Meet The Team - Women's Foundation of Arkansas

Anna Beth Gorman Chief Executive Officer

Anna Beth Gorman, CEO of the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas, has committed her professional life to public service with a specialized focus on advancing the status of girls and women in our society. In her tenure with the Women’s Foundation, she is leading the effort for the Foundation to be the leading equity partner in building women’s economic security across the state of Arkansas. The Foundation has seen tremendous growth under her leadership while focusing on two signature initiatives, Girls of Promise and Women Empowered.

In 2022, she was the Democratic Nominee for Arkansas Secretary of State. In the same year she was recognized as one of the 250 most influential leaders in Arkansas by Arkansas Business. She is widely recognized as a business and community leader, practitioner of economic development and is a sought after expert on the value of including women in the economy.

Prior to her tenure with the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas she was the Chief Membership, Volunteer, Program Officer for Girl Scouts Diamonds of Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, serving as an executive with the Girl Scout organization for several years. She began her career in Public Service working for the Texas Senate Committee on State Affairs. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia, as well as a Master of Public Administration and a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She is a past chairman of the North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce, active in Club 99 Rotary, board member of Arvest Bank Little Rock, Arkansas Women’s Hall of Fame, and founding board member of the Southern Capital Project.

Sarah Riffle Chief Growth Officer

Sarah Riffle is the Chief Growth Officer of the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas. In this position she plays a pivotal role in advancing the mission and visibility of the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas. Sarah leads the development and implementation of comprehensive communication and marketing strategies to enhance WFA brand awareness, engage stakeholders, and drive significant support for the organization’s programs and initiatives from individuals, foundations, and corporations.

Previously Sarah served as the Chief Development Officer at the Arkansas Foodbank, serving more than 280,000 Arkansans each year. Sarah joined the Arkansas Foodbank in September of 2016, coming from the Boys & Girls Club of Central Arkansas, where she served as Director of Development for three years. Prior to that Sarah spent five years in the for-profit technology sector at Acxiom Corporation in Sales and Marketing. In 2020, Sarah was named as a “Woman to Watch” by Soiree Magazine and was named an honoree in the 2022 “40 under 40” class by Arkansas Business. She is an alumni of the Little Rock Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Greater Little Rock program and the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Arkansas program. Sarah is also a proud member of Rotary Club 99 and alumni of Delta Delta Delta Sorority.

Sarah is a graduate of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and lives in Little Rock with her husband Steven, daughter Grace and twin sons Bennett and Beau.

Maddie San Juan Director of Strategic Programs & Initiatives

As Director of Strategic Initiatives, Maddie San Juan serves as the lead project coordinator for all WFA branded programs and initiatives including direct service, research, and advocacy activities. When she’s not advocating for women and girls in Arkansas, Maddie loves to travel, spend time outdoors, and play tennis.

Maddie was born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas and is a proud graduate of Little Rock Central High School and the University of Central Arkansas. She holds a bachelors from UCA in public relations and a masters in public affairs from the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs from Indiana University.

Whitney Scales Operations Manager

Whitney Scales has an extensive background in Early Childhood Education, specializing in instructing children with special needs. She holds an associate degree from Arkansas State University-Beebe and is now pursuing her bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership at the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith.

Ms. Scales’ passion for youth development, student programming, and the empowerment of Arkansas youth has led her to see success in the field of Administration. She started her role in Operations Management in 2017, facilitating day-to-day educational activities and operations.

As Ms.Scales continues to expand her knowledge, she aspires to create her own specialized Childcare initiative that will service children across the state of Arkansas.

As a native of Lonoke, Ms. Scales is committed to WFA’s mission of creating economic security for communities within the state.

Kennedy Kasten Communications and Development Coordinator

Kennedy Kasten has dedicated the start of her career to advocate for increased opportunities for women in Arkansas. She graduated from the University of Arkansas in May 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. She has extensive experience working with nonprofits and has held positions involving project management, recruitment and retention, strategic field plan design and execution, people leadership, and political campaigns. During her time in Fayetteville, Kennedy served as an economic policy and education ambassador for Free the Facts, a national nonprofit based in Washington, D.C. She was a member of Alpha Chi Omega and served as a Panhellenic Recruitment Chair for her chapter in 2022. She was always engaged in various student life activities and has been known to never miss the kickoff of a Razorback football game.

She is an experienced political and judicial campaign staffer, working on multiple local and statewide campaigns while specifically seeking out women candidates to support. She recently volunteered as the Pulaski County leader and state-wide volunteer trainer for a ballot referendum in 2023, serving as a trailblazer of grassroots momentum in the state. She continues to grow her political experience as an active member of multiple political groups in Arkansas.

She has been working part-time with the WFA since September 2023 helping in Development and Communications. She currently serves as the full-time Development & Communications Coordinator strategically managing and executing WFA’s social media presence, planning stewardship events for donor groups, and overall developing donor communication and engagement. If you have any questions regarding general communications or development engagement, please don’t hesitate to contact her at [email protected].

Bri Clark Program Coordinator

Bri Clark, a native of North Little Rock, has extensive experience working with companies in Central Arkansas on broadcast and digital marketing campaigns. She is deeply committed to empowering individuals to reach their full potential through targeted business strategies.

Previously, Bri worked at the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center, where she played a crucial role in establishing strategic partnerships by organizing and hosting their Women Empowering Women series. It was during this time that her dedication to supporting women’s economic growth in both personal and professional spheres took root. Bri has emerged as a staunch advocate for providing resources to women, particularly women of color, in line with our mission of bridging the wealth gap for women throughout Arkansas.

In her new role as Programs Coordinator, Bri will bring her passion, planning, and exceptional communication skills to oversee WFA’s programs and initiatives. She will be responsible for planning, managing, and executing recruitment and outreach strategies as well as general project management for all of our programs and initiatives. If you have any questions in general regarding the Women Empowered or Girls of Promise® Initiatives, please contact her at [email protected].