Simmons named Harding Academy Superintendent
James Simmons, former superintendent of Conway public
schools, will become the new vice president and superintendent at
Harding Academy in July.
Dr. David Burks, president of Harding University, made the
announcement yesterday in a notice sent to parents of students at the
school.
Simmons will replace Dr. Mark Benton, who resigned earlier this year,
effective at the end of the current school year. Simmons was one of
five individuals interviewed for the position.
Simmons has 31 years of experience in school administration. He
served as superintendent of schools in Conway for five years. He also
served as a high school principal at Mountain Home before accepting
the position at Conway.
He graduated from Crowley’s Ridge College in 1974, and received his
B.A. degree in elementary education from Harding in 1976. He earned a
M.Ed. at Harding in 1979 and has both the secondary principal’s
certification and the superintendent’s certification from Arkansas
State University.
“James Simmons has a distinguished career in public education. We have
a great program at Harding Academy, and we look forward to his
leadership at the Academy as we strengthen that program and seek to
reach new levels of service and achievement,” said Burks.
Simmons was named Arkansas Principal of the Year in 1990 and a
National Distinguished Principal in 1991. He received the Milken
Foundation National Education Award in 1991 and received the Harding
University College of Education’s Outstanding Alumnus Award in 2002.
As a vice president for Harding Academy, Simmons will meet with the
University’s administrative cabinet on a weekly basis and represent
the Academy to the University with the intent of building an even
stronger partnership between the Academy and the University.
