HIGH PROFILE: Junior League of Little Rock President Sabrina Lewellen

Sabrina Lewellen holds close to the memories of her mother and father -- parents who prepared her early on for the day of their deaths.

Her mother, Mildred King Lewellen, was 42 when she was born. Her father, the Rev. Herman Lee Lewellen, was 50.

Lewellen is the youngest of the couple's five children. Her oldest brother is 18 years her senior. The sibling closest in age is 12 years older.

"My mother called me a late blessing," Lewellen says. "My mother would tell you that they religiously aimed for me for 12 years."

When she was a teenager, Lewellen's parents began discussing ways to make sure she was secure and prepared.

"My parents started talking to me in plain language on preparation with the message that you are never ready to lose your parents, but you will be prepared," she recalls.

Her mother died in 2006 when Lewellen was 29. Five years later, she lost her father.

Lewellen adhered to her parents' advice, graduating in 1999 from Florida A&M with a bachelor of science degree and from Vanderbilt University in 2002 with a law degree. Today, she is deputy director and assistant secretary of the Arkansas Senate and president of the Junior League of Little Rock.

She originally intended to go to medical school, but when she did the math and realized it would take her at least 10 years to earn the degree and she didn't think she could do it without her parents around.

"The best gift I was given was my parents, without a doubt" she says. "You are never ready to lose your parents."

Growing up in Jonesboro, Lewellen's parents provided guidance through examples.

When she was 7, her mother told her that Father's Day was approaching and she needed to get her father a gift. She asked her mother for money.

"She said 'No. You will have to find a way' so I stole a half used bottle of Elmer's wood glue that he already had. I wrapped it up in comic paper and I [gave] it to him.

"His response imprinted my spirit for life. He clapped. He was overjoyed, so appreciative and I thought to myself I want everyone to feel this way because I had done something for them."

So she became a self-described child larcenist, stealing her siblings' possessions -- necklaces, earrings and other things -- wrapped them up and regifted them to the owner.

"I made them so angry, especially my sisters Charlotte and Gladys -- and my mother threatened them and said 'Don't you dare ruin her spirit. She's a giver.'"

THE LEWELLEN BUNCH

The matriarch of the family, Mildred Lewellen, was an elementary school teacher for 36 years at South Elementary in Jonesboro. For decades, she was the school's only black teacher. As the only fifth-grade science teacher, she taught all of her children.

"Of course. We all did," her youngest says when asked if they had to call their mother Mrs. Lewellen. "You got away with nothing. Expectations were the same and I did my Arkansas history project with my father, not her."

Her father was a Baptist minister. Both parents were what Lewellen calls "community investors," active in civil rights in Jonesboro.

"My dad was a pastor, a preacher, he was clergy. He visited the sick and shut-ins, he went to correctional facilities. People loved him. He treated his congregation like they were his family."

All of the Lewellen children are successful. The oldest, Michael Lewellen, is vice president of corporate communications and public engagement for the Portland Trailblazers. Gladys Lewellen is an executive at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

Charlotte Lewellen Williams is director for the Center on Community Philanthropy at the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service and a tenured professor. Karen Lewellen is a radio personality in Canada and an accomplished singer and musician.

Gladys Lewellen remembers well when her baby sister would regift items to her siblings. She says her sister still gives plenty of gifts she bought -- not swiped.

"She is quite the giver now," Gladys says. "Little packages show up at my door in Atlanta all of the time."

Gladys says she receives kitchen tools, tote bags, "all kinds of little gadgets she knows I need."

Charlotte says her sister always gives the perfect gift.

"NeKay is such an amazing, giving person. She has such a giving spirit. She is so in tune with the other person's needs. She studies what you need and that's the gift she is going to give you," Charlotte says.

SABRINA VS. NEKAY

Lewellen's parents gave her three names -- Sabrina NeKay Evelyn. NeKay was a name made up by her parents. Her parents promised a family friend they would use the name Evelyn if they had another girl. She's not sure where Sabrina came from, speculating that maybe her parents voted on it.

Her family has always called her NeKay, as do all her Jonesboro friends. When she went to college, she began using her real first name, Sabrina. How she is known now depends on who's talking. When her uncle, Rep. John Lewellen, came to visit her in the Senate, he asked for NeKay Lewellen. He was told there was no NeKay Lewellen working for the Senate. "He told me they didn't know my name," she says, laughing.

John Lewellen is not the only lawmaker in her family. After his death, he was followed in his office by his wife -- and Lewellen's aunt -- Wilhelmina Lewellen. And former state Sen. Bill Lewellen is her cousin.

"I think that everybody whose life aligns to allow them to run should run," she says.

But Lewellen does not plan to run for office herself, saying her "commitment to the legislative process is because of my belief in our democracy and to support those who commit to service."

"I love my job," she says. "I am grateful to work with and for the 35 members of the Arkansas Senate and I remain committed to the institution as long as the Senate will have me."

Ann Cornwell, director and secretary of the Senate and Lewellen's boss, says she doesn't know anyone who "doesn't have the utmost respect" for Lewellen.

"Everybody loves her. She is fabulous to work with. She is extremely competent," Cornwell says. "The Senate is very fortunate to have her."

STORIES FROM THE HOMESTEAD

When the Lewellens announced they were going to have another baby, their children were stunned.

Fearful her parents wanted to start a new family, Charlotte says she tried to run away from home. Gladys recalls her parents called a family meeting to drop the bomb.

But now, the siblings say that their baby sister is a blessing.

When she was 14, Charlotte remembers baby-sitting her sister. When she left for college, she says Lewellen would cry.

"My favorite color is pink," Charlotte says. "When I would fly home from college, NeKay would get dressed up from head to toe in pink. ... I could see this little thing bouncing up and down in the terminal."

Both sisters used the same phrase to describe Lewellen -- "the most organized person on the planet." They say her organizational skills made their father's final days much easier to handle.

"She should become a professional organizer when she retires because she is the most amazingly organized person I have ever seen in my life," Gladys says.

Those skills likely were passed down from her parents who taught her many life lessons including the time they took her to the Craighead County Jail for a tour and left her in a locked cell.

"And an hour-plus later, they came back and we got in the car and my father looked in the rear view mirror and said 'Don't ever do anything to come back here.' What a great lesson," Lewellen says.

WOMEN SAYING YES

Each president of the Junior League of Little Rock gets to pick her theme. Lewellen's is "Women Saying Yes."

She chose the theme for two reasons. First she always wants to remember why she said yes to the Junior League. The second reason has to do with the history of the league.

"Everything you see, this building, the members -- both active and sustainer -- all of our legacy projects throughout the community, it's because women said 'Yes. We can, we will, we'll try, we will start it, we will create it, we will graduate it to the city.'

"We are going to keep moving and making changes. What the Junior League is is a network of women committed through leadership to affect community change. That's our niche," she says. "I wanted our membership to be reminded for a year to think about 'Why do I say yes? What does my best yes look like when I show up and give my all?'"

Patty Opitz, a member of the league, says she was initially intimidated by Lewellen when they first met. Opitz says the league calls Lewellen "the queen of preparation. It is kind of overwhelming seeing how she comes to a meeting."

Opitz says Lewellen invited her to be her roommate at an out-of-town league conference. At first, Opitz says she hesitated, thinking she wasn't up to Lewellen's standards.

"But I am so glad I said yes to rooming with her. We stayed up all night long," Opitz says. "She inspires me by her whole personality and how organized she is."

Opitz also confirmed Lewellen's gift-giving knack, adding she is always on the lookout for gifts in Opitz's favorite color -- mustard yellow. Lewellen gave her a pair of kitchen shears in that color.

Opitz adds that Lewellen is a quiet leader who listens to all. "She does that by her nature and how introverted she actually is."

In May, Lewellen will celebrate her 12-year anniversary as a Junior League member. The Little Rock chapter has about 1,000 active members and sustainers.

"It's worth every moment," she says of her time with the league. "I cannot give enough or do enough to return to this organization what I have received in friendship, in fellowship, in training and in opportunity. It is very unique and I think it's second to none when it comes to female leadership and training."

There are misconceptions about the Junior League, Lewellen says, explaining that some think the league is made up of "only one type of women doing certain types of things."

"Little do they know that this is an organization of game-changers, civic and community leaders, powerful women," she says. "It's a network of women who are doing things for years and years."

The Junior League of Little Rock has been instrumental in the formation of many initiatives including the Arkansas Arts Center, Riverfest, Potluck and the Museum of Discovery.

FUN AND GAMES

When she is not at the Women's City Club -- the official name of the Junior League building at 401 Scott St. -- or the state Capitol, Lewellen frequently can be found having lunch or dinner with friends or hanging out with her Game Group. For more than 11 years, the Game Group has gotten together for card and board games. Game day can last up to 12 hours.

And she is a stickler for acknowledging birthdays and Christmas, sending more than 600 cards to her friends and family each year. Using her organizational skills, Lewellen keeps a calendar of birthdays and sends cards at the first of each month.

"I hope they know I am thinking of them, I love them, I care, they matter and they can read it," she says of her cards. "My mother would say if you love somebody, write it down. The day will come when they will need it and they can read it."

She adds her mother always gave her wonderful advice.

"Nothing small, NeKay. Nothing small," she says her mother would say. "'Every transaction, every interaction matters. Do not underestimate anything that you do.'"

What would her mother say about Lewellen if she were alive today?

"I think she would say 'NeKay, mother and daddy are so proud of you. What are you going to do next?'"

And her father?

"I think my daddy would say 'Good. Good. Good.'"

High Profile on 03/18/2018