On Sunday, June 23 at 2 PM the Old Independence Regional Museum will welcome James Sturch, State Senator for District 19, as our second speaker discussing the recently completed legislative session and his adjustment to being a State Senator after serving our region as a representative in the State Legislature.
Mr. Sturch is a graduate of Southside High School and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock where he earned degrees in political science and secondary education. He has also earned a masters degree in Public Administration. A certified high school social studies teacher with a passion for public service, he is committed to strengthening our schools, reforming the tax code, and opening our state for business.
He was first elected in 2014 as District 63’s State Representative and was re-elected in 2016. He was elected State Senator in 2018, representing Independence, Izard, Sharp, and parts of Fulton and Randolph counties. He currently serves on the Senate Education and Agriculture/Economic Development committees and is Vice Chair of the Senate Rules Committee.
An active promoter of civic engagement and public service, he volunteers for a number of organizations and currently serves as a board member of the Batesville Kiwanis Club.
Please join us for this interesting discussion at the museum.
Cathy Drew is a lifelong resident of the region that she loves to promote. She was born in downtown Batesville in the late ’60s, located in one of the eight counties she now enjoys encouraging people to visit.
Drew became associated with the Ozark Gateway Region in 1990 while working at the ad agency (The Media Market Inc.). The agency handled marketing for the regional association, where she and her co-workers produced an annual tabloid publication. She began working as the Ozark Gateway Region director in June 2000.
After Drew became director, she took the region to the next level by helping the tourism organization create a new website and moved it from the old newspaper paper tabloid publication to a color magazine format. She helped open a visitor center for the Ozark Gateway, allowing visitors to pick up information from the entire state 24/7. Over the years, Drew has helped the organization meet new marketing goals, such as in- and out-of-state marketing, assuring that all 100,000 copies of their magazines are distributed each year.
In 2016, she assisted in creating the first Ozark Gateway Region Golf Classic. The tournament continues to grow each year, allowing the organization to expand its co-op program and helping each county have dedicated promotion. Drew stays busy at Ozark Gateway as the ad sales manager, magazine editor, day-to-day office operations, trade show representative, and magazine distribution representative, all while ensuring that the region is represented all over Arkansas and southern Missouri.
Drew was featured in several local and statewide publications over the years, as well as the 1997 cover of the Ozark Gateway Region tabloid, along with her then 4-year-old son, Jon. She has received several awards, such as the Batesville Rotarian of the Year in 2010 and a three-time Paul Harris Fellow.
She also has served as an Independence County election commissioner for several years. She now serves as their co-election coordinator, helping with behind-the-scenes management of voting equipment, day-to-day election deadlines, and poll worker training.
Drew is Batesville Rotary Club Past President, and is the Rotary Clubs’ current membership chair.
In March of 2018, Drew was honored with induction into the Arkansas Tourism Hall of Fame for her many years of dedicated service to the tourism industry.