President, CEO, and founder of the Arkansas Rural Health Partnership

Regional Director in the UAMS Officer of Strategy, Management, & Administration

Executive Director, Rural Health Association of Arkansas

Mellie currently serves as the CEO, President, and founder of the Arkansas Rural Health Partnership and as the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Regional Director of Strategy, Management, and Administration with over 23 years of experience in community and organizational networking, grant writing, and program development and implementation. Mellie founded the Arkansas Rural Health Partnership organization in 2008. It began with five critical access hospitals and has grown its membership to 19 rural hospitals, 4 FQHCs, over 120 member-owned and affiliated clinics, and three medical schools serving rural Arkansas. Mellie has obtained over $72 million in grant funds for Arkansas Rural Health Partnership and its members to implement healthcare provider training opportunities, workforce initiatives, chronic disease programs, behavioral and mental health services, and improved access to care throughout rural Arkansas. Mellie has served on the National Rural Health Association Congress and the Arkansas Department of Health Board of Directors and graduated 2019 from the NRHA Rural Fellows program. She was recently appointed to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services and currently serves on the USDA/National Rural Health Association Advisory Group, Delta Region Community Health Systems Development Advisory Committee, the NRHA Rural Community Health Initiatives workgroup, and as Executive Director and founding member of the Rural Health Association of Arkansas, Arkansas’ state rural health organization.

In 2016, Mellie was acknowledged as a Federal Office of Rural Health’s Rural Health Champion and, in 2020, was awarded the Healthcare Heroes Innovation award by Arkansas Business magazine and one of Arkansas’ Most Powerful Women of 2020 by Arkansas Business and Politics. Under Mellie’s leadership, ARHP has been recognized nationally as a Rural Health Community Champion for Collaborative Partnerships by the Federal Office of Rural Health and as Outstanding Network of the Year by the National Cooperative of Health Networks Association. She served on the Arkansas Women’s Commission in 2022 and, in 2023, was named one of 100 Women of Impact in Arkansas by the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas and Little Rock Soiree magazine. In 2025, Mellie received Heartland Whole Health Institute’s Inaugural Bridge Award, The Samaritan Health Project’s Rural Trailblazer Award, and was named Arkansas Business’s 50 Over 50 and featured in the Health Journal of Arkansas.

Mellie has co-written rural health policy papers and presents across the country, speaking on rural hospital sustainability, rural health innovation and initiatives, and the importance of collaboration among healthcare organizations

MELLIE BOAGNI-CONTACT
Mellie@arruralhealth.org
MBBridewell@uams.edu

Chief Operations Officer

Lynn Hawkins is an experienced professional in the field of rural health, with a career spanning over two decades. She currently serves as the Chief Operations Officer at Arkansas Rural Health Partnership (ARHP), a position she has held since June 2023. In this role, she provides leadership and direction to staff, develops and implements personnel policies, oversees hiring and staff development, and ensures compliance with employment rules and regulations. She is also responsible for cultivating member relationships, overseeing engagement strategies, and coordinating professional roundtables and community health needs assessments. Her responsibilities extend to managing sponsor relationships, internal communications, and the implementation and management of the ARHP Adult Drug Court and SNAP grant programs.

Prior to her current role, Lynn Hawkins held several other leadership positions at the Arkansas Rural Health Partnership, including Chief Officer of Membership & University Partnerships from May 2019 to 2023, and Chief Projects Officer from May 2017 to 2019. As Chief Officer of Membership & University Partnerships, she oversaw and assisted with Community Health Needs Assessments, facilitated staff and board development, managed collaborative relationships, and coordinated efforts with various agencies. In her role as Chief Projects Officer, she was responsible for the general direction and accountability of all grant programs and projects, supervised project directors, submitted reports to funders, and ensured compliance with regulations. She also served as a Project Director at ARHP from August 2013 to April 2018, where she organized and facilitated funded projects, provided staff supervision and training, and identified and facilitated partnerships.

Before joining ARHP, Ms. Hawkins worked at Community Health Centers of AR, Inc. as an Outreach Coordinator/Government Relations Manager from March 2002 to August 2016. Her responsibilities included managing a Statewide Outreach Enrollment Network, facilitating communications with various organizations, and providing technical assistance to contract partners. Additionally, in her role at CHCA, she was instrumental in developing network advisory councils in rural areas, conducting community needs assessments, and assisting in establishing a Diabetes Self-Management Education program. Earlier in her career, she worked with a community mental health center in providing support services for the chronically mentally ill.

Lynn Hawkins holds a BA in Psychology with a Minor in Sociology from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She has also completed various professional development programs, including Mental Health First Aid Certification, Harvard Business School’s HarvardX on Strengthening Community Health Worker Program, and the Harvard Kennedy School of Executive Leadership: Delta Leadership Institute. She is actively involved in several committees and boards, such as the Arkansas Community Health Worker Association Board of Directors and the Arkansas Economic Development Commission’s Division of Rural Services Commissioner, Chair.

Senior Program Officer: Community Outreach

Ashtyn Mullinax serves as the Senior Program Director of Community Outreach for the Arkansas Rural Health Partnership (ARHP), where she leads the Delta States Rural Development Network Grant. In her role, Ashtyn also acts as Project Director and Certified Community Health Worker (CHW), and she serves as lead instructor for ARHP’s Rural Arkansas Community Health Worker Institute—one of only two state-approved CHW training programs in Arkansas. She oversees ARHP’s team of CHWs—serving across 19 counties in Arkansas. 

Since joining the team in 2020, Ashtyn has earned multiple professional certifications—including Basic Life Support, Stop the Bleed, Youth Mental Health First Aid, and Suicide Safe Talk. She has received additional training in instructional leadership for opioid crisis response and seizure management, and she is certified as a counselor in prescription assistance, Marketplace navigation, and Medicare/Medicaid insurance counseling. In 2023, Ashtyn was selected to participate in the UCLA/Johnson & Johnson Community Health Worker Management Training Program, where she earned her certificate of completion.

Ashtyn began her career as an elementary school teacher, where she developed a lasting passion for nurturing and educating others. She brings that same commitment to empathy, empowerment, and lifelong learning to her work in rural healthcare—serving communities with the goal of making a meaningful and lasting impact in the lives of those she encounters.

Ashtyn has been married to her husband, Seth, for nine years. Together, they are the proud parents of two young children—Merritt and Mollee Kay—who fill their days with laughter, energy, and purpose. When she’s not working, Ashtyn enjoys playing golf and spending time with her family. She’s often found chasing after or cheering on her kids at their games and activities, keeping up with their busy schedules.

Program Officer: Special Initiatives

A native of Arkansas, Caleb Cox is a United States Air Force veteran, having recently served in various domestic and international assignments (2017-2022). Upon honorable discharge, he enrolled in the Master of Public Service Program at the renowned University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service (2022-204). Throughout his graduate program, he has worked as a capstone student (graduate student researcher) with the Arkansas Rural Health Partnership. During this time, he has worked closely with food insecurity programs for rural individuals. Upon graduation, Caleb became employed at Arkansas Rural Health Partnership. He currently works in managing a workforce development grant, along with evaluation and data analysis of ARHP’s programs. Caleb’s background and understanding of sociology, public service, rural health, communications, research, and convening leaders will support project efforts while ensuring the achievement of all grant deliverables.