Royal moves to Development, Fowler joins staff
39007FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Merritt Royal, who has served as administrative associate to Vice President for Agriculture Milo Shult in the Fayetteville office since 1994, was appointed director of development for the Cooperative Extension Service in July.
Sophia Fowler, who is coming from Philadelphia where she was controller/business manager at the Awbury Arboretum, filled the administrative associate position Oct. 9.
The administrative associate's duties include managing the Agricultural Development Council, which provides for collection, investment and disbursal of funds donated to Division of Agriculture programs.
Royal is a Fayetteville native with a B.S. degree in communication from the U of A. She joined the Division in September 1989 as an hourly assistant in International Agriculture and was soon promoted to project director. She moved to a secretary position in Horticulture for a short time before joining the vice president's staff as administrative assistant (later associate) in 1994.
"I am really excited about being a member of the Division's development team," Royal said. She will remain on campus and coordinate her efforts for CES development programs with Chuck Culver and Mark Power, development directors for the Division and Bumpers College, respectively.
The position Royal is leaving, "has given me the opportunity to comprehend the full scope of the Division and how it benefits Arkansans," Royal said. "I am very appreciative and feel that it has helped prepare me for my new job."
Fowler is a native of Colts Neck, N.J., and has a B.S. degree in business from American Sentinel University in Englewood, Colo. She has 15 years of accounting and office management experience, including managing human resources and accounting for one for-profit and two non-profit organizations at Awbury Arboretum.
Fowler, whose husband, George Fowler, is head of library systems for the U of A Libraries, has also been internal auditor for Lawn Doctor, regional administrative manager for Brinks, Inc., and a U.S government purchasing agent and contracting officer.