Professional Staff

Harrison M. Pittman, B.S., J.D., LL.M.

Center Director
(479) 575-7640
hmpittm@uark.edu

Harrison M. Pittman has an extensive background in agricultural law and has served in multiple capacities at the Center since 2001.  Mr. Pittman received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law, after attending Mississippi State University and graduating the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He earned an LL.M. in Agricultural Law from the University of Arkansas School of Law's Graduate Program in Agricultural Law.  Mr. Pittman teaches Environmental and Natural Resources Law and Introduction to Agricultural Law in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food, & Life Sciences, Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness.  He  is an active member of the American Agricultural Law Association (AALA), and was the first recipient of the AALA’s Excellence in Agricultural Law award in 2010.  Mr. Pittman is also a faculty member for the Center for Agricultural and Rural Sustainability.  Mr. Pittman has taught at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law as part of the Ben J. Altheimer Distinguished Professorship for Agricultural Law.

He is a frequent presenter on various agricultural law and policy and has authored articles on numerous subjects, including the National Organic Program, the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act, the constitutionality of corporate farming laws, pesticide regulation and litigation, agritourism, states' recreational use statutes, legal issues associated with the structure of the livestock industry, agricultural bankruptcy issues, environmental regulation of agriculture, and the Packers and Stockyards Act. He is an active member of the Arkansas Bar Association, where he founded the Agricultural Law Section and later served as interim chair and chair.

Elizabeth Rumley, B.A., J.D., LL.M.

Staff Attorney
erumley@uark.edu  |  (479) 387-2331  |  Full résumé

Beth Rumley was raised on a small family farm in Ida, Michigan. She attended Michigan State University, where she was an active competitor, president, and captain of the Mock Trial team that participated in competitions across the Midwest. She also interned in the chambers of Magistrate Judge Virginia M. Morgan, United States District Court, Eastern District of Michigan. After graduating from MSU in 2004, Beth returned home and commuted to law school at the University of Toledo, where she graduated cum laude in May of 2007. While in law school, she volunteered as a coach of the Ida High School Mock Trial Team and continued to assist with the MSU team. In addition, she interned at the Michigan prosecutor's offices of Monroe and Lenawee counties, with the United States Attorney's Office in Toledo, and for the Honorable David A. Katz of the Northern District of Ohio. From 2005-2008, she was also employed by the Toledo law firm of Cosme, D'Angelo and Szollosi. Beth is licensed to practice law in Michigan and Ohio. At the Center, her primary focus is on legal issues in animal agriculture. Her article A Proposal to Regulate Farm Animal Confinement in the United States and an Overview of Current and Proposed Laws on the Subject recently appeared in the of the Drake Journal of Agricultural Law (14 Drake J. Agric. L. 437 (Fall, 2009)).

Rusty W. Rumley, B.S., J.D., LL.M.

Staff Attorney
rrumley@uark.edu  |  (479) 575-2636  |  Full résumé

Rusty Rumley was born and raised on the family farm in Cogar, Oklahoma. He graduated magna cum laude from Oklahoma State University in 2004 with a B.S. in AgriBusiness and in 2007 received his J.D. from the University of Oklahoma. While attending the University of Oklahoma he was a member of the American Indian Law Review and worked part-time for Oklahoma Farm Bureau Legal Foundation. Rusty has completed his LL.M in Agricultural Law at the University of Arkansas. Rusty's thesis paper for the LL.M. degree was concerning the future application of special use valuation under the Internal Revenue code for the valuation of farmland at prices other than fair market value, as well as the applicability of the statute as a model for future legislation designed to protect family farms. His primary areas of interest are in estate planning, taxation, business organizations, and alternative dispute resolution. Rusty is licensed to practice law in the state of Oklahoma.

Grant Ballard, B.S., J.D., LL.M.

Center Research Consultant
gballard@bankslawfirm.us  |  (501) 280-0100

Grant Ballard serves as a Research Consultant to the National Agricultural Law Center, primarily working with crop insurance, farm policy, and other issues relative to agricultural producers. Mr. Ballard is a practicing agricultural attorney and an associate with the Banks Law Firm PLLC, in Little Rock, Arkansas, a firm that represents agricultural producers.  Mr. Ballard focuses a portion of his agricultural law practice on the representation of farmers in regard to crop insurance disputes and has written on crop insurance litigation in the past.  At times, Mr. Ballard assists in Center research and information activities, including publishing factsheets and other articles such as Filing a Crop Insurance Claim:  An Overview for Producers. His Practitioner's Guide to the Litigation of Federally Reinsured Crop Insurance Claims is scheduled to be published in the Drake Journal of Agricultural Law in the fall of 2012.  He received his Juris Doctor from the University of Arkansas School of Law and recently completed his LL.M., in Agricultural Law.  In his private practice, Mr. Ballard will  give legal counsel to agricultural producers in a variety of areas including:  crop insurance, commercial agricultural disputes, and issues involving the United States Department of Agriculture farm programs as well as  U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and  Environmental Protection Agency enforcement actions. 

Charles Cunningham, B.A.

Center Research Assistant
cccunnin@uark.edu

Charlie Cunningham was born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he attended historic Little Rock Central High School as an active member of the debate team. He began working at the National Agricultural Law Center as a clerical assistant in 2010, three years after beginning his undergraduate education at the University of Arkansas. In 2011, he graduated with Bachelor's degrees in German and History. The same year, he began law school at the University and became a graduate research assistant for the Center. In 2012, he won the Ben J. Altheimer Moot Court Competition and was awarded overall best oralist. He has co-authored the "impacts" chapter of the Wind Energy Leasing Handbook and has recently been focusing his work on legal guides for direct-farm businesses.

Stacy Revels, B.S.

Center Research Assistant

Stacy Revels is a second-year law student at the University of Alabama School of Law. Stacy grew up on her family's cow-calf operation in Florida and was actively involved in the 4-H and FFA organizations, serving as the 2002-2003 Florida FFA State President. She received an undergraduate degree in Agricultural Education from the University of Florida. While a student at Florida, she was a member of the Gator Collegiate CattleWomen, Block and Bridle, and the Meat Animal Evaluation team. Post-graduation, Stacy worked as an agriculture teacher in central Florida for two years. She then spent three years working as Manager of Certification Programs for the National Pork Board in Des Moines, Iowa before returning to school in order to pursue her law degree.

Kayla Shirey, B.A.

Center Research Assistant
klshirey@uark.edu

Kayla Shirey is a first year law student at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville School of Law. Kayla was born and raised in Benton, Arkansas, where she was actively involved in community service projects. She attended Arkansas State University, where she earned a degree in Political Science in three years. During her undergraduate career, Kayla received a top oralist award in the South Central Regional Moot Court Competition and studied abroad in Canterbury, England and Heredia, Costa Rica.

Micayla Scott

Student Intern
mjs005@email.uark.edu

Originally, from Parsons, Kansas, Micayla is a Junior at the University of Arkansas, where she is studying Agricultural Communications. Her duties for the Center include writing blogs and updating the Center's website and publications. Micayla is also highly involved as Rush Chair of her sorority, Sigma Alpha. She also works for the University's National Phone Campaign. Micayla will graduate from the University in May of 2014 with a Bachelor's Degree in Agricultural Education, Communication, and Technology from the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.