Institute News in December 2024
Winthrop Rockefeller Institute
We continue Winthrop Rockefeller’s collaborative approach to creating transformational change.
Now is the perfect time to join our giving community and create a positive impact in Arkansas. Your gifts support the people, place, and process that bring our mission of continuing Winthrop Rockefeller’s collaborative approach to creating transformational change to life.
Donate to our annual fund, which allows the Institute to allocate gifts where they are most needed, or designate your gift toward the opportunity, preservation, or program and education funds.
Create transformational change! Explore giving levels and make a gift online today.
The Winthrop Rockefeller Institute is a tax-exempt 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law.
Austin Bond Awarded Joel Smith Leadership Award
When our former director of operations, Joel Smith, passed away in 2018, his family and friends donated to the Institute to establish a leadership award in his honor. Thanks to our development team’s efforts and the support of donors, the award has recently been endowed. The University of Arkansas Foundation now manages the endowment.
The award recipient is selected by a committee of employees based on nominations submitted by their coworkers. Contributions exceeded the endowment’s initial goal, enabling the winner to receive $800 — half allocated for professional development and half as a cash prize.
The sixth Joel Smith Leadership Award was presented to Executive Chef Austin Bond on December 2, 2024. (Read more)
Public "Walks" Begins January 23, 2025
To celebrate our upcoming 20th anniversary in 2025, we’re thrilled to announce that Walks with the Governor, a one-of-a-kind leadership workshop, will have dates open to the public. Register online and discover how to create meaningful change and leave your own legacy of progress. Spaces are limited to just 25 guests per workshop, so don’t wait! Our first three dates are:
Inspired by the visionary leadership of Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller, participants in Walks with the Governor are encouraged to embrace his collaborative approach to creating transformational change by engaging in deep personal reflections, honest conversations, and immersive tours of this historic place atop Petit Jean Mountain.
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2023 Legacy Award Winner: LaDonna Cole
Each quarter, employees nominate their coworkers for Core Value Awards. Out of those who win an Award, senior leadership chooses one each year for the Legacy Award — a title given to an employee who is believed to have best lived out the five Core Values and the Rockefeller Ethic over the last fiscal year. For 2023, that employee is LaDonna Cole.
“The entire Institute has been going through a lot of changes, specifically regarding the implementation of Microsoft 365,” read one nomination. “We also started the Salesforce project last May, and throughout all this, LaDonna has been a bright, supportive light.” (Read more)
We'll See You in the New Year!
The Institute will be closed from Monday, December 23, through Wednesday, January 1, 2025. Normal business hours will resume on Thursday, January 2, 2025. These dates also affect the Roustabout coffee shop, located in our main building.
Have a safe and wonderful holiday break, and we wish you a joyous and prosperous new year ahead!
Our Favorite Stories of 2024
From a once-in-a-lifetime eclipse to researching Rockefellers in New York, here's a list of our best blogs of the year.
The Winthrop Rockefeller Institute is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to continue Winthrop Rockefeller's collaborative approach to transformational change. We do this work by employing the "Rockefeller Ethic," which represents the belief that diversity of opinion, engaging in respectful dialogue, and practicing collaborative problem solving combine to create transformational change.