After nearly three decades of elevating agricultural communication in Arkansas, guiding young professionals, and helping shape Arkansas Press Women into a stronger, more connected organization, longtime APW member Mary Hightower is officially retiring from the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture on Dec. 31, 2025.
For many APW members, it’s hard to imagine the organization without her. Since joining in 1999, Hightower has served as a two-time president from 2009 to 2013, led APW through the digital transition of its communications contest, and was honored as the 2023 Arkansas Communicator of Achievement.
Her influence stretches far beyond those titles. She has been a mentor, a leader, and a steadfast voice championing excellence in communication.
“Mary’s dedication to excellence has shaped not only the Division of Agriculture but also countless communicators across our state,” APW President Angie Faller said. “She leads with integrity, generosity, and an unwavering commitment to good journalism. Arkansas Press Women is deeply grateful for her service, her mentorship, and her lasting contributions to our profession. We congratulate her on a remarkable career and wish her the very best in retirement.”
A Career Shaped by Curiosity, Creativity, and Agriculture
Hightower’s extensive communications career includes nine years with The Associated Press, two decades with the Cooperative Extension Service and Division of Agriculture, multiple leadership roles, and dozens of award-winning projects. But according to her, she is a communicator at heart.
“I see myself as a journalist and communicator who happens to work in agriculture,” she said. “Changes in platforms, channels, and methods have been the same as they are in the comms field at large.”
Still, agriculture became her professional home for a reason. While working at the AP, she noticed that the state’s largest industry, which included $25.6 billion in value-added and essential to daily life, wasn’t receiving the media coverage it deserved.
So Hightower began exploring the beat, leaning on veteran agricultural reporter Lamar James. That relationship led her to the Extension Service in 1996, launching a career she didn’t yet know would shape her life for decades to come.
Her contributions have been extensive. At the Division of Agriculture, Hightower helped transform communications from mailed news packets to a fully digital, multimedia operation. Social media, video storytelling, and web publishing all evolved under her watch.
She said two accomplishments stand out:
- Earning the trust of leadership, or “not simply being Kinko’s,” in her words.
- Seeing her staff grow – “One called my editing ‘red ink beatings,’ but said that ‘Now I can write a good headline.’ LOL.”
Moments That Stood the Test of Time
Across her years in journalism and communications, Hightower experienced more than a few unforgettable moments. She points to earning her first John W. White Award, becoming vice president at Tilson Communications, and winning APW’s Communicator of Achievement honor.
However, she also remembers the quieter milestones, like the moment she realized she had become the kind of editor who could ask the questions most reporters hadn’t thought of yet.
And then there was the day early in her career that most journalists only dream of experiencing; it was the only time she was a part of a newspaper literally stopping the presses.
While working as a wire editor in Texas, she listened in shock as the Challenger Space Shuttle exploded mid-launch, knowing that five daily newspapers had already gone to press without the news.
“I told the bureau chief that there was an explosion involving the Challenger shuttle, and she ran in to the pressroom yelling ‘Stop the presses!’” Hightower said. “We completely remade all the front pages and ran the story. We were the first papers to hit the streets with news of the tragedy and the only time in my career I was involved in a stop-the-presses moment. An unforgettable time in a very young career.”
A Long, Meaningful Journey with Arkansas Press Women
Hightower credits APW with a significant influence on her professional trajectory.
“APW has two key advantages,” she said. “1) Its people. The networking opportunities are unrivaled and being in the organization has led to long-term friendships. 2) The contest. The feedback from the contest is so valuable for continued professional development.”
While she’s modest about her own contributions, her years of service speak for themselves. Members frequently recall her guidance, institutional knowledge, and steady leadership, especially during the transition to digital contest submissions.
Her favorite memories are the gatherings and getting to know fellow inspirational. members.
“Getting to know Charlotte Schexnayder was a highlight,” she said. “She was an inspiration, and there are many times today that I wish I could ask her questions or just have a pleasant chat.”
Receiving APW’s 2023 Communicator of Achievement award still feels surreal to her.
“Two years on, and I’m still stunned,” she said. “All those who have won the award have my undying respect. I don’t feel like I am worthy to be in their company.”
A Creative Renaissance on the Horizon
Retirement, for Hightower, is far from a slow fade into leisure.
“First, I want to spend more time with my husband,” she said. “He’s spent decades watching me tap away on a keyboard at all hours.”
Beyond that, she’s eager to return to creative passions she put on hold. She’s been keeping a to-do list for decades that includes painting, sculpture, music, and expanding her ongoing interests in wildlife, weather, and astrophotography.
Advice for the Next Generation of Communicators
For the next generation of young communicators, especially young women, Hightower encourages them to always keep working to be their best.
“Don’t ever be satisfied with your work; always strive to do something better,” Hightower said. “Experiment with your interview techniques, your composing, whether written word or visual. Write your ledes. Re-write them. Experiment with your story architecture and storytelling. Whatever it is you’re doing, do more of it. Write more. Shoot more. Edit more. Find editors and writers you respect. Ask for advice. It all helps.”
She also emphasizes coming into the field with strong subject-matter knowledge by learning writing and reporting from good editors.
Her philosophy is simple, but rooted in decades of experience, adaptation, and curiosity:
Stay curious. Stay humble. Keep working. And don’t stop learning.