Ep. 10 - Leading With Impact: Philanthropy and the Amazeum with Jennifer Belt

A career can look like a zigzag until you hear the why. Jennifer Martinez Belt went from an Arkansas newsroom dream to Capitol Hill and the White House, then back home to build stronger communities through nonprofit fundraising and philanthropy. Now, as Chief Philanthropy Officer at the Scott Family Amazeum in Bentonville, she’s helping shape what childhood learning and family access can look like in a fast-growing Northwest Arkansas.

We talk about what surprised her most in Washington, DC, why 9/11 changed her calculus, and how those years taught her urgency, pacing, and the behind-the-scenes reality of how decisions get made. From there, we get practical about giving: philanthropy is not just big checks. Jennifer breaks it down to time, talent, and treasure, and explains why “on fire fundraising” can’t replace disciplined development, strong boards, and long-term donor relationships.

Then we go inside the Amazeum’s mission and momentum: playful learning, a safe place for families, and a commitment to affordability and access. Jennifer shares what it takes to lead a $25 million capital campaign, why the Early Learning Advancement Center is a priority for Arkansas families, how teen programming fits into the vision, and what it means to expand beyond the museum walls with a new children’s space at XNA airport. She also reflects on raising teens in Bentonville, advocating as a parent, and what Northwest Arkansas nonprofits will need over the next decade: collaboration, focus, and the courage to think ahead.

If you care about Northwest Arkansas philanthropy, nonprofit leadership, early childhood education, or the role of museums in community growth, hit play. Subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show.

Transcript

Welcome To Central To NWA

SPEAKER_00 0:01

This is Central to NWA, a UCA podcast. I'm your host, Paul Gatling, and we are bringing the University of Central Arkansas to Northwest Arkansas. Each episode, we will talk with leaders, alumni, and innovators driving this region forward, people who are shaping industries and defining what is next for our state. Let's get started. Welcome back to Central to NWA, a UCA podcast. I'm your host, Paul Gatling. So glad you are with us today again for episode number nine. And our guest today is someone that I'm lucky to call a friend. I call her a friend. I don't know if she calls me a friend, right? She is also a trusted partner to the University of Central Arkansas through her uh belongings. She's a founding member of our UCA Northwest Arkansas Advisory Council. And her career has taken her to Washington, D.C. and to statewide nonprofits, and now working for one of the most high-profile and beloved institutions here in this place we call uh Northwest Arkansas. So happy to have with me Jennifer Martinez Belt. She is UCA class of 1999.

SPEAKER_02 1:10

Oh, you said the year.

SPEAKER_00 1:13

I know. Chief Philanthropy Officer at the Scott Family Amazum in Bentonville. Jennifer, welcome to the podcast.

SPEAKER_01 1:20

Thank you. Thank you. And congratulations, Paul, on being named one of the top podcasts in Northwest, Arkansas. That recently came out. So I have some um big shoes to fill or some very exciting times to have here. Well, it is exciting.

SPEAKER_00 1:35

Uh I'm, you know, that was an exciting recognition. I'm not sure uh that we belong on the list of some of those other podcasts. You know, a lot of great podcasts up here. But yeah, excited you're here. You excited about this?

SPEAKER_01 1:47

I am excited. I think everyone, I mean, I've been listening to the podcast and I try to listen to the podcast rather than view it because I think that gives a total different element. But um, some of the alum you have on, you know, are friends. I just heard from Corey. I've heard listened to Aaron. Um, I've listened to quite a few that I didn't realize were alum. Right. And then I keep thinking, oh, you need to have this person on because they have such a prominent career and give so much to the to the region. So um thank you for having me on.

SPEAKER_00 2:14

Exciting to be here. Yeah, good point that you mentioned about not realizing we have a little over 4,000 UC alums in the two county.

SPEAKER_01 2:22

I read. It's so wonderful. And, you know, now with you know, not just being a UC ambassador on campus back almost 30 years ago, but now being um up here in Northwest Arkansas and kind of reconnecting with people, the stories are fun. And, you know, now how we serve and how we um kind of connect and help each other throughout the community. It's really nice. And you are still an ambassador, just not a campus ambassador, UCA ambassador. That's correct. I I look forward to the times we get to get together and talk about how the campus has evolved, how our our school has evolved. And now that I have a you know, teenage daughter who's looking, I like sending uh you emails and saying she's getting more information about our campus. So it's it's it is an exciting time.

SPEAKER_00 3:07

Perfect.

Moving To Northwest Arkansas

SPEAKER_00 3:08

All right, all right. So a lot to get to here, so many questions um to get to, but this one has always served me well, going back to my time at the Business Journal. Still a great question that I ask people because we have so many people in Northwest Arkansas who are from anywhere and everywhere, right? You know, the number that I hear, you know, there are 40 people a day moving to Northwest Arkansas. You feel it? Did you know that? Yeah, you see it. I see it. You feel it. That's the uh official Northwest Arkansas Council number. So anyway, this is my favorite question. This is how we're gonna start our roller coaster ride today. I'm ready. So when did you move to Northwest Arkansas and what were the circumstances that brought you here?

SPEAKER_01 3:45

Okay, so I thought I always was from Northwest Arkansas. I'm actually from the River Valley. Somehow you move away from home. So I'm from Fort Smith, but um, we moved here in 2020. We're COVID movers. So what a perfect time to move to a new community. So I've been here since 2020. Yeah. Um, and the circumstances kind of relied on COVID. Central Arkansas had been a home for a long time, had been in Little Rock off and on for over a decade, and really had established Little Rock as home base. Um Arkansas was where we wanted to raise our family and our kids. And it during COVID, everything kind of just shut down. And one area for growth, not only for growth in community, growth in career, um, it was hard to deny that northwest Arkansas wasn't that space. And when things were kind of at a lull, there was opportunity for both my husband and I to take our careers to Northwest Arkansas and really for our children to prosper and grow. So we took a chance and through caution to the wind and we're like, we're going. And I hate to say we haven't looked back, but it has been very rewarding. We absolutely miss our community in Little Rock. We miss the people, but the opportunities here, the the continued expansion of everything we're around and being a part of it has been great. Yeah, I mean, you don't look back, but you can say uh you couldn't envision living anywhere else. No, not at this point in our lives. It is it is awesome. And how our how our family is doing is awesome. Okay.

Choosing UCA And Communications

SPEAKER_00 5:16

All right. So, like you said, you're a Fort Smith native. Yes. UCA alumna. Yes. What got you to Conway? How did you, why did you choose UCA?

SPEAKER_01 5:23

So Fort Smith Southside, my journalism teacher, um, went through her education degree at UCA. And at that time, I was in newspaper and did all the good things. And one thing that was really attractive was the um communication degree from UCA. And Paul, you kind of, you mentioned we know each other. I'm gonna take the opposite, the opposite direction of whatever mainstream is. So, you know, from Fordsman South side, everyone was going to U of A. That is, I'll say it, grade 13. Everyone was going that direction. It was just kind of a norm. If you were going to college, that's where you were going, or maybe to OSU or OU. And those are all great institutions. Those weren't the fit for me. That was not what I was looking for. I was not looking for a repeat of what I had. And to be honest, I don't even remember touring those colleges. But when UCA came to our school and I went and toured UCA, it was the perfect size. The class size, the curriculum, um, the campus, I fell in love with everything. I think from my graduating class, there were less than 12 of us that actually went to UCA. It just sent like the hub of the state for me, um, being in central Arkansas, being in Conway, and it just felt right. The size was right, the community was right. And I got in and I was like, okay, that's it. There were no questions asked about it. Conway just was the right space at the right time, the right, right campus for me.

SPEAKER_00 6:56

And you had communications, you know, circled early. That's what you were going there for. What did you think you were preparing yourself for? Like what did you see five or ten years as a college graduate doing with that?

SPEAKER_01 7:08

So I always thought it was going to be a writing career in journalism. I loved a big nerd. I brought, I told you, I brought my yearbooks with me. I was in yearbook, I was a newspaper. Um, in Fort Smith, I did a show called Teen Beat. You can check us out at Channel 5, KFSM, if you ever get back into the 90s film. Um, you know, at that time, we had really great teachers and professors, and I was focused on writing. Um, we were not in the fancy building back when I started ACA. We were at the basement of Maine. And I mean, the old crepit Maine. It wasn't, you know, this fabulous um new building. So really proud of where it is today. But I really saw myself either writing for a paper or um working at a TV station. I wanted to share stories. I wanted to be a writer. I was going into news. So your first job after graduation was not news. It was going to work in Washington, D.C. Uh-huh. I took that. I took my communications degree and I ended up doing um press secretary work, deputy press secretary work in Washington.

SPEAKER_00 8:21

Yeah, so you've touched uh your career is you started with politics and then, you know, food insecurity, historic preservation, arts and culture, um, and now children's education. You know, what would you say um ties all of those chapters together?

SPEAKER_01 8:36

Well, you're a fellow Rotarian, so you get that it's all about service above self. Um, I think I got to see at a really early age, who at 23 moves to Washington, D.C. and gets to staff, you know, members of Congress, much less having opportunities to work under a White House administration. These were really great, big opportunities for me. And I got to see legislation and how things were processed in our country. And I realized how long it actually took to make things work. Um, I came home and I actually got to see, I think moving away from the state, I actually got to see a more beloved area and love Arkansas even more deeper. What I ended up doing as a career was really serving back and volunteering. You know, the whole word of philanthropy is, you know, loving mankind. And that was a different way of service for me. So if I couldn't make it work in the storytelling era of writing about the news, I was gonna storytell about how we make our community stronger and better. And that's what I've been doing for the last two decades. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:45

Okay. Well, let's, you know, that Washington DC, D.C. is not an insignificant chapter in anyone's career. So let's let's talk about that. You spent time in the U.S. House, the Senate, the White House. Yeah. How did you make that connection? Did all three. How did you arrive in Washington, D.C.?

The Kroger Moment To DC

SPEAKER_01 10:01

So it all started with a trip to Kroger. This um man was standing at Conway Kroger, this gentleman with kind of an off-beaten tie. And I've told him this story. So he, I mean, he remembers it. And um wanted to know what I thought about the price as a college student at UCA about the price of my prescription drugs. I'm like, what a weirdo. Who is this old dude asking me about the price of my prescription drugs? It was Congressman Vic Snyder. And uh I went in after UCA, um, the great Ernie Dumas, which I hope we get to talk a little bit about, um, had an opportunity to go and work in I had my college degree. I finished, you know, in 99, and I got the opportunity to intern for Vic Snyder. Um, and at that time, I remember moving to Washington to do this internship after graduation. And I wanted maybe to be a political writer. And it was more about um, like, who, what are you? What are your issues? And I remember calling my parents like, what am I? What are my issues? You know, because I wasn't raised in a hugely political home. You know, it was time, tell, and treasure. You give to what, you know, to help people, and and I kind of navigated my way. An opportunity came open in Congressman Mary and Barry's office of Arkansas, um, which really represents the Delta. I got to be part of that beloved office, work there, an opportunity at the end of the Clinton administration came open. And again, it was Arkansas's time to shine. I mean, at that time, the state looked a lot different, our politics looked a lot different, and Arkansas really did have a different hold in Washington. So I was able to work at the end of the Clinton administration. And then after that, the election didn't go in in that direction. For Bush won. So I remember saying, I'm not done. I'm not done yet. And I went to um Senator Lincoln's office to his chief of staff and said, Look, I really want to write. And I became her deputy press secretary. There was a position there for me, and I stayed there on for another year.

SPEAKER_00 12:11

What surprised you about that world coming from Arkansas, born and raised? What surprised you about uh, you know, the beltway once you were up there living in it, working in it, that sort of thing?

SPEAKER_01 12:23

You know, it's run by a lot of young kids. A lot of young people are helping write and write the agenda for a country and briefing um these elected official officials. I was very fortunate to be part of really smart work for really smart, you know, elected officials, but at the same time, we got to be a part of their story. So we were, I was introduced to so much and in such a short time. And the pace, I loved that campaign pace. I love you know, everyone's in in in current uh kind of current jobs now, it's more of slow down, you're going too fast. Well, that's the only pace I know because of the urgency of of the work I've had to do in the past. But the most surprising thing is how how young everyone is on the hill. And if you want to get things done, how you know, how the sausages made, how you have to make things work and who you have to help navigate. Um, I can't say what it is like now, but you know, I had opportunities to see the great John McCain and Ted Kennedy. I mean, these were the guys walking the halls, and you would see things happen on the floor, but then you would get to see behind the scenes of how things were were um really how they acted behind the scenes. And it was great. Those stories are just so wonderful.

SPEAKER_00 13:50

Well, was there a um did you know or meet anybody from UCA in Washington, D.C. Was there any sort of UCA network?

SPEAKER_01 13:57

There was not a tight UCA network that I rec can recall, but there was a tight Arkansas. Sure. We were really, really close. It was probably the first time I really understood calling the hogs or anything like that. I think we all just kind of gathered together under statehood. You know, we really wanted to be. Um, I mean, at that time, it was about being from the South, and everyone else was different. You know, there's this big event that I um, well, you won't be surprised. I held this one event for Arkansas, um, kind of co-chair one year, it's called Taste of the South. And so Arkansas had to get Riceland Foods, Tyson. You know, we we represented our own state, but you kind of identified where you were from. So it wasn't so much college as it was, oh, I'm from Arkansas. Those are all my people. My name, my roommates were from Mississippi and Georgia that we hung out with the same crew, and you wanted to be friends with Georgia because they had, you know, Coke and Diet Coke in their offices. We had rice in our office, you know, all the free freebies. You wanted to know who had what. Yeah. So what a fun time. I mean, all it was a great time. All together. How many years did you work? Three years. So I I had, you know, I I tried to touch each branch. Okay. So what brought you back to Arkansas?

9/11 And Coming Home

SPEAKER_01 15:13

Uh, that was a real hard decision. Um, so after my time there, so I was there for the anthrax scare. We were in that building. So being tested for anthrax, um, I was there for 9-11, which was really, you know, that hit me pretty hard, evacuating a building. And of course, just having left the White House, you know, months prior. I had friends in the White House, you know, we were in the Senate office building evacuating. I lived on Capitol Hill. That that really was difficult for me. Like I loved my work, but I uh in my 20s, I wasn't willing to die for this kind of thing. That was a whole new level of, you know, I wasn't ready prepared for. I was ready to go home. I was like, I don't want to be here anymore. I'm gonna go home. Uh I'm not gonna, that's not gonna happen in, you know, Arkansas. Um, and there were just a number of things that I was like, I, you know, my rent living with six other women is like, okay, I I'm ready for grow up time. You know, I can own a house in Little Rock for what I pay for, a one-bedroom room with six other women. So I think my time and tenure um just kind of came came full full tuition. I came came home.

SPEAKER_00 16:27

And so one of the things eventually that you did, I mean, you worked for a lot of several different places, but you also started

Consulting For Nonprofits That Grow

SPEAKER_00 16:33

your own business. You started your own business.

SPEAKER_01 16:34

Yeah, Martinez Belt Consulting. That was really that was that was really awesome because of what made it awesome. Well, my passion to help a lot of the smaller nonprofits. Um, a lot of people have misconception of, oh, I can just start a nonprofit and raise a bunch of money and do a lot of good. And I've been part of merging nonprofits with the Yakuza Food Bank and the Rice Depot. There's a there's a space in need for a lot. And a lot of these smaller nonprofits just don't have the basic, um, there's not a lot of people who do philanthropy well. You can't just throw an event and call it a day. And there's a lot of on fire fundraising. People come out and say, we have to have this or it's closing down tomorrow. So, you know, being a student of um professional fundraising, there's a lot of missteps you could have. And I saw a lot of that in the community and throughout the state. And so when I started my my kind of consulting business, I took on a lot of small nonprofits. I also took a lot of individuals that just really had large portfolios and were given the, you know, the assignment to go raise a lot of money without a lot of assistance. So I made extra steps in in my consulting to work not only with board members to explain what nonprofits were really all about, work with individuals who were given huge caseloads that had no idea how to manage them, and then work with other small nonprofits to set them up for success. I really enjoyed it. Yeah. There was no money in it, but it was the best three years ever. Right. And uh, but in my in my retirement, I hope I can go back and to do that.

SPEAKER_00 18:15

Well, it sounds like you also, you know, not just not only enjoyable, but you also were taught some lessons that you probably would not have learned inside a large organization. Right.

SPEAKER_01 18:28

Yeah. Yeah. It it um it's definitely not one of those things that'll make you hugely successful, but it's definitely one of those things that are major fulfilling. Right. Um, and having a certain skill set, you want to be able to share that with others. And during that period of my life, um, I was able to do that. Yeah. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 18:47

You mentioned the Arkansas Food Bank. You worked uh worked with them, you worked with the Peel Compton Foundation here in Bentonville.

SPEAKER_01 18:54

They got me up here too. I mean, give me a big project and what I do. I mean, you'll see throughout my career that most of the nonprofits that I've taken on have been working towards something bigger, have been working towards a new alignment or a new phase. So with the Food Bank, they were coming on. They had just received Don W. Randall's money and they were going from a small nonprofit to a big nonprofit. Yes, please. I was definitely signed up for that and I was ready to take that on. I am so proud of my work there. I'm so proud of the team that's still there. Um, because where I started and where I left it, you know, was was just a really that those are the the jobs I want to do. Same with Peel Compton. We got to put a new mission statement together. We got to launch the amenities at Kohler, we got to open Osage. I mean, who gets to do those kinds of things? So when that opportunity came, um, and serving the community, especially for Northwest Arkansas and making lives better. I was on board. Um, and it was only Sam Dean that was able to lure me away, saying, Hey, we need to do this expansion for children and families. And I'm all like, yeah, okay, I like it. And that's what I'm working on now.

SPEAKER_00 20:05

Right.

Defining Philanthropy In Real Terms

SPEAKER_00 20:06

At a high level, how do you define philanthropy? You mentioned it earlier about what it maybe is or isn't, but just how do you define philanthropy?

SPEAKER_01 20:15

There's so many different facets of philanthropy through corporation, through individual giving, through community. I would like to just go back to the basics of your time, talent, treasure. At the basics, if you're loving humankind, it doesn't have to be through a million-dollar gift. While those are nice, um, it's really about what you can give of yourself. And if that's volunteering, coming in and serving others, if it's, you know, writing that check, whether it's $10 or $100, that's what you can. Or people just donating through whatever your talent might be, having an accountant come in and donate their time, you know, coming in and spending an hour of your law services. Um, there's always a way to give back, and that fills, you know, fuels the need of a nonprofit. I think that's or what you should do. I I think that's kind of how the world should work is um we're not here for free. I mean, I I don't think that's that's just kind of how I was raised and kind of what I believe in.

SPEAKER_00 21:21

So um, you know, it's no secret we are in a major philanthropic market. There are some significant uh foundation dialers here, you know, the you mentioned the corporate giving, the individual wealth, the individual donors. Is it harder or easier to raise money in this region compared to other regions? I mean, what's what I guess what's different about the culture of giving in Northwestern? Northwest Arkansas.

SPEAKER_01 21:46

So, yes, I've raised statewide, I've raised in Texas, I've raised central Arkansas and now Northwest Arkansas. It is different up here in that there's not there is very strong philanthropy here. From a lot of established families. Um, but at the same time, there's a lot of new families here that don't have those um, you know, roots per se. And there's some misgivings of someone else will pick up the tab. You know, someone else would be the one to give. But, you know, that has been a little bit more of a challenge for me. But corporations do really do pick up a big part of the tab um for Northwest Arkansas. They are willing to invest and willing to invest in their associates. You know, they want the the quality of life to be great. Um, and that's been one of my challenges in Northwest Arkansas is to make sure that that the individuals that move here and want to be here realize that there is there is a space for them and that there is room for them to make this their home and to give back. And I'm I'm seeing more of an uptick. It's more of conversation and more of learning. Um, it doesn't matter what your what your zip code is, there's opportunity for you to give. If you're going to come here and be here and make this your home, there's opportunity for you to be involved.

SPEAKER_00 23:05

Yeah. I mean, an opportunity and maybe slash responsibility, you know, to be more involved.

SPEAKER_01 23:13

You know, as we go into the next generation of families and foundations, you know, they have every opportunity to change the direction of how they want to give. And that's of major concern to me in that, you know, they they can aspire to look at things differently and, you know, change ambitions, change goals, change, change um what what what they may have different interests in, because the world is changing. So I'm interested to see how this next generation comes forward with where their interests lie and how that affects Northwest Arkansas. Right. Okay.

What The Amazeum Really Is

SPEAKER_00 23:48

All right. The Scott Family Amazium in Bentonville, yeah. Crystal Ridges campus. You've been there, I think, a little over three years. Yes, sir. I've been there. So for anybody listening that has not been to the Amazum, and shame on you if you have not been to the Scott Family Amazum, um, how do you describe it to somebody experiencing it for the first time?

SPEAKER_01 24:09

We are so much more than a children and science museum. We are a place of curiosity and creativity from cradle to career. Um, you can catch us any day on our best day and experience just an amazing amount of hands-on experiences that can be from a newborn to the newborn mother. We want to give everyone the opportunity to learn and be at their best. Um, I think there is so much going on in the world that I think you need a safe place to go with your friends, your family, your children. And that's the amazing. Um, you know, my job is to make sure people not only know about us, but are able to experience us at a, you know, uh an available cost that's accessible to everyone. You know, we offer priceless nights on Wednesdays. Um, you know, our true cost at the door is over $25. Yet we charge $10 less than that. So it is an important part of our community that there is a place that you can go and feel safe, no matter what age, creed, race, religion you are, and you can go and be there and be yourself with your family.

SPEAKER_00 25:28

So for you personally, then, what makes this your job and at this place um so rewarding among all the things that you've done in your career? Um, what does it mean to you personally to do what you do and for this for this place?

SPEAKER_01 25:43

So I've always been someone who wants to be somewhere where I can see where the rubber hits the road. So, you know, if you're having a bad day, you can walk out onto the floor and you get to guide a field trip and you get to see children getting off a school bus who have never been there before. I mean, it happened just last week, Paul. Four buses came from Missouri, and these kids are like cheering you on like you're a superstar. And that's all I needed for the day. I'm all like, I'll go write a grant to anyone. I'll stay late, I'll I'll do another event for you because they have never seen something like this. And they want to come and play and have fun and do arts and do climbing walls and learn about, you know, we had a traveling exhibit from India about India. So they were learning about India that day. And learning that curiosity and what they were creating and working um side by side with their classmates. It was awesome. It was everything that I could have ever dreamed, you know. So why not? Why not make someone else's life better?

SPEAKER_00 26:49

So if I need to ask you to do something, I just need a cheer for you and give you some applause and some cheer in your own.

SPEAKER_01 26:54

Yes, I work for I work for cheers. I definitely work for the praise. There's no doubt about it. That's fun.

Leading A $25M Expansion Campaign

SPEAKER_00 27:01

All right. So you mentioned the capital campaign, the construction, the the expansion that's going on right now, the expanding future campaign. Yeah, $25 million initiative. You've got the backyard, the hangout, the early learning advancement center, all those things, DLAC are going to be added to the Amazum. You were pretty, you were very publicly out in front of this as the chief uh philanthropy officer of the Amazon when we're when we're working on that goal. What does it take to lead a campaign at this scale uh in this market when you don't have the finish line in front of you?

SPEAKER_01 27:36

Well, you know, thank you for that, Paul. I appreciate that question. So we all know that this community is expanding. And to be truly honest, this building, we're already, we mean we've done the work, like we're already, this is already something we're building in that we're gonna fill it up right away. Like we're already gonna be at capacity when we fill this up. $25 million is nothing to bat an eye at. The price kept increasing through COVID and through, you know, construction prices. So um we had to make a really quick decision in like what was gonna be first on this construction ballot because you know, we heard we heard from the community they wanted to see more access for early learners and more access for our teens. You know, the Amazum really hits that sweet spot from two to 12. But what are we doing for those early learners? What are we doing for our youth and teens? Where like what are we gonna do? So we decided to focus on a building that really celebrates those early learners and those caregivers. Everyone that starts out needs the ability, um, especially in Arkansas. We have, we have some serious learning issues in terms of before they get to kindergarten, before they even get to pre-K, what are we doing? How are we addressing that problem? And that's where the Amazum comes in. It's so much more than a museum. You know, Sam Dean, our CEO, likes to say we're a movement, but we're a movement in that we're providing some of the best programming nationally, not just regionally, nationally. We're national leaders and part of a learning ecosystem that allows us to celebrate not just early learners, but their caregivers as first teachers. Yeah. You know, we have to empower them to know, oh, these are signs that maybe there's a problem. And this will avoid our kids from having to be in therapy in grade three or grade four. So Amazum is doing some really, really cool work, and the building will be part of that. So the Early Learning Advancement Center will not just be a place for you to come and play, but playful learning with your with your youngest under six. The hangout is a really great nod to our community. Um, as you said, we're on Crystal Bridges right next door. We've got Whole Health, we've got the awesome. We work with their students all the time. They came in for an adult night and did an awesome heart um well, not heart dissection during Valentine's Day. They're great students. We love having them on our building, but it's a place where people can come and kind of converge and be together. Um so that doesn't have a paywall, the hangout will be a space where our kids can come and eat. Um, we envision having family game nights there, but it's a space really that the community wanted to see just come decompress and be. So for our youth, um a building isn't going up quite as fast, but we are focused on programming for our youth. Um, we have a youth makers um market that we do throughout the community. So we are answering it in a different light in that we're addressing um, you know, 12 to 16, 18-year-olds addressing what they need through our programming. And then this campaign will really address that backyard space as well. So I'm about 18 million in. Hopefully by the time this airs, I'll be at 20 million in. But I I think the community is continually ready to support this because these are things they want to see. Again, it's that quality of life, it's opportunity, not just for Northwest Arkansas. We've got visitors from all over the country that come as a destination. It doesn't hurt that Crystal Bridges is the neighbor, right? But when you come to Northwest Arkansas, you want to stay and make this um, I mean, it's a tourist attraction.

SPEAKER_00 31:16

Yeah, I'm I'm glad you mentioned that uh about the people that come from all over the country and the world too. I mean, do you ever when you pull into your driveway in the parking lot there to work, do you just stop and think, you know, you're expanding. Crystal Bridges is opening their expansion this summer. You have a four-year medical school with Stanford Medicine as the partner next door, just all this growth on the Crystal Bridges campus where you get to go and work every day. It's it's amazing.

SPEAKER_01 31:41

It's it's it's bonkers. Yeah. It's it's really great, but I wouldn't have it any other way. And but isn't that to say about all of Northwest Arkansas? You take a turn and it's like, wow, this is developing. And it really just lends itself to who we are in this region of the state. And it's what attracts people here is because we're kind of that community of doers. We're that community of believers and dreamers, but where everyone's ready to jump in and be a part of that. So um, yeah, the amazing ecosystem. It is that kind of um place for collaborators to come together with ideas. Yeah.

Access Beyond The Museum Walls

SPEAKER_00 32:24

I want to go back to something you said about, you know, one of the major tenants of the Amazum is the access, right? And you recently partnered with uh the airport X and A to have a new children's place space as part of the concourse uh expansion out there. Um what does it mean to to expand the Amazum's reach beyond your walls? I mean, in this case, really a long way beyond your walls out to the airport.

SPEAKER_01 32:48

Who better to do it than the amazum, right? And I I hope I hope you continue to see our work throughout. This is not our first project off campus. We love, love, love doing these projects. And you'll see more of that um in time to come. We just turned 10, Paul. We're we're very young in museum years, but our work continues to outpace um any other museum that that I've ever seen. Um X and A. So this will be um opening this summer as well. So we are seeing more flights and more visitors than any other regional airport in our state. So we, you know, beat out little rock. Um and with that comes the responsibility of welcoming people and making people feel comfortable, right? So we've got a really great airport and an opportunity there to make families feel great. So what does X and A do? They call us to say, hey, there's a children's space, and we're our we TC the design. It is amazing. Of course, that's in our name, but it is going to be a really hands-on place, not just for kids, but for adults too. When you're sitting waiting for your flight, you know, we hate that the that the walking had to go away. The other the state's only uh walkable.

SPEAKER_00 34:04

Yeah, the um, yeah, the the moving moving walkway, yes.

SPEAKER_01 34:09

Had to had to depart. But you might see some of those parts in some of the things we're doing. But what there it'll be a great place for kids to explore why they're waiting on a flight. Um, they'll be learning what a flight is, they'll be actually doing some hands-on opportunities there. So um it it launches this summer. We we are ready to to be a partner and to make sure that whoever's coming or going into this region knows a little bit about um the discovery of flight, um any fears that they have will be put aside and that we're good partners in welcoming people to our community. Sure.

SPEAKER_00 34:44

All right.

Work Life Balance With Teens

SPEAKER_00 34:45

So uh speaking of the community, you know, you and your husband Scott, you're raising two teenagers here in Binville. And yes, we are. And you're and you're both leading, you know, very, you know, demanding professional lives, public-facing lives. So, how do you how do you think about work-life balance in in this season of your life here?

SPEAKER_01 35:04

I mean, it is a hot potato job, you know, and that's kind of how Scott and I met was through development, you know, his love of building big buildings and my love of raising the money for it. So, um, two kids. Sloan is, you know, in high school now. She is thriving, and we she is just doing amazing, you know. I think serving the community, she was just part of the Heart Association Sweetheart Call. Um, that made me super proud seeing her give service back. Um, we're really happy with the school system here. We're really, um that was one of the struggles I had, you know, in other communities. Um, but proud, proud to balance work, work in life because it needs to look a little bit like I think in nonprofit, you're able to do both. I think that's why I chose this career. If I am not able to be a mom at my job, I don't I didn't know that I'd be able to be correct, be a parent. Um, and it's a little bit different for my son. Thomas is on the autism spectrum. Um, so I have to be much more hands-on with him. And my career fortunately does allow me to have a little bit more hands-on with him. So um, work-wife balance. I don't know what that is. I don't think it exists. I think some days I'm really awesome at being a mom, and I think some days I'm really awesome at being in the office. And I I think I choose what days to be champion at some. But as you said, I like to cheerlead through it all. And some days I'm gonna miss and some days I'm gonna score.

SPEAKER_00 36:39

So, as a champion and a cheerleader, you know, what kind of example do you hope your kids see through your work with the Amazing?

SPEAKER_01 36:46

I hope that they're kind to others. I hope that they're kind to each other. I want them to really step up. Um, I want them to step up for people that don't have a voice. And obviously Thomas has a different situation, but I hope they advocate for others. And I mean, at the at the end of the day, you know, you want to be strong in yourself, but you you also want to be strong for others. So I hope that they see that I know when I had an opportunity when you have an opportunity to speak up for yourself or for someone else, that they do that.

Writing Dreams And Journalism Heroes

SPEAKER_00 37:18

Do you um I know you said you were you were hellbent on journalism and media and college. Do you still write any? Do you still how do you feed that if you do?

SPEAKER_01 37:29

So I think that's something I we had to do uh we we just went through a leadership um training for work, and we had to do something that was on our bucket list, and I was like, oh, I'm gonna write a book. I there definitely are chapters that I've started in my book. I don't know if it'll be about my DC days. I was gonna say, what would your book be about? Well, there's definitely a book about being a Hill rat and living that life. I have to I taught I talk to a lot of the alum from the Hillrat days, and we definitely have some chapters in there. Um, but I also want to write about philanthropy and about giving of oneself. I think there's something there in terms of how um how to enrich people and how Arkansas is part of that story. Um, being raised here and being able to come back here several times in different capacities and what Arkansas's given to me.

SPEAKER_00 38:24

Who were your 22-year-old Jennifer Martinez? Who were your media heroes in Arkansas? Who were your journalism people that you looked up to or read religiously, or who did you think hung the moon?

SPEAKER_01 38:38

Such a I'm I'm gonna nerd everybody out, but um you know, it was probably local journalism. I was a stringer, so if you were, is this my turn to talk about absolutely okay? Yeah, or I'd cut my bug. So, okay. If you were a really good writer, which Amber Manasco and I were roommates, so we're also okay at writing. Okay. And one of our professors was the great, and is he's still with us, the great Ernie Dumas, who you know because you were a journalism major. Ernie Dumas, I have to hold up my book.

SPEAKER_00 39:16

Um is on the Mount Rushmore of Arkansas journalism.

SPEAKER_01 39:21

Best. He was a professor after after his time um with the paper. He um Ernie Dumas was a professor at UCA because this ties us back to UCA. And so if we finished our writing assignments, he would sit on the edge of his desk and he would talk to us about his time of following Arkansas politics. Because remember, I wasn't political. Yeah, I just really, really loved to write stories. So he was sat on the edge of his desk and talked to us about um his time with Bill Clinton, his time with um following prior, his time with all these Arkansas greats. And it was more about his journey in storytelling that I just adored. And it was more of getting access to the story that I really loved. So my beloved writers were like, Ernie Dumas, right now it's Rex Nelson. It's it's um, I loved um, I forgot to think of her name from channel four. I mean, I was in love with Carolyn Long when I was little. I knew Burr Edson. I mean, I was a local down home kind of get the news.

SPEAKER_02 40:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 40:30

Um, I had a hard time going from print to TV. That was a really hard, I didn't know where that was gonna lie. And being a student in the 90s, you know, we were the first ones at UCA to get a um email because we were communications students because the internet came out and they didn't know how what we're gonna do. And it was really hard because everyone was sharing print's gonna die, print's gonna die. Don't be a print major because you'll have to go online. You'll have to become, you know, someone else will get your job. So I remember that being a big thing. But you know, I used to read Law Cabin, Law Cabin, because I was at in Conway and um I was a stringer there. So I I mean, I was really into print writing. I mean, it is been hard for me to not get. I still get the Sunday paper, but I don't get the daily paper. But that was that was where all the smart people lived. You know, we lived in the paper. And yeah, not to be offensive, but that's where you got your really great news. That's where you read every day, and that was my drive. So it's gonna read the newspaper every day. That's where I get news. I mean, just like you said, that's where I get my newspaper. I didn't necessarily, I went from being, you know, maybe a TV buff to really looking at um print. And I I loved it, but you know, the whole now online thing was really ridiculous.

SPEAKER_00 41:50

And this book you have here for people who are or not uh watching but are listening, The Education of Arnie Dumas, this is a new book. I didn't know this until you brought it in today.

SPEAKER_01 41:58

Oh again. And I'm gonna have to borrow that. He changed um the direction of my career in life just because of his work and his storytelling. He taught me to be a great writer, not just a great writer, but a great journalist. Um, but I took that career all the way to Washington, D.C. If it weren't for um Mr. Dumas, I I don't know what I have done. I would have went to work for Randy Dixon at Channel 7. Yep. Um, probably still would have had a an okay great career. Sure. But or maybe not. Maybe Randy wouldn't have hired me. Well, you have to That was my plan.

SPEAKER_00 42:32

That was my plan. You'll have to give me a report on that book. Okay. All right.

What Makes NWA Different

SPEAKER_00 42:36

So you've seen Arkansas from uh, you know, a national level and now a very hyper-local level. Um, you know, what what makes, you know, in Northwest Arkansas, speaking of news, is in a lot of news headlines pretty much every day. What makes Northwest Arkansas um special right now?

SPEAKER_01 42:53

Oh, so many things. There's so many wonderful things happening in this area. I, you know, one of the things that drew kind of brought me here was the fact of the yes and um you'll get that from Kayleen, you'll get that from Kayleen Griffins with the the visit Batonville. But just the attitude of Northwest Arkansas. I've never, you know, being a nonprofit um in different areas of the state, we we hide everyone would hide the list. You don't share the secret sauce. Here, the secret sauce, the recipe is like here are the ingredients, here's a recipe, here's the first taste. Everyone is open, honest, and willing to really share how to win because all tides rise, you know. It really is that feeling of, oh, you have an idea or you have a problem. I know someone who can help you with that. I've never been around a community that's more um open to collaboration. I mean, even with the new STEM school, hey, let's let's get in line. You, you're, I mean, we've already had the first meeting, or you know, hey, this new Art something is coming up. It is, it is all hands on deck, everyone's at the table, and your voice is heard.

SPEAKER_00 44:06

It's really unique. So here's your chance to be open and honest then for this question over the next decade. What is this region going to need from its nonprofit and philanthropic leaders over the next eight to 10 years?

SPEAKER_01 44:20

We have to continue to collaborate. We have to continue to be forward thinkers and not chase what everyone else is chasing. We're going to have to pass and say no on some things. I think people look for um philanthropy to, you know, usually our role has been to fill in those gaps. But I think in the direction that Northwest Arkansas is going, those gaps are going to need to be left emptied. And we're going to have to be looking towards new futures like AI. We need to be able to move at the pace that our industry and that our community needs us to move and not a local standard because we're not, we're not the standard. We are exceptional. And that's what I've seen in this region is we can't think just basic. We have to keep up with a really high standard. So in the nonprofit industry where there are those gaps, I don't think we think today we have to think way in advance of what our students are going to need, what our community is going to need. Um it's it's at a different level.

SPEAKER_00 45:34

Well, listen, um, this has been

UCA Pride And Advice To Grads

SPEAKER_00 45:36

great. I want to get a couple of UCA thoughts from you in uh as we as we wind down. I mentioned that you're uh one of the founding members of our uh first UCA Northwest Arkansas Advisory Council. Um so glad that you said yes. Yeah, really. Of course. Glad that you said this. So what is one thing about UCA, maybe a feather in our cap, or one thing that we do really well that you wish Northwest Arkansas knew more about? What do you think Northwest Arkansas should know more about UCA?

SPEAKER_01 46:03

Um, and you and Rive, you've talked about this. It's it should no longer be a secret. Um, you know, it's kind of now that inside joke with the the best kept secret. And I now you don't want to be a best kept secret. I think the secret's out. I I think that the next chapter of UCA has unfolded. And I think now that you get into an industry, go ahead and ask. And when you see someone excelling at something, go ahead and ask where they're from, you know, where they're undergrad. And you're not, you're you won't be surprised that they're from UCA. You know, I'll be having lunch and I'll say something and they'll say, Oh, I forgot to tell you, I went to UCA, and I'm all like, okay, you're in, you know, and and praising them and bringing them along. I think we haven't been good stewards of always bringing that along, like maybe, maybe the University of Arkansas has been. Um, and I encourage everyone, maybe, I mean, the Red Wolves too, they're they're really great at bringing their alumni alum along as well. I think that's something for one of the things that I'm earmarking for myself up here is like, oh, you're you're a UCA grad, follow me. You know, you're in, you're invited. And then I've started that now with some of the things that I have control of giving access to. But um we are small and mighty, but you you see our success. I mean, look at, you know, Dr. Missy Clifton. I mean, she is a phenomenal doctor um with her premier dermatology. Um, half of the ambassadors you have, I mean, there's there's so many different people that are powerhouses up here and throughout the whole state. And I think we just need to give a nod to each other, like, hey, we don't have to be a secret. Um, we just, I think not everyone's braggadocious about it, but I think if you dig a little bit and be like, do you know where they went to school? Um, so I'm happy to be that cheerleader and advocate and be like, I know where they went to school. And I just have to say it.

SPEAKER_00 47:57

If you were a cheerleader and an advocate for a um UCA grad that's coming up here in a few weeks, uh a newly minted graduate of the University of Central Arkansas, what advice would you give them?

SPEAKER_01 48:08

Besides meeting Paul. Bullet point one. Bullet point one, introduce yourself to Paul Gowin. Um I would say join and in LinkedIn's been a really great thing, but to really um dig in and join, be a joiner, um, whether that's through your local rotary chamber, um be invested in what's happening in that community. Um, we have really unique, different systems, whether it be Springdale, Rogers, Lowell, Betonville, Fayetteville, everyone has kind of a different, while we're all really great collaborators, there's opportunities for you to join in and then bring that network back into the UCA network. You're you're gonna meet someone that's gonna know or benefit from that alumni. And you can then use that. So, so network, whether it's joining, like I said, uh, if you for for nonprofits, we do AFP, which is fundraising professionals, there's construction professionals, there's you know, interior design professionals, join your local, you know, professional network, but then also get involved involved, whether it's rotary, koanas, lions. Um, you know, I'm a big Rotarian, and that's important work to me. But at the same time, get involved, network, and then the rest will will come to you.

SPEAKER_00 49:41

Yeah, I've said it before and I will say it many other times. I'm a I'm a big believer in networks and networking, and we've all seen the headline um recently of uh that Arkansas is the most popular destination for people to move to uh uh last year. Now, whether that's uh based in deep fact or not, that's up for debate, but it's uh that's it's out there in a lot, a lion's share of that is here in Northwest Arkansas. But overall, there are a lot of people moving to Northwest Arkansas that weren't 30 years ago, 40 years ago. We used to be uh and still are, you know, a very parochial state, but now there are uh mentioned it before, there are people from anywhere and everywhere who are moving to Arkansas. So network with those people. You never know who you might meet, you never know where your network will lead you to.

SPEAKER_01 50:27

And just say yes. Unless you upset, say yes. If someone asks you to a lunch, if someone asks you to participate and join on a board, if someone asks you to be on a council or serve on a committee, say yes. Right. I mean, the experience, I mean, the opportunities that I've had and I've said yes to um might lead to a lot of exhausting days, but at the same time, those are experiences that have always led to a next open door or open opportunity. So, you know, serve and you'll get you'll get to where you need to be.

SPEAKER_00 51:00

Very good. All right.

Ungala Invite And Final Thanks

SPEAKER_00 51:01

Jennifer, this has been um as fun as I thought it would be.

SPEAKER_01 51:04

Oh, good.

SPEAKER_00 51:05

Enjoy it. Uh, is there anything that you would um you'd like people to know about the Amazum or how to support uh the work that you're doing before we go?

SPEAKER_01 51:13

The Amazum will be hosting our one annual um event that we have all year at the Ungala, um, April the 17th. Um it is for adults only. Yeah, a lot of fun 21 and over, Chris. Yeah, you've you've attended. Um, it's a really great time for you to just, you know, kick off the fancy suit, come as you are and play, play, play. Um, adults get to be themselves and they get to to be a little curious and wander around. We'll have different activations, we'll have a lot of great food, a lot of great fun. And so I encourage everyone to check out emasium.org and come and check us out. Perfect. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 51:50

All right. Jennifer Martinez Belt, University of Central Arkansas class of 1999. The chief philanthropy officer at the Scott Family Amazum in Bentonville. And a proud member of the Northwest Arkansas Advisory Council for Alma Moderate UCA. So thanks for your friendship and for your leadership. And really, uh, for me personally, really appreciate you being here. Thanks very much. All right, and my continued appreciation to all of you who who tune in and watch us here on Central to NWA, a UCA podcast. Until next time, go Bears. That's it for this episode of Central to NWA, a UCA podcast. I'm Paul Gatling, Senior Director of Northwest Arkansas Engagement for the University of Central Arkansas. Be sure to subscribe to the show and follow UCA on all the appropriate social media. I'll see you next time on Central to NWA.