas.
I'm actually from the RiverValley.
Somehow you move away from home.
So I'm from Fort Smith, but um,we moved here in 2020.
We're COVID movers.
So what a perfect time to moveto a new community.
So I've been here since 2020.
Yeah.
Um, and the circumstances kindof relied on COVID.
(04:07):
Central Arkansas had been a homefor a long time, had been in
Little Rock off and on for overa decade, and really had
established Little Rock as homebase.
Um Arkansas was where we wantedto raise our family and our
kids.
And it during COVID, everythingkind of just shut down.
And one area for growth, notonly for growth in community,
growth in career, um, it washard to deny that northwest
(04:31):
Arkansas wasn't that space.
And when things were kind of ata lull, there was opportunity
for both my husband and I totake our careers to Northwest
Arkansas and really for ourchildren to prosper and grow.
So we took a chance and throughcaution to the wind and we're
like, we're going.
And I hate to say we haven'tlooked back, but it has been
(04:52):
very rewarding.
We absolutely miss our communityin Little Rock.
We miss the people, but theopportunities here, the the
continued expansion ofeverything we're around and
being a part of it has beengreat.
Yeah, I mean, you don't lookback, but you can say uh you
couldn't envision livinganywhere else.
No, not at this point in ourlives.
It is it is awesome.
(05:12):
And how our how our family isdoing is awesome.
Okay.
SPEAKER_00 (05:16):
All right.
So, like you said, you're a FortSmith native.
Yes.
UCA alumna.
Yes.
What got you to Conway?
How did you, why did you chooseUCA?
SPEAKER_01 (05:23):
So Fort Smith Southside, my journalism
teacher, um, went through hereducation degree at UCA.
And at that time, I was innewspaper and did all the good
things.
And one thing that was reallyattractive was the um
communication degree from UCA.
And Paul, you kind of, youmentioned we know each other.
(05:44):
I'm gonna take the opposite, theopposite direction of whatever
mainstream is.
So, you know, from FordsmanSouth side, everyone was going
to U of A.
That is, I'll say it, grade 13.
Everyone was going thatdirection.
It was just kind of a norm.
If you were going to college,that's where you were going, or
maybe to OSU or OU.
(06:04):
And those are all greatinstitutions.
Those weren't the fit for me.
That was not what I was lookingfor.
I was not looking for a repeatof what I had.
And to be honest, I don't evenremember touring those colleges.
But when UCA came to our schooland I went and toured UCA, it
was the perfect size.
The class size, the curriculum,um, the campus, I fell in love
(06:28):
with everything.
I think from my graduatingclass, there were less than 12
of us that actually went to UCA.
It just sent like the hub of thestate for me, um, being in
central Arkansas, being inConway, and it just felt right.
The size was right, thecommunity was right.
And I got in and I was like,okay, that's it.
(06:49):
There were no questions askedabout it.
Conway just was the right spaceat the right time, the right,
right campus for me.
SPEAKER_00 (06:56):
And you had communications, you know,
circled early.
That's what you were going therefor.
What did you think you werepreparing yourself for?
Like what did you see five orten years as a college graduate
doing with that?
SPEAKER_01 (07:08):
So I always thought it was going to be a writing
career in journalism.
I loved a big nerd.
I brought, I told you, I broughtmy yearbooks with me.
I was in yearbook, I was anewspaper.
Um, in Fort Smith, I did a showcalled Teen Beat.
You can check us out at Channel5, KFSM, if you ever get back
into the 90s film.
Um, you know, at that time, wehad really great teachers and
(07:32):
professors, and I was focused onwriting.
Um, we were not in the fancybuilding back when I started
ACA.
We were at the basement ofMaine.
And I mean, the old crepitMaine.
It wasn't, you know, thisfabulous um new building.
So really proud of where it istoday.
But I really saw myself eitherwriting for a paper or um
(07:57):
working at a TV station.
I wanted to share stories.
I wanted to be a writer.
I was going into news.
So your first job aftergraduation was not news.
It was going to work inWashington, D.C.
Uh-huh.
I took that.
I took my communications degreeand I ended up doing um press
(08:18):
secretary work, deputy presssecretary work in Washington.
SPEAKER_00 (08:21):
Yeah, so you've touched uh your career is you
started with politics and then,you know, food insecurity,
historic preservation, arts andculture, um, and now children's
education.
You know, what would you say umties all of those chapters
together?
SPEAKER_01 (08:36):
Well, you're a fellow Rotarian, so you get that
it's all about service aboveself.
Um, I think I got to see at areally early age, who at 23
moves to Washington, D.C.
and gets to staff, you know,members of Congress, much less
having opportunities to workunder a White House
administration.
These were really great, bigopportunities for me.
(08:59):
And I got to see legislation andhow things were processed in our
country.
And I realized how long itactually took to make things
work.
Um, I came home and I actuallygot to see, I think moving away
from the state, I actually gotto see a more beloved area and
love Arkansas even more deeper.
(09:20):
What I ended up doing as acareer was really serving back
and volunteering.
You know, the whole word ofphilanthropy is, you know,
loving mankind.
And that was a different way ofservice for me.
So if I couldn't make it work inthe storytelling era of writing
about the news, I was gonnastorytell about how we make our
(09:42):
community stronger and better.
And that's what I've been doingfor the last two decades.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (09:45):
Okay.
Well, let's, you know, thatWashington DC, D.C.
is not an insignificant chapterin anyone's career.
So let's let's talk about that.
You spent time in the U.S.
House, the Senate, the WhiteHouse.
Yeah.
How did you make thatconnection?
Did all three.
How did you arrive inWashington, D.C.?
SPEAKER_01 (10:01):
So it all started with a trip to Kroger.
This um man was standing atConway Kroger, this gentleman
with kind of an off-beaten tie.
And I've told him this story.
So he, I mean, he remembers it.
And um wanted to know what Ithought about the price as a
college student at UCA about theprice of my prescription drugs.
(10:22):
I'm like, what a weirdo.
Who is this old dude asking meabout the price of my
prescription drugs?
It was Congressman Vic Snyder.
And uh I went in after UCA, um,the great Ernie Dumas, which I
hope we get to talk a little bitabout, um, had an opportunity to
go and work in I had my collegedegree.
I finished, you know, in 99, andI got the opportunity to intern
(10:46):
for Vic Snyder.
Um, and at that time, I remembermoving to Washington to do this
internship after graduation.
And I wanted maybe to be apolitical writer.
And it was more about um, like,who, what are you?
What are your issues?
And I remember calling myparents like, what am I?
What are my issues?
You know, because I wasn'traised in a hugely political
(11:07):
home.
You know, it was time, tell, andtreasure.
You give to what, you know, tohelp people, and and I kind of
navigated my way.
An opportunity came open inCongressman Mary and Barry's
office of Arkansas, um, whichreally represents the Delta.
I got to be part of that belovedoffice, work there, an
(11:28):
opportunity at the end of theClinton administration came
open.
And again, it was Arkansas'stime to shine.
I mean, at that time, the statelooked a lot different, our
politics looked a lot different,and Arkansas really did have a
different hold in Washington.
So I was able to work at the endof the Clinton administration.
And then after that, theelection didn't go in in that
(11:53):
direction.
For Bush won.
So I remember saying, I'm notdone.
I'm not done yet.
And I went to um SenatorLincoln's office to his chief of
staff and said, Look, I reallywant to write.
And I became her deputy presssecretary.
There was a position there forme, and I stayed there on for
another year.
SPEAKER_00 (12:11):
What surprised you about that world coming from
Arkansas, born and raised?
What surprised you about uh, youknow, the beltway once you were
up there living in it, workingin it, that sort of thing?
SPEAKER_01 (12:23):
You know, it's run by a lot of young kids.
A lot of young people arehelping write and write the
agenda for a country andbriefing um these elected
official officials.
I was very fortunate to be partof really smart work for really
(12:43):
smart, you know, electedofficials, but at the same time,
we got to be a part of theirstory.
So we were, I was introduced toso much and in such a short
time.
And the pace, I loved thatcampaign pace.
I love you know, everyone's inin in current uh kind of current
(13:04):
jobs now, it's more of slowdown, you're going too fast.
Well, that's the only pace Iknow because of the urgency of
of the work I've had to do inthe past.
But the most surprising thing ishow how young everyone is on the
hill.
And if you want to get thingsdone, how you know, how the
sausages made, how you have tomake things work and who you
(13:25):
have to help navigate.
Um, I can't say what it is likenow, but you know, I had
opportunities to see the greatJohn McCain and Ted Kennedy.
I mean, these were the guyswalking the halls, and you would
see things happen on the floor,but then you would get to see
behind the scenes of how thingswere were um really how they
(13:47):
acted behind the scenes.
And it was great.
Those stories are just sowonderful.
SPEAKER_00 (13:50):
Well, was there a um did you know or meet anybody
from UCA in Washington, D.C.
Was there any sort of UCAnetwork?
SPEAKER_01 (13:57):
There was not a tight UCA network that I rec can
recall, but there was a tightArkansas.
Sure.
We were really, really close.
It was probably the first time Ireally understood calling the
hogs or anything like that.
I think we all just kind ofgathered together under
statehood.
You know, we really wanted tobe.
Um, I mean, at that time, it wasabout being from the South, and
(14:21):
everyone else was different.
You know, there's this big eventthat I um, well, you won't be
surprised.
I held this one event forArkansas, um, kind of co-chair
one year, it's called Taste ofthe South.
And so Arkansas had to getRiceland Foods, Tyson.
You know, we we represented ourown state, but you kind of
identified where you were from.
So it wasn't so much college asit was, oh, I'm from Arkansas.
(14:45):
Those are all my people.
My name, my roommates were fromMississippi and Georgia that we
hung out with the same crew, andyou wanted to be friends with
Georgia because they had, youknow, Coke and Diet Coke in
their offices.
We had rice in our office, youknow, all the free freebies.
You wanted to know who had what.
Yeah.
So what a fun time.
I mean, all it was a great time.
All together.
(15:05):
How many years did you work?
Three years.
So I I had, you know, I I triedto touch each branch.
Okay.
So what brought you back toArkansas?
Uh, that was a real harddecision.
Um, so after my time there, so Iwas there for the anthrax scare.
We were in that building.
So being tested for anthrax, um,I was there for 9-11, which was
(15:26):
really, you know, that hit mepretty hard, evacuating a
building.
And of course, just having leftthe White House, you know,
months prior.
I had friends in the WhiteHouse, you know, we were in the
Senate office buildingevacuating.
I lived on Capitol Hill.
That that really was difficultfor me.
Like I loved my work, but I uhin my 20s, I wasn't willing to
die for this kind of thing.
(15:47):
That was a whole new level of,you know, I wasn't ready
prepared for.
I was ready to go home.
I was like, I don't want to behere anymore.
I'm gonna go home.
Uh I'm not gonna, that's notgonna happen in, you know,
Arkansas.
Um, and there were just a numberof things that I was like, I,
you know, my rent living withsix other women is like, okay, I
(16:10):
I'm ready for grow up time.
You know, I can own a house inLittle Rock for what I pay for,
a one-bedroom room with sixother women.
So I think my time and tenure umjust kind of came came full full
tuition.
I came came home.
SPEAKER_00 (16:27):
And so one of the things eventually that you did,
I mean, you worked for a lot ofseveral different places, but
you also started your ownbusiness.
You started your own business.
SPEAKER_01 (16:34):
Yeah, Martinez Belt Consulting.
That was really that was thatwas really awesome because of
what made it awesome.
Well, my passion to help a lotof the smaller nonprofits.
Um, a lot of people havemisconception of, oh, I can just
start a nonprofit and raise abunch of money and do a lot of
(16:54):
good.
And I've been part of mergingnonprofits with the Yakuza Food
Bank and the Rice Depot.
There's a there's a space inneed for a lot.
And a lot of these smallernonprofits just don't have the
basic, um, there's not a lot ofpeople who do philanthropy well.
You can't just throw an eventand call it a day.
And there's a lot of on firefundraising.
(17:15):
People come out and say, we haveto have this or it's closing
down tomorrow.
So, you know, being a student ofum professional fundraising,
there's a lot of missteps youcould have.
And I saw a lot of that in thecommunity and throughout the
state.
And so when I started my my kindof consulting business, I took
on a lot of small nonprofits.
I also took a lot of individualsthat just really had large
(17:39):
portfolios and were given the,you know, the assignment to go
raise a lot of money without alot of assistance.
So I made extra steps in in myconsulting to work not only with
board members to explain whatnonprofits were really all
about, work with individuals whowere given huge caseloads that
(17:59):
had no idea how to manage them,and then work with other small
nonprofits to set them up forsuccess.
I really enjoyed it.
Yeah.
There was no money in it, but itwas the best three years ever.
Right.
And uh, but in my in myretirement, I hope I can go back
and to do that.
SPEAKER_00 (18:15):
Well, it sounds like you also, you know, not just not
only enjoyable, but you alsowere taught some lessons that
you probably would not havelearned inside a large
organization.
Right.
SPEAKER_01 (18:28):
Yeah.
Yeah.
It it um it's definitely not oneof those things that'll make you
hugely successful, but it'sdefinitely one of those things
that are major fulfilling.
Right.
Um, and having a certain skillset, you want to be able to
share that with others.
And during that period of mylife, um, I was able to do that.
Yeah.
Okay.
SPEAKER_00 (18:47):
You mentioned the Arkansas Food Bank.
You worked uh worked with them,you worked with the Peel Compton
Foundation here in Bentonville.
SPEAKER_01 (18:54):
They got me up here too.
I mean, give me a big projectand what I do.
I mean, you'll see throughout mycareer that most of the
nonprofits that I've taken onhave been working towards
something bigger, have beenworking towards a new alignment
or a new phase.
So with the Food Bank, they werecoming on.
They had just received Don W.
Randall's money and they weregoing from a small nonprofit to
(19:17):
a big nonprofit.
Yes, please.
I was definitely signed up forthat and I was ready to take
that on.
I am so proud of my work there.
I'm so proud of the team that'sstill there.
Um, because where I started andwhere I left it, you know, was
was just a really that those arethe the jobs I want to do.
Same with Peel Compton.
We got to put a new missionstatement together.
(19:39):
We got to launch the amenitiesat Kohler, we got to open Osage.
I mean, who gets to do thosekinds of things?
So when that opportunity came,um, and serving the community,
especially for NorthwestArkansas and making lives
better.
I was on board.
Um, and it was only Sam Deanthat was able to lure me away,
saying, Hey, we need to do thisexpansion for children and
(20:01):
families.
And I'm all like, yeah, okay, Ilike it.
And that's what I'm working onnow.
SPEAKER_00 (20:05):
Right.
At a high level, how do youdefine philanthropy?
You mentioned it earlier aboutwhat it maybe is or isn't, but
just how do you definephilanthropy?
SPEAKER_01 (20:15):
There's so many different facets of philanthropy
through corporation, throughindividual giving, through
community.
I would like to just go back tothe basics of your time, talent,
treasure.
At the basics, if you're lovinghumankind, it doesn't have to be
through a million-dollar gift.
While those are nice, um, it'sreally about what you can give
(20:38):
of yourself.
And if that's volunteering,coming in and serving others, if
it's, you know, writing thatcheck, whether it's$10 or$100,
that's what you can.
Or people just donating throughwhatever your talent might be,
having an accountant come in anddonate their time, you know,
coming in and spending an hourof your law services.
(21:02):
Um, there's always a way to giveback, and that fills, you know,
fuels the need of a nonprofit.
I think that's or what youshould do.
I I think that's kind of how theworld should work is um we're
not here for free.
I mean, I I don't think that'sthat's just kind of how I was
raised and kind of what Ibelieve in.
SPEAKER_00 (21:21):
So um, you know, it's no secret we are in a major
philanthropic market.
There are some significant uhfoundation dialers here, you
know, the you mentioned thecorporate giving, the individual
wealth, the individual donors.
Is it harder or easier to raisemoney in this region compared to
other regions?
I mean, what's what I guesswhat's different about the
(21:43):
culture of giving inNorthwestern?
Northwest Arkansas.
SPEAKER_01 (21:46):
So, yes, I've raised statewide, I've raised in Texas,
I've raised central Arkansas andnow Northwest Arkansas.
It is different up here in thatthere's not there is very strong
philanthropy here.
From a lot of establishedfamilies.
Um, but at the same time,there's a lot of new families
here that don't have those um,you know, roots per se.
(22:12):
And there's some misgivings ofsomeone else will pick up the
tab.
You know, someone else would bethe one to give.
But, you know, that has been alittle bit more of a challenge
for me.
But corporations do really dopick up a big part of the tab um
for Northwest Arkansas.
They are willing to invest andwilling to invest in their
associates.
(22:32):
You know, they want the thequality of life to be great.
Um, and that's been one of mychallenges in Northwest Arkansas
is to make sure that that theindividuals that move here and
want to be here realize thatthere is there is a space for
them and that there is room forthem to make this their home and
to give back.
And I'm I'm seeing more of anuptick.
It's more of conversation andmore of learning.
(22:54):
Um, it doesn't matter what yourwhat your zip code is, there's
opportunity for you to give.
If you're going to come here andbe here and make this your home,
there's opportunity for you tobe involved.
SPEAKER_00 (23:05):
Yeah.
I mean, an opportunity and maybeslash responsibility, you know,
to be more involved.
SPEAKER_01 (23:13):
You know, as we go into the next generation of
families and foundations, youknow, they have every
opportunity to change thedirection of how they want to
give.
And that's of major concern tome in that, you know, they they
can aspire to look at thingsdifferently and, you know,
change ambitions, change goals,change, change um what what what
(23:34):
they may have differentinterests in, because the world
is changing.
So I'm interested to see howthis next generation comes
forward with where theirinterests lie and how that
affects Northwest Arkansas.
Right.
Okay.
SPEAKER_00 (23:48):
All right.
The Scott Family Amazium inBentonville, yeah.
Crystal Ridges campus.
You've been there, I think, alittle over three years.
Yes, sir.
I've been there.
So for anybody listening thathas not been to the Amazum, and
shame on you if you have notbeen to the Scott Family Amazum,
um, how do you describe it tosomebody experiencing it for the
first time?
SPEAKER_01 (24:09):
We are so much more than a children and science
museum.
We are a place of curiosity andcreativity from cradle to
career.
Um, you can catch us any day onour best day and experience just
an amazing amount of hands-onexperiences that can be from a
(24:31):
newborn to the newborn mother.
We want to give everyone theopportunity to learn and be at
their best.
Um, I think there is so muchgoing on in the world that I
think you need a safe place togo with your friends, your
family, your children.
And that's the amazing.
(24:52):
Um, you know, my job is to makesure people not only know about
us, but are able to experienceus at a, you know, uh an
available cost that's accessibleto everyone.
You know, we offer pricelessnights on Wednesdays.
Um, you know, our true cost atthe door is over$25.
Yet we charge$10 less than that.
(25:13):
So it is an important part ofour community that there is a
place that you can go and feelsafe, no matter what age, creed,
race, religion you are, and youcan go and be there and be
yourself with your family.
SPEAKER_00 (25:28):
So for you personally, then, what makes
this your job and at this placeum so rewarding among all the
things that you've done in yourcareer?
Um, what does it mean to youpersonally to do what you do and
for this for this place?
SPEAKER_01 (25:43):
So I've always been someone who wants to be
somewhere where I can see wherethe rubber hits the road.
So, you know, if you're having abad day, you can walk out onto
the floor and you get to guide afield trip and you get to see
children getting off a schoolbus who have never been there
before.
I mean, it happened just lastweek, Paul.
Four buses came from Missouri,and these kids are like cheering
(26:05):
you on like you're a superstar.
And that's all I needed for theday.
I'm all like, I'll go write agrant to anyone.
I'll stay late, I'll I'll doanother event for you because
they have never seen somethinglike this.
And they want to come and playand have fun and do arts and do
(26:26):
climbing walls and learn about,you know, we had a traveling
exhibit from India about India.
So they were learning aboutIndia that day.
And learning that curiosity andwhat they were creating and
working um side by side withtheir classmates.
It was awesome.
It was everything that I couldhave ever dreamed, you know.
So why not?
(26:47):
Why not make someone else's lifebetter?
SPEAKER_00 (26:49):
So if I need to ask you to do something, I just need
a cheer for you and give yousome applause and some cheer in
your own.
SPEAKER_01 (26:54):
Yes, I work for I work for cheers.
I definitely work for thepraise.
There's no doubt about it.
That's fun.
SPEAKER_00 (27:01):
All right.
So you mentioned the capitalcampaign, the construction, the
the expansion that's going onright now, the expanding future
campaign.
Yeah,$25 million initiative.
You've got the backyard, thehangout, the early learning
advancement center, all thosethings, DLAC are going to be
added to the Amazum.
You were pretty, you were verypublicly out in front of this as
(27:23):
the chief uh philanthropyofficer of the Amazon when we're
when we're working on that goal.
What does it take to lead acampaign at this scale uh in
this market when you don't havethe finish line in front of you?
SPEAKER_01 (27:36):
Well, you know, thank you for that, Paul.
I appreciate that question.
So we all know that thiscommunity is expanding.
And to be truly honest, thisbuilding, we're already, we mean
we've done the work, like we'realready, this is already
something we're building in thatwe're gonna fill it up right
away.
Like we're already gonna be atcapacity when we fill this up.
(27:57):
$25 million is nothing to bat aneye at.
The price kept increasingthrough COVID and through, you
know, construction prices.
So um we had to make a reallyquick decision in like what was
gonna be first on thisconstruction ballot because you
know, we heard we heard from thecommunity they wanted to see
more access for early learnersand more access for our teens.
(28:20):
You know, the Amazum really hitsthat sweet spot from two to 12.
But what are we doing for thoseearly learners?
What are we doing for our youthand teens?
Where like what are we gonna do?
So we decided to focus on abuilding that really celebrates
those early learners and thosecaregivers.
Everyone that starts out needsthe ability, um, especially in
Arkansas.
(28:40):
We have, we have some seriouslearning issues in terms of
before they get to kindergarten,before they even get to pre-K,
what are we doing?
How are we addressing thatproblem?
And that's where the Amazumcomes in.
It's so much more than a museum.
You know, Sam Dean, our CEO,likes to say we're a movement,
but we're a movement in thatwe're providing some of the best
programming nationally, not justregionally, nationally.
(29:04):
We're national leaders and partof a learning ecosystem that
allows us to celebrate not justearly learners, but their
caregivers as first teachers.
Yeah.
You know, we have to empowerthem to know, oh, these are
signs that maybe there's aproblem.
And this will avoid our kidsfrom having to be in therapy in
grade three or grade four.
(29:25):
So Amazum is doing some really,really cool work, and the
building will be part of that.
So the Early LearningAdvancement Center will not just
be a place for you to come andplay, but playful learning with
your with your youngest undersix.
The hangout is a really greatnod to our community.
Um, as you said, we're onCrystal Bridges right next door.
(29:45):
We've got Whole Health, we'vegot the awesome.
We work with their students allthe time.
They came in for an adult nightand did an awesome heart um
well, not heart dissectionduring Valentine's Day.
They're great students.
We love having them on ourbuilding, but it's a place where
people can come and kind ofconverge and be together.
(30:06):
Um so that doesn't have apaywall, the hangout will be a
space where our kids can comeand eat.
Um, we envision having familygame nights there, but it's a
space really that the communitywanted to see just come
decompress and be.
So for our youth, um a buildingisn't going up quite as fast,
but we are focused onprogramming for our youth.
(30:27):
Um, we have a youth makers ummarket that we do throughout the
community.
So we are answering it in adifferent light in that we're
addressing um, you know, 12 to16, 18-year-olds addressing what
they need through ourprogramming.
And then this campaign willreally address that backyard
space as well.
So I'm about 18 million in.
(30:48):
Hopefully by the time this airs,I'll be at 20 million in.
But I I think the community iscontinually ready to support
this because these are thingsthey want to see.
Again, it's that quality oflife, it's opportunity, not just
for Northwest Arkansas.
We've got visitors from all overthe country that come as a
destination.
It doesn't hurt that CrystalBridges is the neighbor, right?
(31:09):
But when you come to NorthwestArkansas, you want to stay and
make this um, I mean, it's atourist attraction.
SPEAKER_00 (31:16):
Yeah, I'm I'm glad you mentioned that uh about the
people that come from all overthe country and the world too.
I mean, do you ever when youpull into your driveway in the
parking lot there to work, doyou just stop and think, you
know, you're expanding.
Crystal Bridges is opening theirexpansion this summer.
You have a four-year medicalschool with Stanford Medicine as
the partner next door, just allthis growth on the Crystal
(31:37):
Bridges campus where you get togo and work every day.
It's it's amazing.
SPEAKER_01 (31:41):
It's it's it's bonkers.
Yeah.
It's it's really great, but Iwouldn't have it any other way.
And but isn't that to say aboutall of Northwest Arkansas?
You take a turn and it's like,wow, this is developing.
And it really just lends itselfto who we are in this region of
the state.
(32:02):
And it's what attracts peoplehere is because we're kind of
that community of doers.
We're that community ofbelievers and dreamers, but
where everyone's ready to jumpin and be a part of that.
So um, yeah, the amazingecosystem.
It is that kind of um place forcollaborators to come together
(32:22):
with ideas.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (32:24):
I want to go back to something you said about, you
know, one of the major tenantsof the Amazum is the access,
right?
And you recently partnered withuh the airport X and A to have a
new children's place space aspart of the concourse uh
expansion out there.
Um what does it mean to toexpand the Amazum's reach beyond
your walls?
(32:44):
I mean, in this case, really along way beyond your walls out
to the airport.
SPEAKER_01 (32:48):
Who better to do it than the amazum, right?
And I I hope I hope you continueto see our work throughout.
This is not our first projectoff campus.
We love, love, love doing theseprojects.
And you'll see more of that umin time to come.
We just turned 10, Paul.
We're we're very young in museumyears, but our work continues to
outpace um any other museum thatthat I've ever seen.
(33:11):
Um X and A.
So this will be um opening thissummer as well.
So we are seeing more flightsand more visitors than any other
regional airport in our state.
So we, you know, beat out littlerock.
Um and with that comes theresponsibility of welcoming
people and making people feelcomfortable, right?
(33:32):
So we've got a really greatairport and an opportunity there
to make families feel great.
So what does X and A do?
They call us to say, hey,there's a children's space, and
we're our we TC the design.
It is amazing.
Of course, that's in our name,but it is going to be a really
hands-on place, not just forkids, but for adults too.
(33:54):
When you're sitting waiting foryour flight, you know, we hate
that the that the walking had togo away.
The other the state's only uhwalkable.
SPEAKER_00 (34:04):
Yeah, the um, yeah, the the moving moving walkway,
yes.
SPEAKER_01 (34:09):
Had to had to depart.
But you might see some of thoseparts in some of the things
we're doing.
But what there it'll be a greatplace for kids to explore why
they're waiting on a flight.
Um, they'll be learning what aflight is, they'll be actually
doing some hands-onopportunities there.
So um it it launches thissummer.
We we are ready to to be apartner and to make sure that
(34:31):
whoever's coming or going intothis region knows a little bit
about um the discovery offlight, um any fears that they
have will be put aside and thatwe're good partners in welcoming
people to our community.
Sure.
SPEAKER_00 (34:44):
All right.
So uh speaking of the community,you know, you and your husband
Scott, you're raising twoteenagers here in Binville.
And yes, we are.
And you're and you're bothleading, you know, very, you
know, demanding professionallives, public-facing lives.
So, how do you how do you thinkabout work-life balance in in
this season of your life here?
SPEAKER_01 (35:04):
I mean, it is a hot potato job, you know, and that's
kind of how Scott and I met wasthrough development, you know,
his love of building bigbuildings and my love of raising
the money for it.
So, um, two kids.
Sloan is, you know, in highschool now.
She is thriving, and we she isjust doing amazing, you know.
(35:26):
I think serving the community,she was just part of the Heart
Association Sweetheart Call.
Um, that made me super proudseeing her give service back.
Um, we're really happy with theschool system here.
We're really, um that was one ofthe struggles I had, you know,
in other communities.
Um, but proud, proud to balancework, work in life because it
(35:49):
needs to look a little bit likeI think in nonprofit, you're
able to do both.
I think that's why I chose thiscareer.
If I am not able to be a mom atmy job, I don't I didn't know
that I'd be able to be correct,be a parent.
Um, and it's a little bitdifferent for my son.
Thomas is on the autismspectrum.
(36:10):
Um, so I have to be much morehands-on with him.
And my career fortunately doesallow me to have a little bit
more hands-on with him.
So um, work-wife balance.
I don't know what that is.
I don't think it exists.
I think some days I'm reallyawesome at being a mom, and I
think some days I'm reallyawesome at being in the office.
(36:30):
And I I think I choose what daysto be champion at some.
But as you said, I like tocheerlead through it all.
And some days I'm gonna miss andsome days I'm gonna score.
SPEAKER_00 (36:39):
So, as a champion and a cheerleader, you know,
what kind of example do you hopeyour kids see through your work
with the Amazing?
SPEAKER_01 (36:46):
I hope that they're kind to others.
I hope that they're kind to eachother.
I want them to really step up.
Um, I want them to step up forpeople that don't have a voice.
And obviously Thomas has adifferent situation, but I hope
they advocate for others.
And I mean, at the at the end ofthe day, you know, you want to
be strong in yourself, but youyou also want to be strong for
(37:09):
others.
So I hope that they see that Iknow when I had an opportunity
when you have an opportunity tospeak up for yourself or for
someone else, that they do that.
SPEAKER_00 (37:18):
Do you um I know you said you were you were hellbent
on journalism and media andcollege.
Do you still write any?
Do you still how do you feedthat if you do?
SPEAKER_01 (37:29):
So I think that's something I we had to do uh we
we just went through aleadership um training for work,
and we had to do something thatwas on our bucket list, and I
was like, oh, I'm gonna write abook.
I there definitely are chaptersthat I've started in my book.
I don't know if it'll be aboutmy DC days.
I was gonna say, what would yourbook be about?
(37:50):
Well, there's definitely a bookabout being a Hill rat and
living that life.
I have to I taught I talk to alot of the alum from the Hillrat
days, and we definitely havesome chapters in there.
Um, but I also want to writeabout philanthropy and about
giving of oneself.
I think there's something therein terms of how um how to enrich
(38:11):
people and how Arkansas is partof that story.
Um, being raised here and beingable to come back here several
times in different capacitiesand what Arkansas's given to me.
SPEAKER_00 (38:24):
Who were your 22-year-old Jennifer Martinez?
Who were your media heroes inArkansas?
Who were your journalism peoplethat you looked up to or read
religiously, or who did youthink hung the moon?
SPEAKER_01 (38:38):
Such a I'm I'm gonna nerd everybody out, but um you
know, it was probably localjournalism.
I was a stringer, so if youwere, is this my turn to talk
about absolutely okay?
Yeah, or I'd cut my bug.
So, okay.
If you were a really goodwriter, which Amber Manasco and
(39:01):
I were roommates, so we're alsookay at writing.
Okay.
And one of our professors wasthe great, and is he's still
with us, the great Ernie Dumas,who you know because you were a
journalism major.
Ernie Dumas, I have to hold upmy book.
SPEAKER_00 (39:16):
Um is on the Mount Rushmore of Arkansas journalism.
SPEAKER_01 (39:21):
Best.
He was a professor after afterhis time um with the paper.
He um Ernie Dumas was aprofessor at UCA because this
ties us back to UCA.
And so if we finished ourwriting assignments, he would
sit on the edge of his desk andhe would talk to us about his
time of following Arkansaspolitics.
(39:41):
Because remember, I wasn'tpolitical.
Yeah, I just really, reallyloved to write stories.
So he was sat on the edge of hisdesk and talked to us about um
his time with Bill Clinton, histime with um following prior,
his time with all these Arkansasgreats.
And it was more about hisjourney in storytelling that I
(40:04):
just adored.
And it was more of gettingaccess to the story that I
really loved.
So my beloved writers were like,Ernie Dumas, right now it's Rex
Nelson.
It's it's um, I loved um, Iforgot to think of her name from
channel four.
I mean, I was in love withCarolyn Long when I was little.
I knew Burr Edson.
(40:25):
I mean, I was a local down homekind of get the news.
SPEAKER_02 (40:30):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (40:30):
Um, I had a hard time going from print to TV.
That was a really hard, I didn'tknow where that was gonna lie.
And being a student in the 90s,you know, we were the first ones
at UCA to get a um email becausewe were communications students
because the internet came outand they didn't know how what
we're gonna do.
And it was really hard becauseeveryone was sharing print's
(40:52):
gonna die, print's gonna die.
Don't be a print major becauseyou'll have to go online.
You'll have to become, you know,someone else will get your job.
So I remember that being a bigthing.
But you know, I used to read LawCabin, Law Cabin, because I was
at in Conway and um I was astringer there.
So I I mean, I was really intoprint writing.
(41:13):
I mean, it is been hard for meto not get.
I still get the Sunday paper,but I don't get the daily paper.
But that was that was where allthe smart people lived.
You know, we lived in the paper.
And yeah, not to be offensive,but that's where you got your
really great news.
That's where you read every day,and that was my drive.
So it's gonna read the newspaperevery day.
(41:34):
That's where I get news.
I mean, just like you said,that's where I get my newspaper.
I didn't necessarily, I wentfrom being, you know, maybe a TV
buff to really looking at umprint.
And I I loved it, but you know,the whole now online thing was
really ridiculous.
SPEAKER_00 (41:50):
And this book you have here for people who are or
not uh watching but arelistening, The Education of
Arnie Dumas, this is a new book.
I didn't know this until youbrought it in today.
SPEAKER_01 (41:58):
Oh again.
And I'm gonna have to borrowthat.
He changed um the direction ofmy career in life just because
of his work and hisstorytelling.
He taught me to be a greatwriter, not just a great writer,
but a great journalist.
Um, but I took that career allthe way to Washington, D.C.
If it weren't for um Mr.
Dumas, I I don't know what Ihave done.
(42:21):
I would have went to work forRandy Dixon at Channel 7.
Yep.
Um, probably still would havehad a an okay great career.
Sure.
But or maybe not.
Maybe Randy wouldn't have hiredme.
Well, you have to That was myplan.
SPEAKER_00 (42:32):
That was my plan.
You'll have to give me a reporton that book.
Okay.
All right.
So you've seen Arkansas from uh,you know, a national level and
now a very hyper-local level.
Um, you know, what what makes,you know, in Northwest Arkansas,
speaking of news, is in a lot ofnews headlines pretty much every
day.
What makes Northwest Arkansas umspecial right now?
SPEAKER_01 (42:53):
Oh, so many things.
There's so many wonderful thingshappening in this area.
I, you know, one of the thingsthat drew kind of brought me
here was the fact of the yes andum you'll get that from Kayleen,
you'll get that from KayleenGriffins with the the visit
Batonville.
But just the attitude ofNorthwest Arkansas.
(43:14):
I've never, you know, being anonprofit um in different areas
of the state, we we hideeveryone would hide the list.
You don't share the secretsauce.
Here, the secret sauce, therecipe is like here are the
ingredients, here's a recipe,here's the first taste.
Everyone is open, honest, andwilling to really share how to
(43:35):
win because all tides rise, youknow.
It really is that feeling of,oh, you have an idea or you have
a problem.
I know someone who can help youwith that.
I've never been around acommunity that's more um open to
collaboration.
I mean, even with the new STEMschool, hey, let's let's get in
(43:55):
line.
You, you're, I mean, we'vealready had the first meeting,
or you know, hey, this new Artsomething is coming up.
It is, it is all hands on deck,everyone's at the table, and
your voice is heard.
SPEAKER_00 (44:06):
It's really unique.
So here's your chance to be openand honest then for this
question over the next decade.
What is this region going toneed from its nonprofit and
philanthropic leaders over thenext eight to 10 years?
SPEAKER_01 (44:20):
We have to continue to collaborate.
We have to continue to beforward thinkers and not chase
what everyone else is chasing.
We're going to have to pass andsay no on some things.
I think people look for umphilanthropy to, you know,
usually our role has been tofill in those gaps.
(44:42):
But I think in the directionthat Northwest Arkansas is
going, those gaps are going toneed to be left emptied.
And we're going to have to belooking towards new futures like
AI.
We need to be able to move atthe pace that our industry and
that our community needs us tomove and not a local standard
(45:04):
because we're not, we're not thestandard.
We are exceptional.
And that's what I've seen inthis region is we can't think
just basic.
We have to keep up with a reallyhigh standard.
So in the nonprofit industrywhere there are those gaps, I
don't think we think today wehave to think way in advance of
(45:27):
what our students are going toneed, what our community is
going to need.
Um it's it's at a differentlevel.
SPEAKER_00 (45:34):
Well, listen, um, this has been great.
I want to get a couple of UCAthoughts from you in uh as we as
we wind down.
I mentioned that you're uh oneof the founding members of our
uh first UCA Northwest ArkansasAdvisory Council.
Um so glad that you said yes.
Yeah, really.
Of course.
Glad that you said this.
So what is one thing about UCA,maybe a feather in our cap, or
(45:55):
one thing that we do really wellthat you wish Northwest Arkansas
knew more about?
What do you think NorthwestArkansas should know more about
UCA?
SPEAKER_01 (46:03):
Um, and you and Rive, you've talked about this.
It's it should no longer be asecret.
Um, you know, it's kind of nowthat inside joke with the the
best kept secret.
And I now you don't want to be abest kept secret.
I think the secret's out.
I I think that the next chapterof UCA has unfolded.
And I think now that you getinto an industry, go ahead and
(46:25):
ask.
And when you see someoneexcelling at something, go ahead
and ask where they're from, youknow, where they're undergrad.
And you're not, you're you won'tbe surprised that they're from
UCA.
You know, I'll be having lunchand I'll say something and
they'll say, Oh, I forgot totell you, I went to UCA, and I'm
all like, okay, you're in, youknow, and and praising them and
bringing them along.
I think we haven't been goodstewards of always bringing that
(46:48):
along, like maybe, maybe theUniversity of Arkansas has been.
Um, and I encourage everyone,maybe, I mean, the Red Wolves
too, they're they're reallygreat at bringing their alumni
alum along as well.
I think that's something for oneof the things that I'm
earmarking for myself up here islike, oh, you're you're a UCA
grad, follow me.
(47:08):
You know, you're in, you'reinvited.
And then I've started that nowwith some of the things that I
have control of giving accessto.
But um we are small and mighty,but you you see our success.
I mean, look at, you know, Dr.
Missy Clifton.
I mean, she is a phenomenaldoctor um with her premier
dermatology.
(47:29):
Um, half of the ambassadors youhave, I mean, there's there's so
many different people that arepowerhouses up here and
throughout the whole state.
And I think we just need to givea nod to each other, like, hey,
we don't have to be a secret.
Um, we just, I think noteveryone's braggadocious about
it, but I think if you dig alittle bit and be like, do you
(47:49):
know where they went to school?
Um, so I'm happy to be thatcheerleader and advocate and be
like, I know where they went toschool.
And I just have to say it.
SPEAKER_00 (47:57):
If you were a cheerleader and an advocate for
a um UCA grad that's coming uphere in a few weeks, uh a newly
minted graduate of theUniversity of Central Arkansas,
what advice would you give them?
SPEAKER_01 (48:08):
Besides meeting Paul.
Bullet point one.
Bullet point one, introduceyourself to Paul Gowin.
Um I would say join and inLinkedIn's been a really great
thing, but to really um dig inand join, be a joiner, um,
(48:32):
whether that's through yourlocal rotary chamber, um be
invested in what's happening inthat community.
Um, we have really unique,different systems, whether it be
Springdale, Rogers, Lowell,Betonville, Fayetteville,
everyone has kind of adifferent, while we're all
(48:53):
really great collaborators,there's opportunities for you to
join in and then bring thatnetwork back into the UCA
network.
You're you're gonna meet someonethat's gonna know or benefit
from that alumni.
And you can then use that.
So, so network, whether it'sjoining, like I said, uh, if you
(49:15):
for for nonprofits, we do AFP,which is fundraising
professionals, there'sconstruction professionals,
there's you know, interiordesign professionals, join your
local, you know, professionalnetwork, but then also get
involved involved, whether it'srotary, koanas, lions.
Um, you know, I'm a bigRotarian, and that's important
(49:35):
work to me.
But at the same time, getinvolved, network, and then the
rest will will come to you.
SPEAKER_00 (49:41):
Yeah, I've said it before and I will say it many
other times.
I'm a I'm a big believer innetworks and networking, and
we've all seen the headline umrecently of uh that Arkansas is
the most popular destination forpeople to move to uh uh last
year.
Now, whether that's uh based indeep fact or not, that's up for
debate, but it's uh that's it'sout there in a lot, a lion's
(50:02):
share of that is here inNorthwest Arkansas.
But overall, there are a lot ofpeople moving to Northwest
Arkansas that weren't 30 yearsago, 40 years ago.
We used to be uh and still are,you know, a very parochial
state, but now there are uhmentioned it before, there are
people from anywhere andeverywhere who are moving to
Arkansas.
So network with those people.
(50:23):
You never know who you mightmeet, you never know where your
network will lead you to.
SPEAKER_01 (50:27):
And just say yes.
Unless you upset, say yes.
If someone asks you to a lunch,if someone asks you to
participate and join on a board,if someone asks you to be on a
council or serve on a committee,say yes.
Right.
I mean, the experience, I mean,the opportunities that I've had
and I've said yes to um mightlead to a lot of exhausting
(50:47):
days, but at the same time,those are experiences that have
always led to a next open dooror open opportunity.
So, you know, serve and you'llget you'll get to where you need
to be.
SPEAKER_00 (51:00):
Very good.
All right.
Jennifer, this has been um asfun as I thought it would be.
SPEAKER_01 (51:04):
Oh, good.
SPEAKER_00 (51:05):
Enjoy it.
Uh, is there anything that youwould um you'd like people to
know about the Amazum or how tosupport uh the work that you're
doing before we go?
SPEAKER_01 (51:13):
The Amazum will be hosting our one annual um event
that we have all year at theUngala, um, April the 17th.
Um it is for adults only.
Yeah, a lot of fun 21 and over,Chris.
Yeah, you've you've attended.
Um, it's a really great time foryou to just, you know, kick off
the fancy suit, come as you areand play, play, play.
(51:35):
Um, adults get to be themselvesand they get to to be a little
curious and wander around.
We'll have differentactivations, we'll have a lot of
great food, a lot of great fun.
And so I encourage everyone tocheck out emasium.org and come
and check us out.
Perfect.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (51:50):
All right.
Jennifer Martinez Belt,University of Central Arkansas
class of 1999.
The chief philanthropy officerat the Scott Family Amazum in
Bentonville.
And a proud member of theNorthwest Arkansas Advisory
Council for Alma Moderate UCA.
So thanks for your friendshipand for your leadership.
And really, uh, for mepersonally, really appreciate
(52:11):
you being here.
Thanks very much.
All right, and my continuedappreciation to all of you who
who tune in and watch us here onCentral to NWA, a UCA podcast.
Until next time, go Bears.
That's it for this episode ofCentral to NWA, a UCA podcast.
I'm Paul Gatling, SeniorDirector of Northwest Arkansas
(52:32):
Engagement for the University ofCentral Arkansas.
Be sure to subscribe to the showand follow UCA on all the
appropriate social media.
I'll see you next time onCentral to NWA.
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