The path that brought Allan Marshall to his job as chief communications and engagement officer for the Fort Smith Public Schools began, fittingly enough, in the public school system. He was hired by the district in early December 2024.
“Public school is everything,” said Marshall. “That goes back to the small town I grew up in.”
Born in Cuney, a small east-Texas town of 117 (per 2020 census) located 38 miles south of Tyler, Marshall attended school in nearby Jacksonville because Cuney was “too puny to have schools,” he said. Marshall participated in University Interscholastic League competitions and was student body president before graduating in 2003 as valedictorian of his class.
After deciding to continue his education, Marshall narrowed his choices to Texas Tech and Baylor. A visit to the latter won him over – a decision he says he has never regretted.
“Besides my parents, besides my love of education, Baylor changed my life,” said Marshall.
After putting himself through college with the help he said of a generous Baylor scholarship program, and graduating with a bachelor’s degree in political science, Marshall worked for the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce. He praises the mentoring influence of then-president Jim Vaughan, whose efforts nurtured the Magnolia-fueled prosperity that is part of the Waco economy.
Marshall said he gained public-relations and fundraising experience in Waco that have defined much of his career. It was at that time he received a master’s degree in education from Dallas Baptist Seminary. Taken together, this background made Marshall a fit with the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation, where he worked with schools in the Houston Independent School District.
Marshall believes he was guided to Fort Smith by what he calls “divine moments.” Attracted by Marshall’s fundraising expertise, the U.S. Marshals Museum began contacting him periodically to assess his interest in joining their efforts. While that seed never bore fruit, it established the local connections that ultimately led Marshall to his position as executive director of advancement at Arkansas Colleges of Health Education (ACHE), where he oversaw the Office of Advancement and Alumni Engagement.
“I gave ACHE a template for a culture of philanthropy,” he said.
And when the Fort Smith School District needed someone with the experience to head the newly combined departments of communications and public engagement, Marshall jumped at the chance.
As chief communications and engagement officer for the district, Marshall is in a dual role. The first is public outreach. In February, for example, to commemorate Black History month, Marshall could be found reading books to elementary students during story time. His department works with local businesses – known formally as Partners In Education – to facilitate sponsorships, donations, and student internships.
“Part of the solution is to have more people in our schools, building relationships,” said Marshall.
Marshall’s second role is to communicate the district’s efforts to the general public and to address the questions and criticisms that might come its way. Marshall understands the challenges being the face of an occasionally embattled institution in what he calls a “high-octane environment.” The goal is to communicate as fully as the law allows.
“We want to be as transparent as we possibly can, but there are some things that we can’t go into for legal reasons,” he said.
He’s also confident about this work with the school district.
“I believe that I am the man for the moment. I will do everything I can to clearly articulate what the Fort Smith Public Schools are trying to accomplish. I’m creating the template and the standard for how we do business. We don’t have to start from scratch. We will take those two existing programs and enhance them.”
Marshall identifies disinformation and a general distrust of public institutions as the two greatest challenges that he – and many others – face.
“While I’m in this chair, I’m gonna roll my sleeves up and ask, ‘How can I make this better?’” said Marshall. “I won’t always get it right, but I will do my best to be a man of integrity and lead with it. It won’t happen overnight. We will bump our toes. But I believe that when you extend grace, solutions will follow.”
While Marshall’s office is decorated with a whimsically autographed picture of Abraham Lincoln, his admiration is sincere.
“Lincoln resonates so much with me. He came from humble beginnings. He guided this country through some of its most turbulent years,” Marshall said.