Janie Hipp LL.M.’96 joined the Arkansas Alumni Association National Board of Directors in July 2023 and serves on the board’s awards and internal relations committees.
The National Alumni Board oversees the programs and policies that carry out the association’s mission — to connect and serve the University of Arkansas family.
Hipp spent her childhood in Idabel, Oklahoma, a rural community dominated by agriculture, where her early experiences influenced her career path.
After college and law school, Hipp spent eight years as a litigator in food and agricultural law and four years as the agricultural and rural legal affairs advisor for the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office.
Eventually, Hipp entered the U of A’s specialized agricultural law program. Upon completion, she spent several years at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) before returning to the U of A as the director of the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative and as a visiting law professor.
In 2021, Hipp was nominated by President Joe Biden and approved by the U.S. Senate to serve as general counsel for the USDA. She left that role last year and currently serves as CEO and president of Native Agriculture Financial Services, an organization established to assist First American farmers and ranchers. She is also an adjunct professor at the University of Arkansas.
As a passionate advocate for First Americans, Hipp was honored as a 2024 inductee into the Chickasaw Hall of Fame, which you can read about here.
“Janie’s experience spans all aspects of the work of the Arkansas Alumni Association,” said Brandy Cox Jackson M.A.’07, Ph.D’23, associate vice chancellor and executive director of the Arkansas Alumni Association. “She understands and has lived the connections to campus that bring us all together. Her knowledge spans being a student, a professor as well as an exceptional professional. Janie received the Association’s Citation of Distinguished Alumni award in 2014.”
Hipp holds a Bachelor of Arts in social work from the University of Oklahoma, a Juris Doctor from Oklahoma City University and a Master of Laws in agriculture and food laws from the University of Arkansas. She is a life member of the Arkansas Alumni Association.
Hipp’s personal and professional connections to the University of Arkansas make her an immense resource in our mission to serve the U of A family. We are proud that she serves such a vital role on the National Alumni Board.
