About Us

PRESIDENT / PUBLISHER AY MEDIA GROUP Heather Baker is the president and publisher of AY Media Group, home to AY Magazine and Arkansas Money & Politics—two of Arkansas’s most influential statewide media platforms. An award-winning journalist and media executive, Heather has received numerous honors throughout her nearly 30-year career in publishing, journalism, leadership and community […]

EDITOR-AT-LARGE Dwain Hebda is president of Ya!Mule Wordsmiths in Little Rock. A writer, editor and journalist of some 30 years, his work appears in more than 30 publications in four states. Nebraskan by birth, Southern by the grace of God, he and his wife, Darlene, have four grown children and two lovely dogs.

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Besides treasured time with my two children and grandchildren, I love entertainment: books, music, movies. I am a writer, and I like William Faulkner’s advice to writers, “Read, read, read. Read everything — trash, classics, good and bad.” I have a long list of favorite authors, including Hemingway, Michener, F. Scott Fitzgerald, […]

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE I am an Arkansas native, born and raised in Little Rock. I am a graduate of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with a degree in Liberal Arts. I enjoy the outdoors and play competitive tennis year round. I have one son who is my world and love being with my […]

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE After graduating from Bryant High School, Karen attended UA Little Rock where she majored in public relations with a minor in dance. She has spent more than 35 years of her career as an account executive in the cosmetic industry and is also the first professional, licensed boxing judge in the state […]

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Carrie is an Arkansas native who was born and raised in Little Rock. After attending the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Carrie obtained her Series 7, Insurance, and Real Estate Licenses. She is a sales and marketing professional with a proven track record of over 20 years of experience in brand […]

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Michelle was born and raised in Arkansas and graduated from the University of Arkansas. She owned her own business for 18 years. She is a seasoned sales and marketing executive with over 23 years experience. She loves helping her clients with print and digital advertising strategies. She has two children and her […]

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE PUBLISHER Hilarious. Hard-working. Those are a couple of the attributes Jessica Everson says people use to describe her (at least when they want something). Jessica graduated from UALR with a degree in history and a minor in sociology. But since she doesn’t actively use her history background at work, she’s content […]

SALES ASSISTANT A recent graduate of Hendrix College in Conway, Katie Beth Smith is helping streamline processes and improve client support as sales assistant at AY Media Group. Research and attention to detail are crucial to her role, for which she helps in spearheading company promotions, audience engagement and other activities. While at Hendrix, she […]

ADVERTISING ASSISTANT Claire Oden is the Advertising Assistant at AY Media Group, where she assists the sales team with research and help verify information to support their work. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Middle Tennessee State University with a degree in Audio Production. While living in Nashville, Claire interned at Digital Audio Post Inc., […]

PRODUCTION MANAGER

ADVERTISING COORDINATOR ASSISTANT Maggie Holloway is the Advertising Coordinator Assistant at AY Media Group, where she enjoys helping Arkansas businesses share their stories and connect with their communities. A Magma Cum Laude graduate of the University of Central Arkansas with a degree in Public Relations and Communication, Maggie has a background in marketing, social media, […]

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Lora has been a graphic designer for over 20 years. To her, layout design is like a puzzle; an exciting challenge to get all the pieces fitted together to create the perfect picture. Since family is at the center of her life and hers all live out of state, she travels frequently and […]

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Lee has been a designer in the Little Rock market for nearly 30 years and for four years before that in Washington, DC. His experience ranges from public relations work with Fortune 500s to a large national family and marriage ministry as well as a statewide health insurance company. His primary role has […]

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Jerry Cordova hails from the Chicagoland area, yet has spent most of his adult life in Central Arkansas. He lands at AY Magazine with a degree in Fine Arts and over 20 years of Graphic Art expertise. As a past small business owner himself, he thrives at showcasing individuals and businesses uniqueness through […]

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Jacksonville-based writer and editor Mak Millard has won awards across multiple categories for both AY About You and Arkansas Money & Politics, from environmental and health writing to business, politics and lifestyle coverage. Mak also manages advertorial content for both publications and the annual Mental Health Guide. A Hendrix College graduate, Mak served […]

MANAGING DIGITAL EDITOR Social media, web and graphic design is my passion. While I don’t know everything, and I’m learning every day, one thing I know for sure is that helping others succeed absolutely makes me thrive. When I’m able to help a person or business grow, it makes everything you go through worth it. […]

ONLINE WRITER Kilee Hall discovered her love for writing at a very early age, and began writing music at just eight years old. This passion continued into her adult years as she obtained a bachelor’s degree in public relations with a minor in Spanish from the University of Central Arkansas. After college, Kilee gained experience […]

EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Having grown up on a farm in Nebraska, Darlene Hebda learned the value of hard work and integrity. She has used those lessons and her customer service skills in the insurance industry where she has worked for a home office, an agency and a brokerage firm. She has also used those same skills […]

TRAVEL EDITOR Born in Paragould and reared in Jonesboro, Joe David Rice probably knows Arkansas as well as anyone alive. A former owner of an outfitting business on the Buffalo National River, he served under five governors as the state’s tourism director. Later this year his Arkansas Backstories, a collection of essays on the state’s lesser-known […]

COPY EDITOR Sarah DeClerk is an Arkansas native who has served as board member and president for the Arkansas Society of Professional Journalists. She worked as a special sections writer for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, where she coordinated the weekly Homes Arkansas section, as well as award-winning magazines Downtown Little Rock and Real Weddings Arkansas, among […]

AMP EDITOR Mark Carter began his journey in journalism at the Southwest Times-Record in Fort Smith beginning in 1989. Since then, he’s covered business, politics and more for Arkansas Business; a little bit of everything including news and sports for The Leader in Jacksonville; dabbled in corporate communications for outfits such as Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, CARTI and […]

STAFF WRITER Doug brings ten years of journalism experience to AY, having written for the Conway Log Cabin Democrat, the Pine Bluff Commercial, the Southwest Times-Record of Fort Smith and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. During his time at the ADG, his sports writing, human-interest pieces and investigative writing won both statewide and national awards. He comes […]

STAFF WRITER Alex Hardgrave is an Indiana native who moved to Arkansas a few years ago after graduating from Indiana University with degrees in English and journalism. She’s previously worked for publications including The Indiana Daily Student, The Warrick Standard, Little Rock City Lifestyle and The Oregonian. Outside of her journalistic work, Alex enjoys creative […]

CEO Vicki Vowell is the founder and CEO of AY Media Group (formerly Vowell, Inc.), a multimedia company that specializes in niche-market publishing. AY Media Group publishes AY Magazine (About You), a lifestyle magazine, and Arkansas Money & Politics (Arkansas’ premier business and political magazine). Ms. Vowell, a native of Harrison who studied journalism at the University of […]