Phi Beta Lambda Wins 12 Awards at Virtual National Leadership Conference
July 02, 2021
ONESBORO — Students representing Arkansas State University’s Phi Beta Lambda chapter
won 12 awards at the 2021 Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) National Leadership Conference held
virtually last weekend. Because of the pandemic, it marked the second consecutive
year for registrants to convene online.
“Our numbers were down a little this year with the conference being virtual again,”
said Dr. Philip Tew, adviser for A-State’s PBL chapter, state adviser of the Arkansas
chapter, and associate professor of finance. “Even with what is a ‘down’ year by A-State’s
PBL’s previous standards, the students did an incredible job and finished with 12
national awards.”
It is also the fourth consecutive year that Arkansas State has the largest chapter
in the country.
Winners include Rachel Washam, a graduate student from Jonesboro, who won the national
championship in supply chain management, and finished third in website design. She
also compiled the A-State chapter’s annual business report and captured third. Additionally,
Washam teamed with Alex Young, a May graduate, to take third in business presentation.
Megan Gray, a sophomore economics and business administration double major from North
Little Rock, won second place in business law.
Melanie Ricker and Alexus Leonard, both of Corning, who graduated in May and are currently
enrolled in graduate school at Arkansas State, earned second place in the community
service project. Leonard also placed ninth in retail management.
The business law team of Tyrell Andrews, a May graduate and current graduate student
from Marked Tree; Kristina Garlington, a junior from Bryant; and Hailey Hawkins, a
senior from Cabot, grabbed fifth place. Andrews and Garlington came in eighth in business
ethics.
Meghan Cantara, a 2021 graduate from Jonesboro, came in sixth in marketing analysis
and decision-making.
Ricker, who served as A-State chapter president for the 2020-21 academic year, represented
the state on the Who’s Who in Phi Beta Lambda list.
Tew’s term as state adviser ends and Cantara will step up to become the new state
adviser for Arkansas.
“Like in all previous years, the success of the Arkansas State chapter is 100 percent
due to the work of the students and the officers,” added Tew.
PBL is the collegiate division of Future Business Leaders of America, whose goal is
to develop leadership, communication and team skills. It is also an organization for
students to meet and network with others at the local, state or national levels. The
PBL academic competitions provide students with what it takes to be successful by
covering technology, public speaking, business, finance and management.
The 2022 national leadership conference is scheduled to be in Chicago, June 27-July
3.