LITTLE ROCK — The executive director of the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute is resigning, the organization announced Friday.
David Davies, who helped found the center in 2005, is leaving effective April 20.
The institute is a part of the University of Arkansas System and was opened with the help of a grant from the Winthrop Rockefeller Charitable Trust.
The institute is a lodge and conference center catering to educational and corporate retreats.
It sits on 188 acres atop Petit Jean Mountain. The land was originally part of Rockefeller’s home and cattle farm.
Davies’ assistant said he was unavailable for commentFriday.
Davies said in a news release that he’s proud of the institute’s development and it must focus on the future.
“We have started an organization from scratch and totally rebuilt and expanded facilities ... that all of us can be proud of and programs that are just the beginning of what will be great,” he said.
No information was released on Davies’ plans.
“He’s looking at some opportunities, but I don’t think anything’s been finalized,” said Kathy Edgerton, the institute’s director of marketing and communication.
Edgerton said the institute’s board of directors will form a search committee to find Davies’ replacement.
Arkansas, Pages 13 on 03/27/2010