Celia Swanson, Board Chair, and the entire Board of Directors for The Harvey & Bernice Jones Trust, are pleased to announce a new leader for the Jones organization.

Joe Lloyd III, a longtime executive of Tyson Foods, is taking the helm of the organization as it moves into a new chapter of advancement and evolution. In 2020, the Jones Center was awarded a Design Excellence Grant by the Walton Family Foundation to reimagine its downtown Springdale campus. Over the past four years the organization has worked with a design team to craft plans for a Campus Vision Master Plan. These extensive plans will transition to Lloyd to bring to life as he takes over as President and CEO.

“The Jones Center is one of the great pillars of Northwest Arkansas, and I am honored to carry on the Jones’ vision for these facilities,” Lloyd says. “Our staff and board are committed to amplifying Bernice’s legacy as we cultivate a dynamic, regional institution serving the current and future needs of our community. We have an exciting challenge ahead of us!”

Lloyd is an active member of the Northwest Arkansas community who spent decades honing his business and people skills while serving on the leadership team of Tyson Foods. He is proud of his accomplishments in initiating change and leading complex projects at the Springdale-based corporation, covering a wide variety of business units such as information technology, compliance, global communications and quality assurance. In the nonprofit sector, he has served on the Board of Directors of United Way of Northwest Arkansas and the Downtown Springdale Alliance. He graduated from the University of Arkansas and served as a U.S. Air Force cadet commander in the ROTC during his college years.

At this unique moment in the Jones Center’s history, Lloyd’s blend of skills in the business and social sectors will help bring the future into focus. The facility fondly known as a gathering place for community connections and recreational activity in downtown Springdale is on the brink of much more. In the next few years, he and the team will be tasked with broadening the revenue potential and community impact of the evolving nonprofit. As the leader during this critical time, he will provide vision, guidance and mentorship to staff, and strengthen the relationships with key stakeholders and partners to deliver on the Jones mission: all are welcome and together we will learn, play and thrive.

For more information about the Jones Center, visit https://www.thejonescenter.net/.