Will Stevens - Human Resources Director

Will Stevens has a couple of secret lives that might surprise you (and that make us especially proud that he's the Human Resources Director for CalArk).

At his day job here, he's the expert who helps our new employees and drivers understand their benefits, complete their training, and feel like part of the CalArk family.

He has also managed to complete a graduate program and create one of the world's only underwater memorials for fallen military personnel, both while working full-time.

Graduate

This year Will graduated from the Seminary Extension program of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary with a graduate certificate in Ministries and Pastoral Education. The program took 4 years, and required that he complete 16 classes, pass 65 exams, take 16 proctored final exams, complete 7 papers, and read over 51 books.

How did he do that while working full-time? He says it was a challenge he solved by sticking to a schedule. He would get up 45 minutes early every morning to ready and study, then study during lunch breaks and in the evenings as well. He says the first two years were a struggle to find a work and study balance, but once he was able to develop a workable schedule, he completed a class every 6 to 9 weeks. He says it was only with the help of his wife and pastors that he got straight A's and achieved a 4.0 GPA.

Memorial

Check out the THV11 feature here!

Will was touched by FEARLESS, the life story of Adam Brown, raised in the same small Arkansas town where Will grew up. On September 28, 2012, Will had a dream of an underwater memorial for Brown and heard a voice say he should build it. In July 2013, a group of SCUBA divers known as the Fearless Rock Dive Team placed the memorial underwater in Lake Ouachita, which is located just outside of Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is the only known underwater memorial open to all divers that honors fallen service members in the United States.

In February 2017, Brick Smith, Will's good friend and member of the Fearless Rock Dive Team died in a skydiving accident. To honor him, the group partnered with the Garland County Juvenile Drug Court to create the SCUBA Diving Scholarship. They select a member of the Court’s H.E.R.O.E.S. program to serve as a Diver Tender for the members of the Dive Team.

The winner of the scholarship serves as a member of the Dive Team and learns responsibility and the meaning of teamwork.  While learning the fundamentals of SCUBA diving, they also learn of the importance of serving their community and of the sacrifices made by those before them. The scholarship also pays for their Open Water SCUBA Diving Certification and their diving gear. The members of the Dive Team get the opportunity to be part of a young person's success, and to honor the memory of their friend and fellow diver.

At CalArk we're very proud of what Will has accomplished while working full-time to welcome and equip our employees!
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