Guest Speakers

The AGS guest speaker series features a wide variety of locally, nationally, and/or internationally renowned lecturers.  Speakers present on a variety of topics in the arts or sciences, answer questions from our students, and often visit classes for additional time with students.  These speakers contribute to the educational process of AGS in three ways:

  • Students hear the original views of outstanding thinkers and well-known public figures
  • Students are able to engage these visitors in conversation
  • The topics dealt with by the speakers are integrated into classroom discussions.

 In these ways, these visits enrich the curriculum by communicating to students that community interaction is vital to a successful and productive life.

Ms. Marcy Doderer, FACHE

Ms. Doderer is the president and chief executive officer at Arkansas Children's where she leads the state's only prediatric health system serving the children in Arkansas and beyond.

A dynamic leader, March is focused on improving child health by advancing patient care, building community and championing excellence through digital transformation, engaged and efficient partnerships and bold child advocacy. 

Recognized for her leadership both at the local and national level, Marcy has been named one of Modern Healthcare's "Top 25 Women Leaders" in 2021 and Becker's Healthcare "26 Women CEOs of Hospitals and Health Systems to Know" in 2022. In Arkansas, she was named "Woman of the Year" in 2020 by Women & Children First, "Woman of the Year in Business" in 2018 by the Women's Foundation of Arkansas and continues to be listed in the "Arkansas Business Top 250". Ms. Doderer will be speaking on building successful communities. 

Ms. Janet Harris

Ms. Harris serves as the Excutive Director and CEO of the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute since 2022. She is a curious and determined leader with a passion for facilitating thoughtful conversations that lead to collaborativee action and impact. Ms. Harris is a trained facilitator and experienced leader, public speaker, and connector who is passionate about helping others create transformational change. Ms. Harris enjoys leading by asking questions and inspiring action through storytelling. A lifelong learner, she is currently pursuing her Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Ms. Harris will be speaking on bulding successful communities. 

Mr. Eli Cranor

Mr. Cranor is an Edgar Award winning author who lives and write on the banks of Dardanelle, Arkansas. His critically acclaimed debut novel, Don't Know Tough, won the Peter Lovesey First Crime Novel Contest and was nameed one of the "Best Books of the Year" by USA Today and one of the "Best Crime Novels" of 2022 by the New York Times. Mr. Cranor also pens a weekly column, "Where I'm Writing From" for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, and his craft column "Shop Talk", appears monthly at CrimeReads. Mr. Cranor most recent novel Ozark Dogs is available nationwide. He will be speaking on finding your creativity.