Education Board gets new voice

Special to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette - 08/252014 - Kim Davis
Special to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette - 08/252014 - Kim Davis

Gov. Mike Beebe on Monday appointed Kim Davis of Fayetteville to the Arkansas Board of Education. Davis will fill the position previously held by Brenda Gullett, also of Fayetteville, whose seven-year term on the board expired in June.

Davis, 43, is the director of external relations and economic development for the Northwest Arkansas Council, which is based in Springdale. The council is a private, nonprofit organization that promotes the region in terms of economic development, educational excellence and infrastructure.

"I have always had a strong interest in education," Davis said Monday about his appointment to the nine-member Education Board. "I worked in educational institutions in New York City and Houston, Texas, as well as in Northwest Arkansas."

Davis' mother was a teacher for more than 30 years in New Orleans-area schools. As a result, he said, he developed an early passion for education.

"I was raised to believe that education can solve a tremendous amount of social ills by preparing individuals for the work world and preparing them to be better individuals, both academically and from a social standpoint," Davis said.

An Arkansas resident for 10 years, Davis ran a kindergarten-through-12th-grade educational program for Ozark Guidance, a community mental health center, before joining the Northwest Arkansas Council.

Davis graduated from Redeemer High School in New Orleans and received his bachelor's and master's degrees in education from the University of Saint Thomas in Houston. He also holds a certificate in education administration from Manhattan College in New York.

He taught school for four years in Texas and spent six years as a teacher and administrator in New York City, according to the Northwest Arkansas Council's short biography on Davis.

He and his wife, Doris, have two children: a 12-year-old daughter and a 10-year-old son.

Davis is joining the state Education Board at a time when the board is pushing low-achieving schools and school districts to improve instruction and student learning. The board is also overseeing the transition to state-required, online student testing, as well as the implementation of a uniform, statewide teacher evaluation system.

"I'm so pleased to be joining a team of folks who have done some amazing work over the past few years," Davis said of the Education Board. "I just want to go there, listen, learn and add value where it is appropriate."

Metro on 08/26/2014

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