On September 23, 2019 we lost a valued colleague and friend in John Brunson, Jr.
John David Brunson, Jr. began serving the people of Central Arkansas beginning in 1985 and had served as the Director of Workforce Services for the Central Arkansas Workforce Development Area beginning in 2002. During those years, John became the bedrock on which the delivery of workforce services in Central Arkansas was secured.
In addition to the 34 years John worked in public service, he also served on many boards and commissions such as the Bradley County High School Alumni Association and the Shorter College Alumni Association. John made a difference in the lives of others and made many contributions to the community, which helped it move forward in numerous ways.
Additionally, John played a major role in many of the innovations in change from CETA, JTPA, WIA, and WIOA programs. He participated in many collaborations including the 2017 Promoting Collaboration in Little Rock’s Workforce Development System. Most importantly, John was an articulate and inspiring leader and mentor that made a huge impact on not only the lives of thousands of clients; but, the lives of his co-workers as well.
His voice will never leave us, he will always be that quiet voice in the back of our heads when we are struggling over how to handle a difficult situation, developing a new way of implementing change, or just to give us a little comfort. Now, we must move forward in the legacy he left and continue to improve the lives of others.
In ending, we would like to send our condolences to the Brunson family. We are wishing you peace, comfort, and lots of love at this time of sorrow. John added life to our days and will be in our hearts always and forever.