Local Legend - Kendra Pruitt

“I’m just a country girl from Newport, Arkansas.” This is how I introduce myself whether I’m in Little Rock, Arkansas, Washington D.C., Tel Aviv, Israel, or Seoul, South Korea. I wear my hometown as a badge of honor. I am proud to be from what I call God’s country. With sprawling rice fields and swarming mosquitos, Newport, and more specifically Diaz, the good and the bad, is deeply rooted in my heart. I am not who I am, I’ve not done what I’ve done, nor gone where I have gone without it. For that, I am eternally grateful.

I’m a multigenerational Jackson County girl. My parents graduated from Newport High School and built their lives there. I grew up across the tracks in Diaz, where walking the blocks in our neighborhood and riding bikes farther than we should was the norm. I graduated from Newport High School as Class President and one of several valedictorians of our class. From there, I ventured off to Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas.

Attending a predominantly white, conservative college as a young Black woman from a small town taught me more than textbooks ever could. I learned how to speak up when I felt overlooked, how to build bridges without losing my voice, and how to lead with both humility and boldness. After Ouachita, I attended law school. There, I deepened my desire to serve the underserved and advocate for the marginalized. It was at law school that I think I found my “why.” I earned my law degree from the University of Arkansas School of Law and became a practicing attorney—first in the courtroom, then in public policy and government.

But no matter how far my work has taken me, MY roots always trace back to Jackson County. It was in Jackson County that I learned to love hard, work harder, and show up even when it’s tough. It’s where I first understood what it means to be accountable to a community, to contribute to something greater than yourself. Those values stayed with me as I served in Arkansas’ capital city as the Mayor’s Senior Advisor and later as Chief of Staff—leading strategy, managing city operations, and overseeing a $300 million budget for more than 2,500 employees.

But titles aside, my work has always been about people—particularly those whose voices aren’t always heard. Whether it’s helping residents access basic services or ensuring access and opportunity for all is embedded in policy, I believe in doing the kind of work that outlives you. That belief is what led me to launch my consulting firm, Solution Seekers. Through it, I partner with governments, nonprofits, and mission-driven companies to create strategic solutions that deliver real impact—especially in underrepresented communities. I help leaders reimagine what’s possible, and I equip them to move from ideas to implementation.

Every meeting I lead, every speech I give, every strategy I shape is built on the foundation laid in Newport. In many ways, I’ve simply expanded the work I first learned watching my mom teach and mentor students at Newport High and my dad serve our family and neighbors in his quiet, consistent ways.

My story is still being written, but the first chapters—those dusty Diaz bike rides, high school pep rallies, and church potlucks—remain the most important ones. They gave me grit. They gave me grace. And they gave me a sense of responsibility I carry with me wherever I go. So yes, I’m just a country girl from Newport, Arkansas. But that’s never been a limitation—it’s been the launchpad.