Ryan Watley has been named CEO of Go Forward Pine Bluff, a volunteer group backed by Simmons First National Corp. that aims to stop the city's population decline and bolster its tax base.
Watley is an assistant professor of chemistry and the assistant director of development for athletics at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. At Go Forward Pine Bluff, he'll be responsible for coordinating with city officials and other organizations to execute Go Forward's plan.
Founded in 2015, Go Forward Pine Bluff is a 100-volunteer group financed by Simmons First National Corp. and led by former CEO Tommy May and Simmons First Foundation board member Mary Pringos. The group has announced an ambitious plan of 27 proposals to revive a city marred by a crumbling downtown, sagging economy and crime.
The plan hinges on a public vote for a five-eighths-cent city sales tax that would raise some $32 million before lapsing after seven years. About $20 million more is planned via private fundraising. The vote is set for June 13.
"Dr. Watley is the perfect person to oversee our efforts," May said in a news release. "This is Pine Bluff's best opportunity to attract businesses and ensure a promising future for our young people. We've seen the city's population decline from 57,140 in 1990 to 44,772 in 2015. We must act now."
A Pine Bluff native who returned to the city to work for UAPB in 2015, Watley played football and majored in chemistry at the university and graduated with a bachelor of science degree in 2009. He then received his doctorate in organic chemistry from the University of Oklahoma.
During his time in Oklahoma, Watley was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and a research associate in the Organic Chemistry Division. In 2015, he was the assistant to the athletic director for community outreach and fundraising at Rose State College in Midwest City, Oklahoma.
"As a native of Pine Bluff, a graduate of UAPB and an experienced development officer, I feel I'm positioned to lead this effort," Watley said. "This role requires a keen focus on execution. I've established a reputation of producing results."