AAC Staff
Chris Villines
Executive Director
cvillines@arcounties.org
Chris Villines brings a lifelong passion of public service in county government to the AAC executive director position. He was named the seventh executive director of the association in April 2010. Chris was named as one of Ten Outstanding Young Arkansans by the Jaycees in 1998 and later that year was elected to the position of Saline County Collector. He served as collector for 11 years until his selection by the AAC Board of Directors in April 2010.
Chris led the Collector’s Association for several years and was selected to join the AAC Board of Directors in 2005. He was elected president of the National Council of County Association Executives and served in that role from 2019 to 2020.
A lifelong Arkansan, Chris was born in Harrison, but his family moved to Benton before his first birthday. His dad owned a title company in Benton, and Chris, a self-proclaimed “courthouse rat,” grew up working for him. Chris earned a degree in finance at the University of Arkansas. He then went to work for a company doing site acquisition for cellular towers. He did the site acquisition work from 1993 to 1998, when Saline County voters chose their new 28-year-old collector.
Chris has been married to Tonya Villines for 31 years, and they have two children, Trevor and Ali
Mark Whitmore
Chief Legal Counsel
mwhitmore@arcounties.org
Mark serves as chief legal counsel for AAC and its boards and officials; serves as the AAC contact for the county judges, sheriffs and coroners; and serves as fund counsel for AAC Risk Management Services and AAC Workers’ Compensation Trust.
Mark has over 35 years of experience as an attorney in Arkansas. Mark served the Arkansas State Highway Commission for 13 years as staff attorney representing the Highway Department and its officers and employees in regard to personnel matters before the courts of the United States, and in hundreds of contract claims, tort claims and eminent domain cases. Mark earned his Juris Doctor in 1987 from the University of Arkansas School of Law at Little Rock. After obtaining his license to practice law in Arkansas in 1987, Mark served as an associate in the firm of Kemp & Duckett as a general civil lawyer and served as special master & law clerk for the Chancery Court of Pulaski County, First Division. Mark is originally from North Little Rock and graduated from Northeast High School. Mark attended and received his bachelor of arts degree from Ouachita Baptist University in 1984.
Josh Curtis
Governmental Affairs Director
jcurtis@arcounties.org
Josh Curtis was born and raised in Benton, Arkansas. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Josh came to the AAC in 2015 after working in Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s administration as a legislative and agency liaison, a role in which he advised the governor on legislative matters focused on health care and was in charge of communication on a variety of topics between the governor’s office and many state agencies.
Josh previously served as a legislative liaison for the Arkansas Secretary of State’s office and as director of governmental affairs for the Office of Lieutenant Governor. In these roles Josh has maintained a strong relationship with members of the General Assembly and Arkansas’ constitutional offices. He began his career in state government with State Land Commissioner John Thurston, organizing delinquent tax sales in every county in the state.
One of Josh’s first experiences in county government was his election in 2012 as justice of the peace to the Saline County Quorum Court. He now serves as chairman of the Human Resource Committee and vice-chairman of the Finance Committee. Josh looks forward to putting his experience in state government and his knowledge of county government to use at the AAC.
Josh, his wife Megan and their three children make their home in Saline County.
Lindsey Bailey French
Legal Counsel
lfrench@arcounties.org
Lindsey Bailey French was born and raised in Pocahontas, Arkansas, and later obtained a bachelor’s degree in political science from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. She is a graduate of the William H. Bowen UALR School of Law, where she served as assistant research editor on Law Review. During law school, she was named Arkansas’ 2013 Janet D. Steiger Fellow by the American Bar Association Antitrust Section and served in that capacity in the Arkansas Attorney General’s office. After serving the AAC as a law clerk for two years, it was an easy decision for Lindsey to continue serving the counties of Arkansas as a licensed attorney. Lindsey is active with the Arkansas Society of Professional Lobbyists and is a graduate of Leadership Arkansas Class XIV. She and her husband Nick, of Nashville, Arkansas, have one daughter, enjoy traveling together, watching Razorback sports, and most importantly, creating and enjoying beautiful and delicious food!
Taylor Handford
Legal Counsel
thandford@arcounties.org
Taylor Handford was born and raised in Batesville, Arkansas. He holds a degree in political science from the University of Arkansas, a degree in criminal justice from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and a juris doctorate from the William H. Bowen School of Law. He was a law clerk at the AAC in Fall 2022 and Spring 2023. He clerked at the Arkansas Municipal League in Summer and Fall 2023 before returning to the AAC. In his capacity as Legal Counsel, Taylor is part of the policy team. He also will serve as a second liaison between the AAC and county judges, sheriffs, and coroners.
Colin Jorgensen
AAC Litigation Counsel
cjorgensen@arcounties.org
Colin Jorgensen joined AAC in 2017. He is from Little Rock, where he lives with his wife, Eve, and two children — Hank and Suzy.
Colin has a bachelor's degree in political science and philosophy from the University of Oklahoma and a juris doctorate degree from the University of Michigan. From 2004 to 2006, he worked as an associate at Wright, Lindsey & Jennings LLP in Little Rock. From 2007 to 2017, he served as an assistant attorney general and senior assistant attorney general in the Civil Litigation Department of the Arkansas Attorney General's Office. In his 10+ years at the AG's Office, Colin served as lead defense counsel in hundreds of civil cases on behalf of the state, with a focus on constitutional challenges in state and federal courts, and appeals before the Arkansas Supreme Court, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Colin is a long-time mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arkansas. In January 2019, he was appointed by the Arkansas Supreme Court to a six-year term as chair of the Arkansas Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program (JLAP) Committee. He was a member of the JLAP Foundation board from 2016 to 2019, and he served on the board of the Wolfe Street Foundation from 2013 to 2015. In October 2022, Colin was appointed to serve on the Advisory Board for the Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership. In 2024, Colin graduated from the FBI Citizens Academy at the FBI Little Rock field office.
Colin is a dedicated public servant, and he’s grateful to serve and assist fellow public servants and citizens through his work at AAC. Colin has many joys, including his family (blood and chosen), baseball, swimming, candle-making, and fishkeeping.
Christy L. Smith
Communications Director
csmith@arcounties.org
Christy L. Smith joined the association as communications coordinator in April 2014. She became communications director in January 2017. She was born and raised in Stamps, Arkansas. She earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Central Arkansas, and she studied international journalism at Baylor University, which led to a three-month internship in Kenya. She has worked for newspapers and magazines in Central Arkansas. She resides in North Little Rock with her husband, Jon, and their two dogs.
Sarah Perry
Communications Coordinator
sperry@arcounties.org
Sarah Perry joined the association as communications coordinator in November 2022. She was born and raised in southern Louisiana before making the move to Natural State to attend the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Sarah earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and has worked previously as a reporter and news editor at The Saline Courier and Malvern Daily Record. She makes her home in Saline County with her husband, Richard, and two children–Elijah and Olivia. In her free time, she enjoys running, traveling and cheering on the Hogs.
Anne Baker
Senior Executive Assistant/Event Manager
abaker@arcounties.org
Anne Baker joined AAC as senior executive assistant/event manager in November 2017. She was born in St. Louis but considers Little Rock home since her family moved there when she was 4. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Middle Level Education from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. She has worked as social catering manager at The Peabody Little Rock, senior coordinator of client services at Angela Rogers Group, and as assistant to the Clerk of Court at the U.S. District Court in Little Rock.
Anne and her husband, Freddie, and daughter, Addison, live in Little Rock, and they love their home in the Pleasant Valley neighborhood. In her spare time, when she is not running her little girl around to cheer practice, soccer and play dates, she loves to read and dreams of being more domestic by being a good cook, attempting to garden, and keeping her home organized. She also considers herself pretty crafty and loves decorating for the holidays and throwing amazing parties to celebrate special occasions.
Loretta Green
Receptionist
lgreen@arcounties.org
Loretta joined AAC June 2022 as a receptionist. Prior to joining AAC, she worked in the mortgage industry for 15 plus years. Loretta is a proud wife to her husband Doug Green and a proud mom to son Arlen Cooper. She has two older brothers, and one younger sister. In her leisure time, Loretta and her family love to garden, fish, camp, travel, grill and cook. They also enjoy spending time with their family and friends. She loves her little town of East End, where she has resided for the past 16 years. She has worked with many donation/fundraising events in the past for Dorcas House/Union Rescue Mission, Our House, and Race for the Cure, just to name a few. Loretta is big on giving back and remembering to share God’s love. “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. “This is the first and great commandment. “And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:37–39).
Cindy Posey
Accounting and Human Resources Manager
cposey@arcounties.org
Cindy Posey is the accountant for AAC. After graduating from Russellville High School, she attended the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, graduating with a degree in accounting and data processing. After graduation, Cindy worked as an accountant for Dillard’s Department Stores for five years until the birth of her first child.
In 2007, she returned to the workplace as a financial analyst for Windstream Communications before joining the AAC staff in August of 2009. She and her husband, Carroll, live in Benton, and have two grown children who live in Northwest Arkansas.
Jenny Evans
Accounting and Programing Assistant
jevans@arcounties.org
Jenny Evans joined AAC in May 2022 as the Accounting and Program Assistant. This is a new position for the association. In the past, Jenny has worked for the Auditor of State in the Unclaimed Property division, and in the accounting department of the Arkansas Soil and Water Conservation Commission, now the Natural Resources Division of the Arkansas Department of Agriculture. Jenny is working on a bachelor's degree in Accounting.
Jenny and her daughter, Olivia, live in Mabelvale with their three cats — Zelda, Link, and Navi. They are involved in the worship team and expressive worship at their church, Encounter. They are also involved in community theater at Argenta Community Theater.
Originally from Texas, Jenny has been in Arkansas for over 25 years and calls the Natural State home. She enjoys bike riding, swimming, and live music.
Mark Harrell
IT Manager
mharrell@arcounties.org
Mark Harrell joined AAC in October 2015 as the IT Manager. Mark was previously employed for 34 years with IBM, where he worked in the IT service area. At AAC, he works with counties to determine how technology can improve processes and efficiency.
Mark and his wife, Suzanne, live in Mayflower. They enjoy hunting, fishing, boating and spending time with their children. They have two sons and daughters-in-law, Blake and his wife Mallory, and Justin and his wife Sydney. They also have five granddaughters and one grandson.
Jim Grinder
Cyber/Network Security Engineer
jgrinder@arcounties.org
Michael Roys
ACE Program Coordinator
mroys@arcounties.org
Debbie Norman
Risk Management and Insurance Director
dnorman@aacrms.com
Debbie Norman is the Risk Management & Insurance Director of AAC Risk Management Services. She graduated from Sylvan Hills High School in North Little Rock in 1978. She began working part-time at a credit union at the age of 15 through the schools’ DECA program. She worked at the credit union for the next 15 years and was eventually promoted to vice president.
In 1990 Debbie was hired to work at an insurance company handling workers’ compensation claims. She was later promoted to senior administrative assistant to the claims manager. She worked with five large self-insured workers’ compensation trust groups, including the AAC Workers’ Compensation Trust. In 1998, when the AAC programs moved in-house, she was hired as administrative assistant. Her work duties shifted to the Risk Management Fund. Debbie was promoted to risk manager in February 2001.
Brandy McAllister
Risk Management and Insurance Co-Director
bmcallister@arcounties.org
Brandy began working at AAC in August 2011 as a law clerk. She earned a Juris Doctorate degree with high honors in 2013 from the William H. Bowen School of Law. She earned a bachelor of arts in marketing and finance, graduating cum laude in 2009, from Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Born in Little Rock, Brandy returned to the area with her family after 17 years in Iowa.
James Mirus
Member Services Manager
jmirus@arcounties.org
James and his wife, Whitney, live in Crawford County, just outside of Mountainburg. They have five children — three girls and two boys. James was a law enforcement officer for more than 12 years. He joined the AAC in June and has been working with county jails and their Guardian systems.
JaNan Thomas
RMS General Counsel
jthomas@arcounties.org
JaNan Arnold Thomas joined AAC as a Litigation Counsel in January 2019. She was born and raised in Arkadelphia and now lives in the Argenta area of North Little Rock.
She started her undergraduate degree at the University of Arkansas Fayetteville and studied abroad in Bordeaux, France, before she graduated magna cum laude from Ouachita Baptist University in 1994 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and French. She earned her Juris Doctorate degree with honors from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Bowen School of Law in 1997.
JaNan began her career as a law clerk for the late Honorable Andree Layton Roaf on the Arkansas Court of Appeals. She also worked for the law firm of Perroni & James before she was elected as the first elected City Attorney for the City of Maumelle, where she served for 14 years. JaNan began representing counties in 2005 at the law firm of Rainwater, Holt, & Sexton, and continued doing so until she joined AACRMS in-house in 2019. She has handled hundreds of cases including allegations of constitutional violations against county and law enforcement officials. JaNan is a certified law enforcement trainer and has presented training for law enforcement officers, jail officials, lawyers, and risk managers throughout Arkansas and in regional seminars in the Southern and Western United States. JaNan serves on the Arkansas Supreme Court Committee on Professional Conduct. Her term expires on December 31, 2028.
She enjoys spending time with her husband, Barry Thomas, and their large, blended family.
Melissa Dugger
RMS Litigation Counsel
mdugger@arcounties.org
Mallory Floyd
RMS Employment Counsel
mfloyd@arcounties.org
Mallory Floyd was born and raised in Marion, Arkansas. She earned bachelor’s degrees in criminology and sociology from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. Mallory is a graduate of the William H. Bowen UALR School of Law, where she competed as a member of the school’s trial team. After obtaining her law license, Mallory spent two years representing the citizens of Arkansas as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in both Pulaski and Garland Counties. In those roles, she litigated criminal cases ranging from low-level misdemeanors to serious felonies. She also is licensed to practice law in the state of Tennessee. Mallory joined the Association of Arkansas Counties in August of 2022 and serves as RMS Employment Counsel. Mallory lives in Little Rock with her Bernedoodle, Betty. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her friends and family, cooking, traveling, and taking cycle classes.
Jennifer L. Merritt
RMS Litigation Counsel
jmerritt@arcounties.org
Jennifer has a bachelor’s degree in Politics from Hendrix College, where she graduated with honors in 1997. After Hendrix, Jennifer won a prestigious Fulbright Fellowship and spent a year as an English teaching assistant in Vienna, Austria. After her fellowship, Jennifer obtained her Juris Doctorate, with High Honors, from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law in 2002, where she served as Notes Editor of the UALR Law Review and published two articles. From 2002 to 2004, Jennifer served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Jane A. Restani, who then served as the Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of International Trade in New York, New York. In that role, Jennifer also clerked by designation to the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the 5th, 9th, and 11th Circuits. After her judicial clerkship, Jennifer returned home to Arkansas where she practiced business and commercial litigation at Quattlebaum, Grooms, Tull & Burrow PLLC for almost a decade. From 2014 to 2022, Jennifer served as an assistant attorney general and senior assistant attorney general in the Civil Litigation Department of the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office. In her 8+ years at the AG’s Office, Jennifer served as lead defense counsel in countless civil cases on behalf of the state with a focus on constitutional challenges in state and federal court and appeals before the Arkansas Supreme Court, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court. During her time at the AGO, Jennifer also served as an adjunct professor at the University of Central Arkansas and at the Bowen Law School, where she taught pretrial and trial litigation skills workshops to third-year law students. In 2022, Jennifer returned to private practice in complex business litigation for boutique construction and transportation law firms. Jennifer joined RMS in 2024 as Litigation Counsel and is proud to serve along with her dedicated colleagues at the AAC.
Jennifer was raised in Mountain Home and lives in Little Rock with her three children, Makayla, MJ, and Mason, and their two cats, Ms. Bigelsworth and Brownie.
Wes Manus
RMS Litigation Counsel
wmanus@arcounties.org
Fonda Fitzgerald
RMS Paralegal
ffitzgerald@arcounties.org
Fonda joined AAC as a paralegal in January 2019. She was born in West Plains, Missouri, and graduated from high school there. She earned a bachelor's degree in business/office management from Harding University. Soon after, she and her husband, Allen, moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where she worked for the Glasson, Grove and Sole law firm. They moved to Little Rock in 1990, and Fonda began working for attorney Mike Rainwater. She worked for Rainwater for more than 28 years in the county defense department.
Fonda and her husband live in Maumelle with their English Cream Golden Retriever, Scout. In her spare time, Fonda enjoys reading, walking the trails near her home, cheering for her husband at his triathlons/biking events, and spending time with her daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren who also live in Maumelle. Fonda and her husband are members at WindSong Church of Christ.
Samantha Wren
RMS Assistant
swren@arcounties.org
Samantha joined AAC as a paralegal in Risk Management Services in July 2019. She was born and raised in Little Rock and graduated from Mount St. Mary's Academy in 2011. She graduated from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville in May 2015 with a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a bachelor's in Communications and a minor in Legal Studies. After graduation, Samantha moved back to Little Rock and worked for a local law firm for four years before joining AAC.
Samantha and her husband, Patrick, live in West Little Rock with their daughter, Amelia, and their dog, Apollo. In her spare time, Samantha enjoys spending time with her family and friends, going to movies, cheering on the Arkansas Razorbacks, photography, traveling and relaxing at the lake.
Erica Archer
RMS Legal Assistant
earcher@arcounties.org
Ashley Pursell
RMS Administrative Assistant
apursell@arcounties.org
Cathy Perry
Program Analyst
cperry@aacrms.com
Cathy joined the association in January 2001 as the Risk Management Services receptionist. Since that time, she has worked in many different areas within the risk management side of AAC, including answering phones, working workers’ compensation claims, and serving as a Property and Auto Claims Analyst. She earned an Arkansas Multi-Line Producer License and now works with all counties and volunteer fire departments throughout the state to update and maintain their coverage with the RMF on their fleet, equipment and property.
Misty Petrus
Worker's Comp Claims Manager
mpetrus@arcounties.org
Misty joined the AAC in 2022 as the Workers’ Compensation Claims Manager. She began her career in workers’ compensation at The Arkansas Municipal League and worked in the private sector before coming to the AAC.
Misty is a native of Lonoke, Arkansas. She and her husband, Wesley, reside in North Little Rock with their rescue dogs, Juno and Spanner. Misty enjoys traveling, especially to The Outer Banks of North Carolina. She is a self-proclaimed ancestry and history nerd.
Renee Turner
Claims Adjuster
rturner@aacrms.com
Renee Turner began working as a claims adjuster in AAC's Risk Management Services program in 2014. She is married to Allen. They have one son and daughter-in-law, Matthew and Stephanie. They have three grandchildren, Shane, Addison and Cole. In addition, they have three grand-dogs: Fred, Dixie and Diesel. Renee's hobbies include cooking, volunteering, reading and spending time with family and friends.
Kim Nash
Claims Adjuster
knash@aacrms.com
Kim Nash joined AAC in August 2001. She is an Air Force brat and was born in Wiesbaden Germany. She was transplanted to Cabot, Arkansas, where she graduated high school. Kim earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from the University of Central Arkansas. Kim started as the receptionist for AAC and was given the opportunity to transfer to AAC Risk Management to begin working on Workers’ Compensation claims. Kim currently serves as a licensed Senior Claims Adjuster and manages over 100 lost time and catastrophic claims while balancing the other duties that come with day-to-day work. Kim and her husband, Mike, live in Sherwood. They have one daughter and one son. When not at work, she is serving in the children’s ministry or at the ball park. Hobbies include traveling and hanging out with her family. She loves to serve her church family, the community and the counties of Arkansas.
Jacob Trumble
RMS Claims Analyst
jtrumble@arcounties.org
Jacob joined AAC in September 2022. He graduated from Southern Arkansas University in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in organizational management and finance. He was active in choir in both high school and college. He was proud to be invited to perform at Carnegie Hall in NYC where he sang under the direction of composer John Rutter. After college, he moved to Seattle and worked in fine-dining and sales. He moved back to Arkansas in 2019 after having his daughter, Addison, and started a job as an auto damage claims adjuster with Progressive Insurance. He currently lives in Conway, and his hobbies include backpacking, playing with his daughter “Addie-bug,” and piano composition. Jacob also enjoys “fixing” things, and he particularly enjoys working on cars. He has proudly been deemed the “family mechanic.”
Greg Hunt
Claims Analyst
ghunt@aacrms.com
Greg joined AAC in May 2016. He is a claims analyst, handling auto-bodily injury and property damage claims. He graduated from Lonoke High School in 2002 and went on to attend the University of Central Arkansas, where he majored in political science and minored in history. After college, he began a career in banking. After a few years, he joined Rainwater, Holt & Sexton as a paralegal. He spent almost four years handling bodily injury claims and property claims there. He currently lives in Conway with his wife, Meghan, and two children. His hobbies include hunting, fishing and playing with his children.
Kim Mitchell
Premium Analyst
kmitchell@aacrms.com
Kim Mitchell joined AAC Risk Management in November 2012 as administrative assistant. Prior to joining the AAC team, her work experience included 20 years as office manager/bookkeeper for a family business in Little Rock, and then nine years of working customer service and bookkeeping for Saline County.
“I feel blessed to be part of the AAC team and this great group of people. I have enjoyed meeting and working with people from different counties and in various capacities.”
She and her husband, Dennis, live in the Vimy Ridge area of Saline County. They enjoy traveling, cooking, gardening, boating and fishing, and spending time with friends and family, which includes four granddaughters that are “the joy of our lives.”
Karen Bell
Program Assistant
kbell@aacrms.com
Ellen Wood
Administrative Assistant/Receptionist
ewood@aacrms.com
Ellen joined AAC Risk Management Services as administrative assistant in February 2016. Her work experience includes 35 1/2 years working in various capacities in the advertising department at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. She ended her tenure there as the executive assistant to the vice president of advertising and marketing.
She is married to her high school sweetheart, Gil. They live in Little Rock and have one son, Brian. Their family includes a Pomeranian/Chihauhau diva dog, Dixie.
Ellen's hobbies include (dirt, oval) stock car racing, motorcycle riding, camping and reading.
