John Kirk to Speak at Simmons Bank Conference on Future of the Delta

The conference, titled “The Arkansas Delta: Why It Still Matters,” is designed to help community leaders network with each other and discuss how towns can be managed in the face of a declining population base.

The conference will begin at 9 a.m. and conclude at 4 p.m. A catered lunch will be served at noon.

There’s no registration fee, but those planning to attend are required to register in advance.

Kirk, the director of UALR’s Institute on Race and Ethnicity, will speak on the complicated history of race relations in the Arkansas Delta. Kirk was born in Rochdale, Lancashire, in the United Kingdom and holds an undergraduate degree in American studies from the University of Nottingham and a doctorate in American history from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne.

Kirk taught from 1994-99 at the University of Wales, Lampeter and from 1999-2010 at Royal Holloway, University of London before coming to UALR in the summer of 2010. Long before moving to Arkansas, his research focused on the civil rights movement in the United States, the American South and Arkansas.

Kirk has published eight books. He edited “Race and Ethnicity in Arkansas: New Perspectives,” which was released in 2014 by the University of Arkansas Press.

Kirk has won numerous awards for his research. He has received grants from the British Academy, the British Association of American Studies, the Rockefeller Archive Center and the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library.

The conference also will feature panels on health care, education, agriculture and economic development that will include state leaders in each of those areas.

About Simmons First National Corporation

Simmons First National Corp. is a financial holding company headquartered in Pine Bluff, Ark., with total assets of almost $7.6 billion. The company conducts financial operations in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Tennessee. The company’s wholly owned subsidiary, Simmons First National Bank, offers comprehensive financial solutions delivered with a client-centric approach. The company’s common stock trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “SFNC.”

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FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Rex Nelson
Senior Vice President
Director of Corporate Communications
Simmons Bank
(501) 377-7606