UAPB Tobacco Cessation
– Empowering Communities for a Tobacco-Free Future
Through grants, advocacy, and education, MISRGO supports local efforts to reduce tobacco use and promote healthier communities. Join the movement. Discover funding opportunities to drive change in Arkansas.
– Advancing Research to Protect Our Communities
MRC uses research and data-driven policy to tackle public health challenges and improve lives. Get involved. Explore funding and collaboration opportunities to advance health equity.
– Building the Future of
Addiction Recovery
UAPB’s Addiction Studies program prepares professionals to lead in addiction recovery and treatment. Make an impact. Earn your Master’s and help communities heal.
Community advocacy
& engagement.
Primary and
secondary research.
Addiction specialist
leadership development.
Dr. Calvin Johnson, is a seasoned educator, administrator, and public servant with a distinguished career spanning higher education, government, and community service. He currently serves as Director of the Minority Initiative Sub-Recipient Grant Office (MISRGO) and Board Chairperson of the UAPB Tobacco Cessation Program, where he leads efforts to reduce tobacco use and promote public health initiatives.
Dr. Johnson’s extensive experience in higher education includes serving as Interim Chancellor and Dean of the School of Education at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB), as well as Professor and Chair of the Teacher Education Department at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
Beyond academia, Dr. Johnson has dedicated his career to public service. He has been appointed to multiple state boards by the Governor of Arkansas, including the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Governor’s Commission on Adult Literacy. Additionally, he has served in elected positions with the Arkansas General Assembly and the Watson Chapel School Board of Directors.
A proud alumnus of UAPB, Dr. Johnson holds a Ph.D. in Adult Education and Public School Administration from Kansas State University, an M.Ed. in Counselor Education from the University of Central Arkansas, and a B.S. in Agricultural Education with a minor in Biology from UAPB.
Dr. Johnson remains committed to education, advocacy, and community development, working to advance health equity and academic excellence through his leadership.
Billy Thomas, M.D., M.P.H., is a Professor of Neonatology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and former Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Inclusion in the Division of Diversity Equity and Inclusion.
He earned his Medical Degree at UAMS in 1980. He completed his internship and residency training in Pediatrics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences/Arkansas Children’s Hospital. He subsequently completed a fellowship in Neonatal/Perinatal medicine at Case Western Reserve/Metropolitan General Hospital and later received a Master’s in Public Health from the Tulane School of Public Health.
Dr. Thomas combines an active clinical practice with his duties as the Co-Principal Investigator on two National Institute of Health (NIH) funded program grants. He also teaches and mentors students, residents and junior faculty.
He serves on multiple committees with a primary goal of increasing institutional diversity through the recruitment and retention of minority, disadvantaged and marginalized students and faculty.
Dr. Eduardo Ruben Ochoa, Jr., M.D., FAAP, is a distinguished pediatrician and professor dedicated to promoting health equity, particularly within Hispanic and Latino communities in Arkansas. He serves as Vice Chair of Partnerships and Child Health Equity and holds a tenured professorship in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). Additionally, Dr. Ochoa practices primary and complex care at Arkansas Children’s Hospital’s Southwest Little Rock clinic.’
Dr. Ochoa earned his Bachelor of Arts in Religion from Princeton University in 1990 and his Medical Degree from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in 1996. He completed his pediatric residency at UAMS, where he also served as Chief Resident at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, before joining the UAMS faculty in 1999.
Throughout his career, Dr. Ochoa has been instrumental in establishing healthcare services tailored to underserved populations. He founded the Latino Clinic for special needs children in 2009, the West Little Rock Primary Care Clinic in 2010, and the Southwest Little Rock Clinic in 2017. As Executive Director of the UAMS Head Start and Early Head Start programs in Pulaski County, he oversees services for over 400 children.
Dr. Ochoa’s research focuses on social determinants of health, child health disparities, and community engagement. He serves as the Little Rock Principal Investigator for Children’s HealthWatch, a network addressing inequities such as food, housing, income, and energy insecurity affecting child health.
In addition to his clinical and research endeavors, Dr. Ochoa is actively involved in professional organizations. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and has served as President of the Arkansas Chapter of the AAP.
Vivian L. Flowers is the Mayor of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, bringing more than 30 years of experience in public service. A Pine Bluff native, she was sworn into office on January 1, 2025, following a campaign focused on unity, transparency, and accountability. Her administration is centered on youth investment, public safety, and economic development.
Before becoming mayor, Flowers served five terms in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 2015 to 2024, representing District 65. During her time in the legislature, she secured key investments for Pine Bluff, including grants for the aquatic center and $32 million from the USDA for flood prevention. She also supported efforts to preserve the Arkansas Entertainers Hall of Fame.
Flowers sponsored and co-sponsored legislation addressing family reunification, heritage tourism, minority business growth, fair elections, child marriage prevention, and government transparency. She led the passage of the Arkansas Delta Music Trails Act to promote cultural tourism in South Arkansas.
Nationally, Flowers served as Secretary and Region X Chair of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators and chaired its COVID-19 Working Group. In Arkansas, she led the Legislative Black Caucus and was appointed to the Governor’s Council on Medicaid Reform.
She holds a master’s degree from the Clinton School of Public Service and dual bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and Professional Technical Writing from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Professionally, she served as Chief Operating Officer for the Center for Diversity Affairs at UAMS, advancing diversity and educational access. Her earlier work includes roles with the Bureau of Legislative Research and the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. A fifth-generation Arkansan, Mayor Flowers lives in Pine Bluff’s Historic District and is an active member of St. John A.M.E. Church.
Anthony Graham, Ph.D. was appointed Chancellor of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff on March 21, 2025, following unanimous approval by the University of Arkansas System Board of Trustees. He officially assumed the role on July 1, 2025.
Prior to his appointment at UAPB, Chancellor Graham served as a tenured professor of education and held the position of Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina. From 2023 to 2024, he also served as Interim Chancellor of the institution. Earlier in his career, he was a tenured full professor and Dean of the College of Education at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.
Chancellor Graham earned his Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum and Teaching, with a cognate in Multicultural Education, from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He holds both a Master of Arts in Secondary English Education and a Bachelor of Arts in English, with a minor in Mathematics, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Before transitioning into higher education, Chancellor Graham began his professional career as a high school English teacher.
Dr. Trina Fletcher is the Interim Vice Chancellor for Research, Innovation, and Economic Development at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB), a role she assumed in January 2026. In this executive position, she provides strategic leadership for the university’s research enterprise, overseeing sponsored programs, research compliance, faculty development, innovation, and external partnerships that strengthen institutional competitiveness and support regional economic growth. Previously, she served as Associate Dean for the School of Arts and Sciences, where she led research capacity-building initiatives, advanced strategic priorities, and supported programmatic assessment and accreditation. Dr. Fletcher also holds an appointment as an Associate Professor in the Department of Industrial Technology, Management, and Applied Engineering.
Dr. Fletcher received tenure and promotion in the College of Engineering and Computing at Florida International University (FIU), a Carnegie Research 1 institution, prior to returning to UAPB. Her career reflects sustained leadership in federally funded research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and research capacity building across HBCUs and 1890 Land-Grant institutions. As founder and director of the READi Lab, she has secured millions of dollars in federal, corporate, and institutional research funding as a principal investigator and contributed to large-scale, multi-institutional grants. Her research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration, and industry partners including Microsoft, Verizon, Lockheed Martin, and Motorola.
Prior to academia, Dr. Fletcher held leadership roles at two Fortune 500 companies and served as Director of Pre-College Programs for the National Society of Black Engineers. She has delivered over 100 invited presentations and authored more than 40 peer-reviewed publications. Her work has been featured in Forbes and Fortune, highlighting its national impact at the intersection of education, technology, and workforce development.
Dr. Fletcher earned a Ph.D. in Engineering Education from Purdue University, a bachelor’s degree from UAPB, and master’s degrees in engineering from the University of Arkansas and George Washington University.
Dr. Calvin Johnson is a seasoned educator, administrator, and public servant with a distinguished career spanning higher education, government, and community service. He currently serves as Director of the Minority Initiative Sub-Recipient Grant Office (MISRGO) and Board Chairperson of the UAPB Tobacco Cessation Program, where he leads efforts to reduce tobacco use and promote public health initiatives.
Dr. Johnson’s extensive experience in higher education includes serving as Interim Chancellor and Dean of the School of Education at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB), as well as Professor and Chair of the Teacher Education Department at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
Beyond academia, Dr. Johnson has dedicated his career to public service. He has been appointed to multiple state boards by the Governor of Arkansas, including the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Governor’s Commission on Adult Literacy. Additionally, he has served in elected positions with the Arkansas General Assembly and the Watson Chapel School Board of Directors.
A proud alumnus of UAPB, Dr. Johnson holds a Ph.D. in Adult Education and Public School Administration from Kansas State University, an M.Ed. in Counselor Education from the University of Central Arkansas, and a B.S. in Agricultural Education with a minor in Biology from UAPB.
Dr. Johnson remains committed to education, advocacy, and community development, working to advance health equity and academic excellence through his leadership.
Dr. Marian S. Evans is the Program Coordinator for the Minority Initiative Sub-Recipient Grant Office and the Interim Director of the Minority Research Center on Tobacco and Addictions at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.
Dr. Evans holds a Master of Public Health Degree from Tulane University in New Orleans, LA and a Doctorate in Public Health from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, AR.
Dr. Evans has over 25 years in community based program planning and implementation, capacity building, program evaluation and policy development. Dr. Evans has extensive grant writing and grant evaluation experience and manages over $2 million dollars in grant funding. She recently became a certified Tobacco Treat Specialist through the MD Anderson training program.
Her research interests are policy and community public health development in minority and rural communities.
Dr. Cynthia J. Troutman began teaching in the Graduate Addiction Studies Program at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) in 2003. She currently serves as Interim Chair and Assistant Professor in the Graduate Addiction Studies Program at UAPB. Prior to beginning her teaching career, Dr. Troutman worked as a substance use counselor and substance use prevention professional in Ohio and Colorado.
Dr. Troutman earned her doctoral degree in Rehabilitation Services from the University of Northern Colorado in 2003. Her Master of Science degree in Rehabilitation Counseling was awarded by the University of Southern Illinois, and her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Ohio Northern University.
Dr. Troutman has presented a variety of topics related to substance use treatment, prevention, and research at conferences and workshops in Arkansas and at national venues.
