2023] Ronald McDonald House Charities ® of Arkansas &
North Louisiana (RMHCAR-NLA) is expanding its Board of Directors to include five new
community leaders from across Arkansas and North Louisiana.
The new board members are Joe Arnold, President & CEO of Carter Credit Union and Sandy
Cimino, SVP Community Bank of Louisiana. Arnold and Cimino reside in Shreveport. Also
joining the board are Heather Cherry, SVP & Chief Nursing Officer at Arkansas Children’s
Hospital, and Julie Mehlin, Legal Secretary at the Moody Law Firm. Cherry and Mehlin reside
in Little Rock.
“These new board members are strong leaders who bring a high level of expertise to the
board from their respective fields, and all have been great supporters of Ronald McDonald
House Charities,” said David Avery, RMHCAR-NLA Board Chair. “We look forward to
collaborating with them to enhance our support for families with critically ill children.”
RMHCAR-NLA announced Oct. 17 plans to construct a new 20-family suite Ronald
McDonald House® on the campus of Willis-Knighton South at 9100 Susan Drive in
Shreveport. This will be the first Ronald McDonald House in northwest Louisiana. To date,
$6.7 million has been pledged to the capital campaign. Construction of the new Ronald
McDonald House Shreveport-Bossier is expected to begin in early 2024 and be completed
in 2025.