Jena Compton will join Simmons First National Corp. in September as executive vice president-chief people officer and assistant general counsel. Compton has served since November 2012 as the senior vice president for human resources for Acxiom Corp. in Little Rock. She joined Acxiom in 2000 as a staff attorney.
Compton received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville in 1995, graduating summa cum laude. She received her law degree from the University of Arkansas Law School with high honors in 1997.
At Simmons, Compton will be involved in all areas of human resources. These will include organizational effectiveness, talent acquisition, talent management, benefits, compensation, leadership development and employment compliance. She will be charged with implementing a reorganization plan for the human resources and training departments while providing advice and counsel on employment law matters. She will play a key role in the business achieving its goals with a focus on the workforce.
At Acxiom, Compton managed a multimillion-dollar benefits and human resources budget while leading almost 100 employees in six countries. She acted as the company representative in all compensation committee meetings and regularly made presentations to the Acxiom board.
“Jena brings vast experience in the areas of human resources, leadership development and organizational effectiveness to our company,” said Simmons chairman and CEO George Makris. “We look to Jena to help us transform our people practices and make us one of the best places to work in central Arkansas and all the states in which we do business. She will play a vital role in improving our culture and developing our talent as our company continues to grow.”
Simmons now has more than $7.6 billion in total assets and operations in four states – Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Tennessee.
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Murphy Oil Corporation (NYSE: MUR) announced that Kelly L. Whitley has been named Vice President, Investor Relations and Communications assuming the role previously held by Barry Jeffery who has taken a new role as Vice President, Insurance, Security and Risk. Whitley will oversee the Investor Relations and Corporate Communications function. Whitley joins Murphy with 20 years of Investor Relations and Communications experience with exploration and production as well as oilfield service companies in the U.S. and Canada. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Gonzaga University. In her new role, Whitley will report to Roger W. Jenkins, President and CEO.
Jeffery joined the Company in 1986 in Calgary, Canada. He has held several positions in both the upstream and downstream operating segments of the company. He was promoted to director, investor relations in 2010 and vice president, investor relations in 2013. Jeffery holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Calgary. In his new role, Jeffery will report to Walter Compton, Executive Vice President and General Counsel.
Roger Jenkins, president and chief executive officer commented, “We remain focused on organizational efficiency and reducing expenses across the company. To this end, we have recently restructured our organization and have combined the roles of insurance, risk management and security. This new role spans across the entire organization and Barry is well-suited to lead us forward with his broad experience across all of our business segments.” Jenkins added, “Kelly brings years of experience to the investor relations and communications role and I look forward to her contributions going forward.”
For further information contact Barry Jeffery at 870-864-6501.
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Edward Jones Financial Advisor Greg Harrison of El Dorado recently received the firm’s “TNT” Client Development Award for his outstanding service efforts over the past year. Harrison was one of only 662 of the firm’s more than 13,500 financial advisors to receive the award.
“When you work for a firm that is known for its outstanding service,” Harrison said, “it’s quite an honor to be singled out for your service record.”
The award derives its name from firm legends who, in the 1950s, traveled the Midwest from Tuesday through Thursday each week, becoming known as “TNT” brokers.
Jim Weddle, Edward Jones’ managing partner, added, “Harrison is an outstanding member of the Edward Jones team who personifies the ideal Edward Jones financial advisor, someone who is 100 percent dedicated to serving the financial needs of his clients.”