Bob Edwards will be joining the team as director of development, according to a statement made today by Arkansas Times publisher Alan Leveritt. In addition to teaching as an adjunct professor at the Bowen School of Law and serving the City of Little Rock as a member of the Clinton National Airport Commission, Edwards is a practicing attorney from Arkansas with strong ties to the state.
It gives me great pleasure to announce this. Among other things, Bob has years of experience as a fundraiser and is a perceptive political observer. According to Leveritt, Bob is a significant influence in the community and has a strong dedication to public service. Our journalistic funding and resources will be greatly expanded by his familiarity with our state and his network of friends and allies.
After years of a declining journalism workforce, the Arkansas Times started fundraising in 2022 and started to expand once more, taking advantage of new philanthropic trends. The workforce has been able to grow over the last three years thanks to that funding, creating more material and attracting new readers. The Arkansas Times now has a strong website with 283,000 monthly visitors in addition to our monthly print magazine. We also send out a daily email to 60,000 people.
Leveritt stated, “With Bob’s assistance, I’m sure we can consolidate our progress in our fourth year of fundraising and, with the ongoing generosity of our donors, individuals, foundations, and partners, consistently raise $300-500,000 a year going forward.” As long as we stay true to our goal of hiring the greatest writers we can find and providing them with the resources and support they need to accomplish their jobs, this new model of sustaining local journalism by combining advertising, digital subscribers, and donors will be viable and effective.
Edwards, a fifth-generation Arkansan, attended England Public High School and was raised in the rural village of Tomberlin. He graduated from Hendrix College in 1991 with a B.A. in biology and the Bowen School of Law in 1998 with a law degree. Prior to becoming chief of staff for then-Attorney General Mark Pryor, he started his legal career in the Attorney General’s Office of Arkansas. Before starting his own practice in 2013, Edwards worked for ten years at the national law firm Wilkes & McHugh, P.A., where he specialized in trucking and nursing facility lawsuits. He still represents wounded people and their families today.
In addition to being an active member of the American Bar Association, the Arkansas Bar Association, and the American Association for Justice, he served as the previous president of the Arkansas Trial Lawyers Association. Dedicated to serving the public, he has previously served as president of the Bowen School of Law Alumni Board and on the board of the England Public School District.
Katharine Grace is the daughter of Bob and his wife, Tiffany. They live in Little Rock and are members of Trinity Episcopal Church.
Former Arkansas Times development director Wythe Walker will continue to work out of his office to assist with fundraising and other initiatives.
It’s dragon-slaying time!
The Arkansas Times, which relentlessly defends the fundamental rights and liberties in our community, stands as a light of truth in an era when critical voices are being silenced more and more. Our commitment to provide uncompromising journalism has never been more important, especially with Arkansas in the center of a broad culture war that is impacting our libraries, schools, and public conversation. We can’t accomplish our goals of defeating dragons and holding those in positions of authority responsible alone. You can guarantee that independent journalism in Arkansas not only endures but flourishes by making a contribution today. We can join the fight and make a difference together.
