Mrs. Arkansas International®

Jennifer Cunningham

1.Tell us a funny story about a date night out with your husband.
Our “first date” might have been by accident! We were both part of a group of friends that had dinner together once a week. One week I showed up to dinner and none of our other friends were there! We continued the meal with just the two of us. No matter the intention, that night allowed me to see him as more than just a great friend.

2.What are the (2) most important things in your kitchen and why?
My husband, Bryant, is king of the kitchen! He does the majority of cooking, which makes him the most important thing in our kitchen by far. The second most important would be our collection of reusable bottles and mugs. We not only save money by making coffee and water at home, but we try to decrease our carbon footprint by reducing the daily use of single use plastic water bottles.

3.What do people assume about you that isn’t true?
With a Masters degree in Sports Administration, it is easy to assume that I would be athletic or knowledgeable about sports, however, my sports proficiencies are only related to the marketing, fundraising, entertainment, and spectator experiences of athletic and recreational events.

4.Tell us a time you demonstrated leadership skills.
As the Director of Student Relations at a community college, I use leadership skills daily to plan and implement prospective student communications and recruitment events. Once at an event, our keynote speaker was unaware the schedule allotted a whole hour for presentation. I acted fast to rearrange the schedule and used strategic thinking to communicate the change, so our guests were unsuspecting. Adaptability is the leadership trait I identify with the most.

5.If you had no fear, what would you try?
While I love spending every summer on DeGray Lake, I do not actually prefer to be IN the water. If I did not have a fear of deep water, I would try every water sport imaginable at least once. It would also be nice to walk or swim further than waist deep in the ocean.