Leadership
Executive Committee
Asad Khan, Chair
Asad was born and raised in Peshawar, Pakistan in a family of practicing psychiatrists. His father was a pioneer of psychiatry in Pakistan and his parents served the refugees from Afghanistan after the invasion by the USSR. Seeing the reality of war on the Afghani refugees left an indelible mark. His father said to him repeatedly, “Our primary job as doctors is to treat the suffering of the people, especially the poor.” Asad is now a board Certified General and Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist. His postgraduate training was at University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas, Texas.
For the last 18 years, Asad has worked at MidSouth Health Systems as a Child Psychiatrist, and has served Jonesboro, Paragould, Walnut Ridge, and Blytheville. He provides mental health services to children in local schools and mental health education. He’s the consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist for Consolidated Youth Services of Jonesboro and the Sex Offender program. He’s taught Family Practice Residents UAMS as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychiatry for the last 9 years.
He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Craighead County Community Foundation in Jonesboro and the Board of Directors for Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust, the fundraising arm of the largest cancer hospital system in Pakistan, which provides free cancer treatment to those who can’t afford care. He served as Secretary on the Board of Directors for Pakistan’s largest political party, Pakistan Tehreek-I-Insaf, from 2010 to 2013.
Asad was first a volunteer for the Democratic Party of Craighead County in 2018, volunteering for Chintan Desai, which included phone banking, door-to-door canvassing, writing postcards, organizing fundraisers, and community outreach.
In his free time, he enjoys hanging out with his wife, Rebekah, and his two little boys, traveling, hiking, cycling, reading, and woodworking.
Emma Agnew, Election Commissioner
Emma Agnew has led a life of community service, dedicated to advancing economic opportunities and social change for communities and all people.
A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Mrs. Agnew has resided in Jonesboro, Arkansas since 2000 where she continues to dedicate her life to serving others.
She retired from the City of Jonesboro in 2018 where she served as Community Services Manager. While in this position, she led a Mayoral task force to found the HUB, a resources center for those struggling with homelessness. She also wrote and received a grant from HUD to place the homeless into permanent housing and to prevent those on the verge of homelessness from becoming homeless. She also facilitated the work of the North Jonesboro Neighborhood Initiative.
She is currently working to develop and implement programs that will strengthen community and economic development in the area, while offering encouragement and support to those living in the margins of our society.
She is President of the Craighead County NAACP, where she strives to ensure economic and social justice for people of color and others who have been historically treated unfairly because of the color of their skin.
Ms. Agnew is also a member of the UAMS Statewide Advisory Board; and has received several awards for her service and leadership in the community.
Ms. Agnew holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Union University in Management and Marketing.
She is married to Rev. Elijah Agnew and they have five children, 12 grandchildren, and 4 great grandchildren.
Kimberly Roberts, Vice Chair
Very clever; also: very mysterious.
Karen Vardell, Treasurer
Very kind, also: very mysterious.
Kaleb Webb, Secretary
Very tall, also: very mysterious.