Our Board
Directors
Executive Officers
DeAnn Hunt
President
DeAnn Hunt earned her BSN at Henderson State University in 1986. She worked as a surgical RN, a PACU RN, and then as an SICU RN from 1986 until the birth of her son, Al—who was born with Down syndrome—in 2003. After Al’s birth, DeAnn taught RN nursing students at Baptist Health School of Nursing for three years. She has continuously volunteered for Easterseals Arkansas for over seventeen years. She also founded and ran a summer day camp for children with DS for six years—from 2011 to 2017. She served on the statewide Advisory Board for Best Buddies Arkansas. DeAnn joined the Board of Directors for Arkansas Down Syndrome Association in 2013.
Brittany Saviers
Vice President
Brittney Saviers has been practicing as an occupational therapist since 2008 in multiple roles—including academician, practitioner, fieldwork educator, and program developer. An alumnus of the University of Central Arkansas, Mrs. Saviers is proud to be a faculty member within the UCA Department of Occupational Therapy since 2013. In clinical practice, Mrs. Saviers’ focus has been serving children and youth—of all ages—in a variety of settings. Her niche is working with adolescents in school-based and community settings—with a focus on transition planning. In addition to teaching and advising, Mrs. Saviers has conducted research related to the Theory of Occupational Adaptation, community-based programming, effective teaching/learning methods, occupational and environmental influences on health outcomes, and pediatric family-centered care.
In addition to her clinical, educational, and research responsibilities, Mrs. Saviers is active in community-based program development and advocacy. She co-directs Acting Creates Therapeutic Success (ACTS) in Little Rock, a community-based program providing adults with disabilities the opportunity to participate in the performing arts. She also co-directs an annual weeklong performing arts summer camp for adults with disabilities through the ARC Arkansas. Mrs. Saviers is also involved in numerous community and professional organizations: she currently serves as an Executive Board member of Arkansas Down Syndrome Association; is an auxiliary member and performing arts coordinator for the Arkansas Enterprises for the Developmentally Disabled organization; is a member of the Arkansas Workgroup of Pediatric Health Professions; and is actively involved in the Arkansas Occupational Therapy Association, and the American Occupational Therapy Association. Mrs. Saviers is currently completing her doctoral degree in occupational therapy at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Ashley O'Neill
Secretary
Ashley O’Neill received her M.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders from UAMS in 2009 and has worked at Arkansas Children’s Hospital as a speech-language pathologist since receiving her degree. She works closely with children with Down syndrome and their famlies, especially in the area of feeding and swallowing. She is a native of Little Rock and is married with three children. In her spare time she loves to hike and trail run with friends.
Fran Lanari
Treasurer
“Never Say Never” and “Believe” are two mantras that Fran Lanari uses daily to navigate the wonderful yet often challenging world of being a parent of someone with Down syndrome. Fran is mother of two wonderful children: Rachael and Michael Joe. Michael Joe was born in 2001—which was when her journey began with Arkansas Down Syndrome Association (ADSA). “They were with me every step of the way. ADSA made our world so much more expansive and inclusive,” she says. Fran agreed to take on the role of Board Treasurer in 2019 and says that she has loved the experience of being on the Board. Fran routinely utilizes her 17 years’ experience from working for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (where she ran the Configuration Control Office for the Automation and Robotics Division!). Fran resigned from NASA in 2001 to be a full-time mother for Michael Joe, until she felt comfortable resuming a career. In addition to serving on the Board for ADSA, Fran currently owns a successful residential staging company “Savvy Stagers” and is a Realtor for Capital Sotheby’s International Realty.
Board Members
in alphabetical order
Todd Crowder
Todd Crowder is a graduate of Little Rock Central High School and then served six years with the Arkansas National Guard 39th Infantry Brigade. Todd has been married to his beautiful wife Jennifer for 25 years. They have three awesome children—Brock, Jacob, and Kaytlyn. They also have one beautiful grandchild, Sophie Grace—and Sophie has a little sister on the way! Todd and his family attend New Life Church together in Cabot, Arkansas. Todd has worked for Briggs Equipment for 21 dedicated years. He has been a member of Briggs’ Culture Committee for many years, and continues to enjoy the opportunities that his Briggs involvement has opened for him in community service and volunteering. Some of the organizations he works closely with are The American Red Cross, The Angel One Transport Team, Women and Children First, and Arkansas Down Syndrome Association. For fun, Todd and his family enjoy raising and showing miniature horses nationally, and camping.
Frank Glasgow
Frank Glasgow graduated high school in south Arkansas, continued his education at the University of Houston, and then moved on to Steven F. Austin State University for a degree in Forest Land Management. Frank returned to Arkansas to marry Ms. Alice Coker 43 years ago; they have three children—two girls and one son—and they also have five grandchildren. Frank has worked in the parts and equipment business for forty years—the last nine years with Briggs Equipment Company based in Dallas Texas.
Jansen Goodwin Sr.
Jansen Goodwin Sr. is a devout husband and a father of 4 beautiful children. He is currently studying Early Childhood Development at Pulaski Tech in Little Rock. Jansen is an established musician in central Arkansas with over 10 years of production experience. Because of his love for music and his passion for teaching children, Jansen provides music therapy at Easterseals Arkansas Little Rock Developmental Preschool as a recreation aide—where his youngest child Oliver also attends. Jansen says, “From the time our family found out we would be blessed with a child as beautiful as Oliver, we have advocated for children with Down Syndrome. I am honored to have this opportunity to serve on the Board of Directors for Arkansas Down Syndrome Association.”
Suzie Hicks
Founding Member
Karen Hobgood
MA CCC/SL
Karen Hobgood is a pediatric speech-language pathologist at Easterseals Arkansas—she has been with Easterseals Arkansas for 26 years. Karen spent her college years in Ruston, Louisiana, at Louisiana Tech University. She is passionate about serving children with disabilities and their families. When not working she loves to bike, spend time outside with her dogs, and go hiking. Karen says it has been an honor to serve on Arkansas Down Syndrome Association’s Board of Directors for the last three years.
James Hunt, MD
James Hunt graduated from Baptist Health School of Nursing in 1992 and completed his BSN at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) in 1995. He earned his MD from UAMS in 2003 and completed a residency in Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine at UAMS in 2007. Dr. Hunt is Board certified in both anesthesiology and pediatric anesthesiology by the American Board of Anesthesiology. Since 2008 he has dedicated a portion of his clinical time to providing perioperative anesthesia and sedation services for children and adults with special needs—both at Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) and UAMS. Outside of work, Dr. Hunt volunteers significant time in community service: he currently serves on the Boards of Directors for Easterseals Arkansas, Special Olympics Arkansas, and the Arkansas Down Syndrome Association. He also serves as a Trustee on the Board of Trustees for the Arkansas Medical Society, and previously served two terms on the Arkansas Governor’s Council on People with Disabilities. He has been an invited speaker for multiple national-level fora on the topic of perioperative care for people with special needs—and was recipient of a 2018 Special Olympics and Golisano Foundation Health Leadership Award. He recently served on the Musculoskeletal Committee of Global Down Syndrome Foundation’s Adult Down Syndrome Health Guidelines project. Dr. Hunt is a member of the American Society of Anesthesiology, American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians, American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry, Arkansas Medical Society, Arkansas Society of Anesthesiology, Down Syndrome Medical Interest Group—USA, and the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia.
Tammy Jones
Tammy Jones recently joined the Board of Directors for Arkansas Down Syndrome Association after retiring in December 2019 from her position as Project/Program Manager for the US Army Corps of Engineers. Tammy spent 30 years with the Army Corps of Engineers managing construction projects and service contracts for many military installations throughout the United States. Tammy is Mom to two amazing young men: Joshua, age 28—who is married and has a 16-month old daughter—and Nicholas, who is 24 years old, has Down syndrome, and attends the Access Life Program. Tammy is very excited about helping to plan and execute the events and programs provided by Arkansas Down Syndrome Association. Mostly, Tammy is looking forward to making new friends, experiencing fun adventures, and sharing the many lessons learned from raising a child with Down syndrome.
