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The Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts Board of Trustees Welcomes Nine New Members

The Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts (AMFA) board of trustees welcomed nine new members during its first meeting of the 2025-2026 fiscal year: Tamara Baughn, Barrett Belew, Jacob P. Fair, Toney R. Franklin, Jules Koshal, Christina Martin, Carlton Saffa, Tobin Sparling, and Joan Strauss.

“We are grateful for our dedicated trustees — new and returning — who bring invaluable expertise to AMFA. Their guidance is important as we develop a strategic plan to shape the museum’s future and advance arts and culture in Arkansas,” said Dr. Victoria Ramirez, Executive Director of AMFA.

Outgoing trustees include Maribeth Frazier (eight years of service), Jim Hugg (eight years of service), and Lynn Sudderth (two years of service). After five years of service, Larry Middleton is moving into a new role on the AMFA Foundation board of directors.

New Board Members

Tamara Baughn

Tamara Baughn is a dedicated community leader, real estate entrepreneur, and passionate advocate for the arts. Based in Jonesboro, Arkansas, she brings warmth, wisdom, and vision to every role she takes on — including her appointment to the board of the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts. Baughn is also a mentor to young women through her involvement with the Miss Arkansas organization, where she champions confidence, service, and faith. Her work reflects a deep-rooted belief in beauty, purpose, and uplifting others.

Barrett Belew

As an assurance partner at HoganTaylor, Barrett Belew brings extensive experience working with clients in sectors such as nonprofits, investment funds, and privately held companies. In addition to his professional role, Belew is actively involved in Fellowship Bible Church and the nonprofit community throughout Central Arkansas, using his skills and leadership to support causes that make a meaningful local impact. He also currently serves on the Arkansas State Board of Public Accountancy. Belew earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting from the University of Arkansas. He and his wife, Kristen, have three sons.

Jacob P. Fair

Jake Fair is a partner at the Little Rock-based law firm of Wright Lindsey Jennings, where his practice includes banking, commercial lending, mergers and acquisitions, real estate, bankruptcy, and secured transactions. As a dually-licensed attorney and CPA, Fair offers clients the benefits of both legal and financial insight. Jake has been selected for inclusion in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch for his work in banking and finance law and commercial litigation, and he is also a graduate of Leadership Arkansas, Class XV, and the Arkansas Business Executive Leadership Academy.

A magna cum laude graduate of the UALR Bowen School of Law, where he served as editor-in-chief of the Law Review, Fair recently completed a term as president of the UALR Bowen School of Law Alumni Board, and he also serves as a board member for the Pulaski County Bar Foundation. A native of Heber Springs and former president of Sigma Chi fraternity at the University of Arkansas, he and his wife Mary live in Little Rock with their two children.

Toney R. Franklin

Toney Franklin was born and raised in Central Arkansas. He is a financial representative at Northwestern Mutual and enjoys traveling the country to share his love for financial literacy and helping others build a strong financial foundation. Frankline enjoys spending quality time with his amazing family and can often be found on the golf course.

Jules Koshal

Anjuli “Jules” Koshal is an associate partner at McKinsey & Company, with over a decade of global experience advising senior leaders in the private capital sector—including private equity, financial institutions, real estate, and infrastructure. Koshal holds a master’s degree in chemistry from the University of Warwick and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Originally from the UK, she now resides in Little Rock with her husband, Frank Kumpuris, and their two children.

Christina Martin

Christina Martin has been a longtime admirer of the arts, studying art history at the University of Iowa and in her post-graduate studies. She currently serves as treasurer of the Annunciation Philoptochos Board, and in the past has served her community on the ASO Guild, Museum of Discovery, and Community Connections boards. Martin is also actively involved in the national Greek Orthodox Church through Leadership100 and other family philanthropic endeavors. She is currently spending her time between Little Rock and Bentonville.

Carlton Saffa

Carlton Saffa currently serves as chief market officer at Saracen Casino Resort. In his role, Saffa reports to the Quapaw Business Committee, the elected governing body of the Quapaw Nation. Saffa was Saracen’s first employee and oversaw the licensure of the enterprise in all forums, including the property’s casino gaming license.

Saffa is currently serving his second six-year term as a member of the Arkansas Supreme Court’s Office and Committee on Professional Conduct, a body appointed by the Court to regulate the practice of law.

A graduate of the University of Arkansas, Saffa and his wife Kristen live in Little Rock with their two young children.

Tobin Sparling

As Chair of the Docent Advisory Board, Tobin Sparling represents the AMFA docents who volunteer as leaders of the museum’s tours for student and adult visitors. A graduate of Dartmouth College and Columbia University, Sparling worked in a curatorial capacity at the Yale Center for British Art and the print collection of the New York Public Library before attending law school and becoming a professor of law at South Texas College of Law in Houston. He joined the docent corps upon AMFA’s reopening in 2023.

Joan Strauss

Joan Strauss is a former broadcast journalist. She worked at KATV Channel 7 for more than 20 years in various roles as a reporter and anchor. She spent her last years on air producing and hosting Family First— a series focused on parenting and children. She and her husband Noel have two children, Ethan and Alexa. While they attended Episcopal Collegiate School, Strauss became an active parent volunteer. She joined the Board of Trustees at Episcopal Collegiate 12 years ago and is currently serving in her ninth year as board president.

Board of Trustees: Full List

  • Le’Kita Brown, President

  • Steve Ronnel, Vice President

  • Gary Cooper, Treasurer

  • Paul Parnell, Secretary

  • Stan Hastings, Chairman

  • Loren Bartole

  • Tamara Baughn

  • Barrett Belew

  • John Bethel

  • Beau Blair

  • Khayyam Eddings

  • Jacob P. Fair

  • Toney Franklin

  • Natalie Ghidotti

  • Jules Koshal

  • George Makris III

  • Mike Marquez

  • Christina Martin

  • Emily Nadeau

  • Odell Nickelberry

  • Amy O’Connor

  • Jacqueline Retzer

  • Betsy Rhodes

  • Mary Ritchey

  • Carlton Saffa

  • Gordon Silaski

  • Derrick Smith

  • Tobin Sparling

  • Mary Olive Stephens

  • Joan Strauss

About the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts

Founded in 1937, the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts is the largest cultural institution of its kind in the state, offering a unique blend of visual and performing arts experiences. AMFA is committed to featuring diverse media and artistic perspectives within its permanent collection as well as through rotating temporary exhibitions. AMFA’s international collection spans eight centuries, with strengths in works on paper and contemporary craft, and includes notable holdings by artists from Arkansas, the South, and across the United States and Europe.

With a vibrant mix of ideas, cultures, people, and places, AMFA extends this commitment to diversity through the innovative Windgate Art School, a dynamic children’s theatre and performing arts program, and community-focused educational programs for all ages. Located in Little Rock’s oldest urban green space, MacArthur Park, AMFA’s landmark building and grounds are designed by Studio Gang and SCAPE, in collaboration with Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects.