Lyon College invites public to election talk by Skip Rutherford
BATESVILLE, Arkansas — Lyon College will welcome political strategist and former dean of the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service, James L. “Skip” Rutherford, for a presentation on the upcoming presidential election on Friday, Oct. 11, at 4 p.m. in Bevens Music Room in the Brown Fine Arts Building on the Lyon College campus, 2300 Highland Rd.
The free event will be hosted by the Lyon College Political Science program. Light refreshments and coffee will be provided. The presentation will be followed by a brief question-and-answer session, allowing attendees to engage with Rutherford on the topics discussed.
Rutherford, a member of the Lyon College Board of Trustees, is a widely respected expert on politics and public service. As a visiting professor, Rutherford previously taught classes at Lyon including most recently a seminar on the 2022 elections. He will offer his insights on the candidates, key issues and trends shaping the 2024 election.
“Lyon College is thrilled to bring in Skip Rutherford to discuss the upcoming presidential election,” said Dr. Brendan Connell, assistant professor of Political Science at Lyon College. This election, whatever the result, is sure to be one of the most pivotal in our nation’s history. Given Skip’s wealth of knowledge and firsthand experience with presidential campaigns, I can’t think of a better voice to comment on each of the candidate’s positions as well as the future direction of our country. This is an event you are not going to want to miss.”
For more information about the event, please contact Dr. Connell in the Lyon College Political Science program at Brendan.Connell@lyon.edu.
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.