Serving as Executive Director of Advancement for the Arkansas Colleges of Health Education, Allan R. Marshall, MEd CFRM, oversees the Office of Advancement and Alumni Engagement, and he is a community leader in the City of Fort Smith.

Allan has spent 17 years as a fundraising and advancement professional at nonprofit organizations and higher education institutions. Upon his graduation from Baylor University, Allan started fundraising at the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce as Director of Community Development. Plus, Allan’s additional professional experiences included subsequent roles at private institutions of higher learning, at a Power 5 Conference university, and a nationally and internationally recognized liberal arts institution. During these experiences, Allan managed a culture of philanthropy from annual to planned giving initiatives; he provided leadership and participated in comprehensive fundraising campaigns; he led corporate and foundation relations strategies; and he engaged alumni through programming and strategy.

A career achievement for Allan was working for a U.S presidential family, the Bush Family, where he served as Chief Development Officer for the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation. He raised monies for literacy programs in honor of the indelible legacy of Former First Lady Barbara Bush. Allan served as an intern for a Former U.S. Congressman, Former Texas State Representative and Former Dallas City Councilman.

Honors and awards have included being awarded “2023 Men of Distinction” in a statewide publication, AY Magazine, in Arkansas. As a student at Baylor, Allan was elected Student Body External Vice President – a student body officer position. He was the second minority student to serve as a student body officer at Baylor. During this time, Allan was awarded a city proclamation in Waco for his work encouraging student participation in the city. Also, he published an article in the Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice alongside a graduate level professor and mentor.

Community involvement has included the following: Leadership Fort Smith, Future Fort Smith Committee, The Mayor’s Roundtable, Fort Smith Chamber of Commerce Education Committee and Leadership Southwest Dallas. Professional development has included being a member of the following: Council for Advancement and Support Education (CASE), National Charitable Gift Planners and Grants Professional Association. Allan earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and minors in public relations and religion from Baylor University, and he obtained a Master of Education in Higher Education Administration from Dallas Baptist University. Allan also attained a Certificate in Fund Raising Management (CFRM) from Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, and he serves as a guest lecturer in the school.

• Allan is married to Amy Marshall, and they have one son named Lincoln.