An Arkansas resident since 2002, Ellen “Nan” Plummer actively participates in a wide variety of civic and community organizations. In addition to her faculty appointment at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR), where she teaches at the graduate-level Institute of Government, Ms. Plummer works to promote leadership, service, and the arts through her many local affiliations. Formerly Executive Director of the Arkansas Arts Center, Ms. Plummer oversaw the largest cultural institution in the state. As part of her mission to broaden outreach efforts and deepen arts education programs, Ms. Plummer played an instrumental role in building strong working relationships between the center and local institutions, including UALR, the Clinton Presidential Center, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, and the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. Over the course of eight years, Ellen “Nan” Plummer further raised the center’s profile with the state’s first-ever exhibitions of art from Egypt, other parts of Africa, and ancient Rome. Ms. Plummer was committed to bringing diverse exhibits to the Arkansas Arts Center, including Pursuing Picasso, Jim Henson’s Fantastic World, and Andy Warhol: Fifteen Weeks of Fame, all of which were well received. As a member of the City of Little Rock Arts and Culture Commission, Ellen “Nan” Plummer served as Commissioner from 2008 to 2010, most recently co-chairing áccent, the commission’s program for fostering arts leaders. In recent years, Ms. Plummer also contributed her expertise to the Art Committee of the Psychiatric Research Institute at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences; the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Sculpture Selection Committee of the Arkansas Senate; and the Alumni Circle Sculpture Selection Committee of the University of Central Arkansas. A former board member of the Rotary Club of Little Rock and the Little Rock Downtown Partnership, Ms. Plummer also serves as a pro bono fundraising consultant for St. Michael’s Center, an ecumenical resource serving Little Rock, and KUAR Public Radio. In her spare time, Ellen “Nan” Plummer volunteers at the St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center and enjoys singing in the UALR Community Chorus. A gourmet cook and long-distance runner, she retains a wide circle of friends throughout the community.
