ROGERS -- Benton County School of the Arts will have a new leader in place next week when it transitions to the Arkansas Arts Academy.

School Board members presented Mary Ley as the final candidate for the chief executive officer/superintendent position on Monday night to about 10 staffers and a couple of parents. Ley will take the title of chief executive officer, replacing former superintendent Paul Hines.

Ley told the group that she is ready to take things to the next level.

"Put your seat belts on," she said.

The School Board interviewed candidates on Monday and Tuesday of last week and came to a consensus Thursday night. The board wanted to have a signed contract before voting and announcing their new leadership, said Wes Abbott, board president. Abbott said he was pleased with Ley's art experience.

"She brought a unique point of view. Her being from an arts background and us being an arts school was like a perfect match," Abbott said.

Other board members echoed Abbott's sentiments. Tony Beardsley said he was pleased to have an arts-focused leader in place and hopes Ley's energy is contagious to the staff. Alicia Knotts said she hopes to see more arts, more community building out of the new leadership.

"I think it's a new chapter for Arkansas Arts Academy," Knotts said.

Ley, a former art teacher, is the executive director of communications and community partnerships in Bentonville School District. She has taught in Indiana and Florida and was an administrator in Colorado. She holds a National Board Certification in art, Ley said after the meeting and is a former trainer for International Baccalaureate. She was involved in turnarounds of two Colorado Springs magnet schools, Ley said. She was project director at Galileo School of Math and Science, then Jack Swigert Aerospace Academy.

Her goal for the Rogers charter school is to make it the best in the nation. The growing local arts scene will play into that, Ley said. The school has great infrastructure, she said, but she plans to introduce more physical activities, like biking or running to students.

"I think all my past experience has led me up to this moment," Ley said.

"I want to be here and I want to belong here and this is where my legacy is going to be," she said.

Ley was chosen from among 10 candidates for the position. Her 232 day contract was written for three years with annual salary of $103,000. She starts July 1.

In other business the board approved a preliminary website design and business cards for the July 1 rebranding to Arkansas Arts Academy.

Beardsley asked the board to approve a half-page advertisement in OnStage, the Walton Art Center's fall program. The school had a quarter page ad, but it got lost and the upcoming name change needs introduction, he said.

The board approved a $2,712 advertisement for the season and a $1,300 design fee.