Meet our Elected Officers
Barbara Tillman
Chairwoman
Barbara grew up in Lake Village, Arkansas, the daughter of entrepreneurs and farmers. She always had a keen interest in politics, and worked on her first congressional campaign at age 18 in Arkansas’s 4th District. She lives in Bella Vista on a small farm, has two sons and three grandchildren, and practices real estate.
After moving to Texas to begin her professional career, her political leanings were solidified in the conservative Republican Party. She moved to Northwest Arkansas and became active in the Benton County Republican Women, serving three terms as president. She joined the County Committee and served as Secretary, all Vice Chairman positions, and has been involved in planning every Lincoln Day Dinner. One of her most memorable events was working at George W. Bush’s last stop on Election Day 2000 at XNA.
Barbara is a committed and unapologetic constitutionalist and leads the RPBC as such. She is committed to an aggressive program of education and enlarging our conservative base and keeping Benton County and Arkansas “Red”.
Scott Richardson
2nd Vice Chair
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Jim Kippen
Treasurer
Jim is originally from Spokane, Washington. He spent some time in Southern California volunteering for the Reagan and Bush campaigns. He moved to NWA in 2002 and has served as Treasurer for RPBC since 2007. He has two children and three grandchildren.
Mindy McAlindon
1st Vice Chair
Mindy has a strong history with the Republican Party, formerly serving as County Chairwoman in Tennessee, on the Arkansas State Executive Board, the AFRW Executive Board, and as the Benton County Reagan Day Chair. She is passionate about conservative values and educational issues, actively working to educate young people about American history and fighting back against "Common Core" in public education. Mindy has been married for 22 years and has four children. She was recently elected to the position of Arkansas National Committeewoman.
Patricia McKeehan
3rd Vice Chair
Patricia is an Arkansas native. She became a Republican while studying at The University of Arkansas and graduated with a Business Management degree.
She is an active Christian and wife to JP Richard McKeehan; she forrmerly co-owned McKeehan Engineering and served as V.P. and Treasurer.
Patricia has served as Treasurer of RPBC as well as Benton County Republican Women, and as an officer for Bentonville Republican Women.
Melanie Elliott
Secretary
Melanie made Benton County her home in 2000. In 2010, she found her conservative sisterhood in the Benton County Republican Women, where she became an active member and officer, including President from 2016-2018. Her membership in the Republican Party of Benton County began in 2016, and she was elected Secretary in 2021.
From her first visit to the ballot box at age 18, she has voted in favor of conservative and Republican ideals. Over her adult lifetime, she has made it a priority to educate herself and others about political issues, worldview, current events, truth, faith, and how all of those impact our lives. She identifies as a four-faceted conservative: biblical, constitutional, fiscal, and social.
She and her husband have raised two "Rush babies" who are now twenty-something adults.