When Matt Vines visited Henderson State as a Warren High School student in the early 1990s, he was “intrigued” by the university’s school spirit. A scholarship offer made Henderson an “easy” choice for Vines, who went on to serve two years as Student Government Association president.
He was also active in Heart & Key, Student Foundation, IFC and Theta Xi.
Today, Vines is president and an owner of RSource, a healthcare consulting company that employs more than 300 workers, including many Henderson graduates.
“We are hired by hospitals as patient advocates to help their patients resolve issues with their insurance,” Vines said. “I’ve managed our company operations since 2009, but I now spend most of my time meeting with clients, implementing new contracts, and presenting workshops and presentations to hospitals and healthcare associations.”
Vines said he was originally interested in political science when he attended Henderson, but felt the job opportunities would be limited.
“One of my professors, Dr. (Haroon) Khan, talked to me one day during my first year about studying public administration,” he said. “After some research, I decided to pursue public administration. It appealed to me because we learned business and writing skills as well as government and public policy.
“The greatest benefit of my public administration degree came from my enhanced writing skills. The technical writing requirement prepared me for the extensive writing required in law school and practicing law.”
Vines said he enjoys public policy and discussing how public policy impacts daily life.
“My business is in the private sector, but healthcare laws have a significant impact on my hospital clients,” he said. “I have to be able to explain how changes to healthcare laws will affect my hospital clients and recommend ways for those hospitals to adapt to the policy changes while still meeting the needs of their patient populations.
“Public administration is a well-rounded and beneficial degree. You learn policy, business and writing.”
After graduating from Henderson, Vines spent a year in Sydney, Australia, on a Rotary Scholarship.
“That was one of the best years of my life, and it established my lifelong goal of living Rotary’s motto ‘service beyond self.’” he said.
Vines attended law school at University of Richmond and practiced law in Maryland and Washington D.C. He has specialized in healthcare law for 15 years with a focus on federal health insurance and employment, as well as state laws governing workers’ compensation insurance, auto insurance, hospital Liens and employee benefit plans.
When asked to describe himself, Vines said, “I have been goal-oriented most of my life. Most people don’t know about some of the jobs that I worked while attending Henderson, including cooking burgers at Hardee’s, delivering newspapers for the Arkansas Democrat, and tutoring Algebra students.”
Vines said he “loved” his Henderson experience and Henderson family.
“My professors took time to learn about my interests, then they helped me achieve my goals.”