Dr. Syard (pronounce Say-erd) Evans is the CEO at Arkansas Support Network, a nonprofit organization that provides community-based supports to individuals with disabilities. She has a Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Education and Research from the University of Arkansas. Dr. Evans has a Master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling/Counselor Education from the University of Arkansas, is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, and a trained mental health counselor.
Currently, Dr. Evans is the President of the Arkansas Waiver Association, a member of the board of directors for Art Ventures NWA, a member of the Arkansas Governor’s Developmental Disabilities Council, and a graduate of the National Leadership Consortium and Advanced Leadership Consortium on Developmental Disabilities. In 2014, Dr. Evans was a featured speaker at TEDxFayetteville, and in 2015 she presented at the Siloam Springs Q Commons event and gave the commencement speech at the Northwest Arkansas University of Phoenix local campus graduation.
Dr. Evans has served as an Associate Faculty member at the University of Phoenix Arkansas campus, a member of the Board of Directors at the Yvonne Richardson Community Center, a contributing writer to the Hampton Institute, and worked as a member of the Fayetteville Forward Inclusion Committee. She is a founding member of the Northwest Arkansas Disability & Violence Collaborative. Dr. Evans has also provided private practice counseling services, served as a contract facilitator providing disability education to law enforcement through Ozark Guidance Center, and volunteered as a lead counselor for Camp Compassion, an annual bereavement camp for children.
