Water Damage Restoration in Forth Smith, AR

Rebecca Cowan, the person the Fort Smith Board of Directors hired to fill the position of internal auditor, is out of jail on a signature bond for a fugitive of justice violation, which is a felony charge.

The board on Tuesday (April 22) unanimously approved a resolution to hire Cowan for the position of internal auditor with an annual salary of $110,000.02.

The city issued a press release Wednesday announcing the board’s decision to hire Cowan. The internal auditor and city administrator positions for the city are the only two positions directly hired by the board of directors.

The primary role of an internal auditor is to lead efforts to ensure efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability across all city departments.

Cowan, 48, was booked into the Sebastian County Jail June 7, 2024, on a fugitive from justice out of state warrant stemming from a felony stalking charge in Leflore County, Oklahoma. She was released on bond June 10, according to the booking report by the Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office.

Cowan, who is scheduled for court in Poteau on May 21, is charged with a felony but is not a convicted felon.

Her scheduled start date to begin as the internal auditor is May 27. Cowan was hired to fill the position left vacant when Tracey Shockley left April 1, 2024, after nine years with the city.

The city hired SGR, a Keller, Texas-based executive recruitment firm, to help fill the position. A simple Internet search would have discovered Cowan’s legal situation, so it is unclear the extent of background vetting conducted by SGR or the city.

City staff and elected officials did not respond to numerous attempts Wednesday for comment about the hiring process or the status of Cowan’s hiring.

The office vacancy rate in Northwest Arkansas fell to a 15-year low in the first quarter of 2025 as the region continues to outperform national trends across the commercial real estate sector, according to a new real estate report.

On Thursday (April 24), Cushman & Wakefield / Sage Partners released the first quarter of 2025 Market Report showing the office vacancy rate fell to 4.4%, the lowest level since 2010 and well below the national average of 13.9% and the 10-year area average of 10%.

Over the past 12 months, the area office market had net absorption of 1.5 million square feet as national trends continued to reflect negative absorption levels.

“Office demand in Northwest Arkansas is remarkably robust, even as many markets across the country face oversupply,” said Marshall Saviers, CEO and principal at Cushman & Wakefield / Sage Partners. “The region’s strong fundamentals, the return to office trends, and business growth continue to drive this trend.”

According to the report, the region’s retail and industrial sectors are also strong. Retail vacancy fell to a low of 3.25% in the first quarter, while March sales tax collections rose 13.3% from the same month last year. Bentonville led with an 80% increase, reporting record monthly revenue. Industrial demand became stable after it declined in late 2024, with 87,824 square feet of positive absorption in the first quarter. Rents and demand for flex industrial space continue to rise.

Following are some first-quarter highlights. • Venture capital investment in Northwest Arkansas exceeded $28 million, focused on health care and supply chain technology. • Construction began on OZ Trails’ first chairlift-served mountain bike park in Bella Vista. • The Alice L. Walton Foundation advanced plans for specialty health care campuses in Bentonville and Rogers. • Northwest Arkansas National Airport enplanements rose by 9% from the first quarter of 2024.

The Fort Smith Board of Directors agreed on a replacement for the city’s internal auditor position during a special called meeting Tuesday (April 22), finally filling a void that has been vacant for more than a year.

The board unanimously approved a resolution to hire Rebecca Cowan for the position of internal auditor with an annual salary of $110,000.02. Her start date will be May 27. Cowan will fill the position left vacant when Tracey Shockley left April 1, 2024, after nine years with the city.

As director of internal audit, Cowan will lead efforts to ensure efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability across all city departments, according to the city.

The city contacted with accounting firm Baker Tilly for auditing services until an internal auditor could be found, paying $10,000 a month for that service.

While many on the board believed Baker Tilly was doing a good job, they agreed the role needs to be done by someone working for the city. On Feb. 27, the board agreed it wanted to expedite the process of filling the position.

“It doesn’t seem like it (having an outside company handling the audit) helps fight corruption or being on top of things,” said Director Christina Catsavis. “I think we definitely need to have an internal auditor. We need someone who is accountable, who is visible, and who we can point to that can answer our questions.”

The city hired SGR, a Keller, Texas-based executive recruitment firm, to help fill the position.

Cowan is an “experienced, results-oriented internal audit professional with a demonstrated history of working in the healthcare, global retail, logistics and state agency,” according to her resume. She is a senior accountant at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, a position she has held since October 2022.

Prior to that, she was a consultant team member for Partner Advisory Network in Fort Smith for two years. Past work history includes an internal audit manager for Walmart in Bentonville, senior internal auditor for ArcBest in Fort Smith, and account compliance manager with USA Truck in Van Buren.

She has an associate’s degree from UAFS and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro.

The Fort Smith Public Schools (FSPS) Board of Education voted Wednesday to interview three finalists — all from Arkansas and one who is now a school district employee — for the position of superintendent of schools.

The board went with the recommendation of McPherson Jacobson LLC, the search company helping the district find a new superintendent, to interview Jason Black, Ann Martfeld, and Martin Mahan for the top position in the district. None of the finalists chosen have a doctorate degree.

Black is the deputy superintendent for Conway Public Schools, a position he has held for just over three years. He first went to work for CPS in 2021, when he was hired as the assistant superintendent of operations and administrative services. Black was the superintendent for the Smackover (Arkansas) School District for three years. Prior to that, he was the director of special federal programs for the Hallsville Independent School District in Texas.

Black has degrees from Louisiana Tech University and Texas A&M University. He has a superintendent certification from Texas A&M. He has 20 years experience in education in roles as teacher, coach, assistant principal, principal, director and superintendent.

Martfeld is a Fort Smith native and graduate of Southside High School. She is one of two assistant superintendents at Pea Ridge Public Schools. She has been employed by Pea Ridge Public Schools since 2019. She was principal at Siloam Springs High School from July 2018 to July 2019. She also was an assistant principal for Springdale Public Schools.

She has a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Arkansas and a master’s degree and education specialist degree from Arkansas State University.

Mahan is the deputy superintendent of FSPS, a position he has held since December 2020. During his tenure with FSPS, Mahan has held a variety of roles, including assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction, assistant superintendent of human resources and campus support, executive director of human resources and director of secondary education, among others.

He has a bachelor’s degree in education from Henderson State University and a master’s degree in education from the University of Arkansas. He also holds an educational specialist degree from Arkansas Tech University.

Dr. Ken James with McPherson Jacobson said though it was a short search period, the position had 20 applicants from several different states.

“You may be worried that all three are from the state of Arkansas,” James said. “We did not find any of the outside (of the state) candidates that met all criteria and had enough experience. … Those from the states had some good experiences, but they did not compare.”

The FSPS Board of Education will interview the finalists the first week of April with the goal of naming a superintendent by mid-April.

The FSPS school board agreed during a special called meeting Feb. 3 to expedite the search for a new superintendent of schools, setting a Feb. 20 deadline for applications.

Former Superintendent Dr. Terry Morawski submitted his resignation Jan. 17 with his last day to be June 30. This is the third time in the past eight years that the FSPS has had to fill the top administrative position. Dr. Benny Gooden, who was the district superintendent for 30 years, retired in 2016. He was first hired as FSPS superintendent in 1986. Dr. Doug Brubaker was hired as the superintendent in December 2016, starting his career with the district on Jan. 18, 2017. He left at the end of 2020 to take the superintendent position of Texarkana (Texas) Independent School District. Morawski, who had served as the district’s deputy superintendent since 2018, took over the position Jan. 4, 2021.