Meet the Members

Jacqueline Bettis

Jacqueline Bettis is a graduate of UA-Fayetteville and has a deep love for northwest Arkansas, but she now calls Little Rock (Area Six) home. In addition to earning degrees from both the University of Arkansas – Fayetteville and the University of Central Arkansas, she is also a former Ms. Arkansas Wheelchair. Jacqueline’s most recent accomplishment was being named self-advocate of the year for Arkansas. Her hobbies include art, writing, outdoor events, and adaptive water sports. Medicaid-funded programs have helped her achieve many life goals and maintain her independence.

Amy Cobb

Amy Cobb and her five children call the city of Malvern (Area Four) home. Amy’s 26-year career working with individuals with disabilities (most recently with Empower Healthcare Solutions) serves her well as she advocates for her own kids. All of them were adopted from foster care or special needs adoption agencies, and all of them have challenges like autism, epilepsy, intellectual delays, traumatic brain injury, and/or partial blindness. Amy earned a doctorate degree from Mississippi State University in clinical counseling and has a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling.   

Tyler Daily

Tyler Daily and his family live in Pottsville (Area Three), and he is a middle school science teacher in nearby Russellville. Tyler earned a Master’s degree in Curriculum Administration and Educational Leadership from Arkansas Tech University. He is both a foster and an adoptive parent, which has introduced him to many Medicaid-related programs. Tyler wants to help make navigating this arena easier for everybody, especially foster and adoptive families.

Julie Francis

Julie Francis calls Jonesboro (Area Two) home. Julie works for Network of Community Options, Inc, as HR Coordinator. She has past experience working for two of the state’s PASSEs, Summit Community Care and Empower Healthcare Solutions. Julie has also worked at the Jonesboro Human Development Center. A native of Blytheville, Julie attended Ozarka College for nursing studies. Julie has worked in the waiver field for over 20 years and says she wants to do anything she can to make life easier for waiver families.” 

Heather Honaker

Heather Honaker is an Alabama native who has called Little Rock (Area 6) home for over a decade now. For nearly 20 years she has dedicated herself to nonprofit management, raising money for some of the state’s largest public organizations. Her freelance writing for local magazines, newspapers, and trade publications also help support these groups. Heather and her husband Ben have three children and one puppy, all under the age of seven. In 2018 their daughter Ellie was born with Down syndrome and a host of other complex medical conditions. Heather blogs about her experience as a mother to a child with different abilities: TypicallyNotTypical. There she shares honest and raw stories about her family’s oddities, challenges, and special needs.

Kacie Kinchen

Kacie Kinchen has been a proud resident of North Little Rock (Area Six) since birth. Kacie is mom to two daughters and works as a pre-K teacher with the NLRSD. Kacie’s mother was a kindergarten teacher for 33 years and while her father advised against following in her footsteps, Kacie says that “true to form, I didn’t follow that advice.” She says she loves building relationships with families and is excited about helping Medicaid beneficiaries by serving on the Council.

Ann Ledgerwood

Ann Ledgerwood and her husband live outside Jonesboro in the small community of Cash (Area Two). Ann gave up a career in county government to serve a higher calling: her son Bradley. Although sharp as a tack mentally, and one of the inaugural members of this Council, Bradley is wheelchair-bound and requires total care. AR Choices has allowed Ann to help care for Bradley and allow him to live a life of purpose and politics, and she looks forward to sharing her experiences (both good and bad) with Medicaid-related programs in the hopes of improving services for all.

Shannon Long

Shannon Long spoke before the Medicaid Client Voice Council in 2024 and later decided to apply to join. Shannon shares a home in Conway (Area Three) with her husband and their dog and two cats. She is employed by Sources, Inc. and enjoys helping people who receive SSI and SSDI understand their employment options. When she’s not spoiling her nephew, she enjoys spending time outdoors and finding new places to eat (she’s a huge foodie!). She has earned degrees from both the University of Central Arkansas (BS Sociology) and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (MA Rehabilitation Counseling).

Kathryn May

A Sherwood native, Kathryn May and her husband now call Hot Springs (Area Four) home. They have two sets of twins (ages 18 and 22), and three of them are diagnosed with autism, so Kathryn is a full-time stay at home mom. She will be able to serve on the Council with the support of her mother keeping grandchildren on schedule. Kathryn has an associate’s degree from UA-Pulaski Tech, and she looks forward to learning more about adult Medicaid services. Her hobbies include watching TV, listening to music and podcasts, reading, and prioritizing the needs of her family.

Corrie Rowe

Corrie Rowe, a native Arkansan, lives in Cabot (Area Three) with her husband, their two children, and two rescue dogs. Their oldest son is autistic, and they have more than a decade of experience utilizing Medicaid/TEFRA. His needs inspired Corrie to return to school at the University of Central Arkansas and earn her master’s in occupational therapy. Corrie enjoys puzzles, crafts, and is an avid reader (she knocked out 127 books in 2024). And, with her son’s help, she knows all the songs from the series Yo Gabba Gabba!

Lakeshia Swanigan

Lakeshia Swanigan is a Brinkley native but has called Little Rock (Area Six) home for nearly two decades. She attended East Arkansas Community College and is the proud mother of three beautiful children. Lakeshia is an Administrative Specialist at the Arkansas Post-Prison Transfer Board. She enjoys spending time with her children, traveling, taking nature walks, thrifting, painting, and baking. Lakeshia is dedicated to advocating for equitable healthcare access. Having utilized and benefited from Medicaid-funded services, she is eager to work with the MCVC to improve programs and services for all Arkansans in need.

Brandie Vaughter

Brandie Vaughter is a Texas native who now calls Bryant (Area Six) home. Brandie lives with her husband and two children. Her interest in patient advocacy began by assisting family members. She later became the state’s first Board Certified Patient Advocate. She helps patients navigate Medicaid applications and spend-down requirements. Brandie is an active member of New Life Baptist in Salem and enjoys going to her youngest daughter’s softball games.

Jennifer Yeager

Jennifer Yeager hails from Gentry (Area One), where she is a single parent to a teenage daughter and a pre-teen son. Over the years, the trio has welcomed many foster children into their homes…kids with different abilities. Three adults with special needs have also lived with the Yeager family, so Jennifer says she is quite familiar with waiver programs. With a degree in kinesiology and a master’s in special education P-12, Jennifer is a highly qualified teacher of both middle and high schoolers. The Yeagers love sports and racing, so get in their way at your own risk!

Angelica Yanez

Angelica Yanez lives in Rogers (Area 1) and has called northwest Arkansas home for 15 years after growing up in Los Angeles. She volunteers as a bilingual interpreter for the Rogers public school system, something she has been doing for over a decade. In 2014, Angelica was working in the online insurance marketplace and helping to launch the Affordable Care Act when an accident left her partially disabled. She has also worked at Goodwill Industries Career Center as the liaison to the Hispanic Community and the general public.

She is blessed to be the mother of a two-year-old daughter who has developmental delays. Angelica plans on continuing her education in the healthcare information field and working towards becoming a professional interpreter. Her life journey has taught her many Medicaid lessons. She wants to use that knowledge to help others, especially single moms as well as those with disabilities and the parents of children with disabilities.