About Carolyn Yeldell Staley

Running for public office is something I’ve dreamed of doing since high school. My kids are grown, I have earned a great deal of experience to bring to the job, and I am excited to run. Now is the time!

The opportunity to serve the people of Arkansas comes at a great moment. There are enormous opportunities and challenges facing us. I will bring my experience in state and federal government to the job. I will pull from the experience of helping my husband launch and operate a small business, raising a family, volunteering in schools, in our church, and the community, and my current service as a member of the Martin Luther King Commission. I am ready and eager to serve.

We have come a long way as a state, but we still must improve education at every level. We must create jobs. I will be a champion for economic development and work to protect our environment. We can and must do better.

I need your help

• Ask friends in District 32 of west Little Rock to vote for me.
• Please volunteer to work in my campaign. Sign up with your email.
• Please contribute to my campaign. You may do so on this website.
• Please advise me, pray for me, and guide me with your ideas.
• I need your help to help make this election victory possible.

Thank you.

CAROLYN YELDELL STALEY

Arkansas is facing many challenges including jobs, affordable college education, corrections, and healthcare. I want to serve in the Arkansas State Legislature to find the right solutions for you, your families, and our future. As a member of the Arkansas State Legislature, I will be a tireless servant of the people of District 32 and the state of Arkansas. I will work to bring jobs to our state, to improve education and enrollment at all levels---pre-K through college, to support the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, to work for improvements in our corrections system, to protect our environment, and to strengthen the health and welfare of all Arkansans.

EXPERIENCE

• Deputy Director, National Institute for Literacy, Washington, DC: Agency of US Departments of Education, Labor, Health & Human Services. Director, National Literacy Awareness Campaign, Literacy AmeriCorps
• Executive Director, Governor’s Commission on Adult Literacy
• Executive Director, Arkansas Arts Council
• Director, State Services, Arkansas Arts Center
• University teaching, UALR, and universities in Kentucky, Indiana, Virginia and Maryland
• Associate Pastor, Pulaski Heights Baptist Church
• Concert performer, Arkansas Artist in Schools, Arkansas Arts Touring Program
• Founding partner & manager, Jerry Staley Photography

SERVICE

• Governor’s Appointee, Martin Luther King Jr. Commission
• Volunteer in Little Rock Public Schools
• Mentor, Pulaski Heights Middle School
• Literacy Volunteer Tutor
• Moderator-elect, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Arkansas
• Coordinator, Arkansas Baptist Women in Ministry
• Humanitarian assistance work in Africa and India
• Our House Board of Directors
• Quapaw Quarter Association
• PTA President, Lifetime Member
• Ongoing service projects in the AR Delta
• Chair of Deacons, two terms, McLean Baptist Church
• Chair, Presidential Inaugural Prayer Services, 1993 and 1997, Washington, DC
• Chair, Governor's Inaugural Prayer Services, Arkansas, l979-90

EDUCATION

• Ouachita Baptist University, Outstanding Student Award, Honors Program
• Indiana University, BM, MM, Scholarship, Teaching Assistant
• John Leland Seminary, Arlington, VA. MTS

FAMILY

• Married 40 years to Jerry Staley, owner Jerry Staley Photography; Retired Public School Teacher; Former US Marine
• Three children & Four grandchildren
• Lived in Clarksville, West Memphis, Hot Springs, Little Rock, McLean, VA

My family and faith are the most important things in the world to me. As a family, we celebrate life. We enjoy every season together. We gather at least once a week for dinner with my mother and sisters and enjoy dominoes or Scrabble together. We laugh and cherish the moment. I am running to support Arkansas families, to help them feel secure, and to give hope and a future to all our people.

Involvement in civic life has been central to my life and that of our family. I’ve volunteered in church since a youth. I’ve supported our schools, been PTA president and a Volunteer in Public Schools, cheered at countless ball games, plays and concerts. I’ve helped at homeless shelters, soup kitchens, battered women’s shelters, and summer camps for underprivileged kids. I’ve encouraged our children to serve too. Our daughter was in the first AmeriCorps class. Our son is living in Helena working to eradicate poverty in the Delta. Another daughter serves in the field of healthcare. Serving is a way of life. I look forward to serving you in the Arkansas State Legislature.