Get to know our Board of Directors
Our Board of Directors are all longtime residents of Hot Springs Village from all parts of the country with many different educational and professional backgrounds. They diligently work to find and bring interesting speakers that present topics and ideas that we hope will inform and entertain.
Russ Allen, President
Russ and his wife Amanda moved to the Village from the Atlanta area where he felt he would spend the rest of his life until Amanda said, “I want to live closer to my family.” In addition to the Ouachita Speakers Series, Mr. Allen is an officer in the village American Legion and VFW posts and is also an active member of the HSV History club. In his spare time Mr. Allen likes to read; mostly history, sometimes business or economics and one or two novels a year. He walks and plays with their dog Duke and does just about anything his wife suggests.
Carolyn Bowers, Vice President
Carolyn and her husband, Rob, moved to the Village in 2000. For the past 24 years, she has been active in this community serving on the boards of the HS/HSV Symphony Guild and the HSV Community Foundation. She also serves on the Finance Committee of Sacred Heart Catholic Church and Co-Chair of the Annual Village Walk for Cancer Research. She also enjoys singing at her church and with her gospel group, Rejoice. She has served on this board of for several years and in 2017 Carolyn was recognized for her volunteerism as Hot Springs Village’s "Citizen of the Year".
Kathy Swanson, Treasurer
Kathy and her husband Larry retired from the Dallas area and moved to HSV in 2021. Kathy is a retired RN, working for 47 years in both clinical and non-clinical roles in Missouri and Texas. She has been active in the Village, volunteering with the Trails Committee, Parks & Rec events, the Audubon Society, the Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association and is a volunteer driver for SCAT. Kathy and Larry have enjoyed attending Village events such as plays, concerts, outdoor activities and Ouachita Speaker Series presentations, which recently led her to accept the position of Treasurer for this group. Her “down-time” is occupied with traveling, grandkids, reading and cooking.
Audrey Findlen, Secretary
Audrey moved to Hot Springs Village in 2014 and has been a part of many organizations within the village including HSV Morning Lions, HSV Players, and Cedar Mountain Singers. Currently she is the Founder /President of The Entertainment Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit organization. Audrey is a retired educator, having graduated from the University of Southern Maine, and the University of New England, and completed coursework in non-profit Professional Development at the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame.
Jeff Meek
An original board member of the Ouachita Speaker Series, Jeff has written articles and stories for the Hot Springs Village Voice newspaper for 18 years. These include a long-running column on military veteran experiences and the JFK assassination. From 2015 to 2019 he served as Voice managing editor. Currently Jeff serves the Voice as assignment editor and correspondent.
Clif Haygood
Clif and Betty purchased their Village lot in 2000 and built their home in January 2014 when they retired. Clif retired after many years in the airline industry with the last 33 as a dispatcher with Southwest Airlines. Clif is a member of HSV Rotary and has served as chair of the Rotary Keep the Village Beautiful effort and currently is on the Rotary Grants Committee. He served on the POA Lakes Committee from 2020 - 2022 and is a member of the Balboa Yacht Club board. He is a member of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church and is currently completing his second term as a Vestry member.
Susan McCarty
Susan moved to the Village in 2011. She's a graphic designer and photographer and worked with the Miss Mississippi Corporation for about 35 years, producing books and taking thousands of photos during the Competition weeks. She is a member of the Human Trafficking Task Force of Garland County, Barcelona Road Baptist Church and involved with several other area programs. She has enjoyed being involved with the Ouachita Speaker Series since 2014, and has been enriched by every program and is excited about future speakers.
Martha Smither
Martha and her late husband Wilbur moved to HSV in 2000 and enjoyed many years of participating in the community. Wilbur was the founding President of Ouachita Speaker Series in 2012. He based the mission on the SMU Tate Lecture Series, in Dallas, which presented many thought-provoking speakers in 40 years. And Wilbur was a behind-the scenes advocate for many POA initiatives. They both earned the POA President’s Award in 2012 for their extensive volunteerism supporting the community. Martha’s current volunteerism includes Arkansas Learning Through The Arts, which she founded and is Board President, HSV Community Foundation as former chair, Hot Springs/Hot Springs Village Symphony Guild Board, and former chair, and ASO Children’s Concert in Hot Springs, Altrusa Board member, DAR member, Veterans Clergy Partnership of the Ouachitas, a member of PEO Chapter CU in HSV, PEO Chapter DE. She received the HSV Voice Citizen of the Year Award in 2013. Her interests are playing the piano, random golf, organizing things and reading.
