Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Thursday announced three new appointees to vacant positions on the Arkansas Board of Education.
Charisse Dean of Little Rock will replace Sam Ledbetter, the governor's office said in a news release. Dean served on the Governor's Council for Common Core Review and has four children in the Little Rock School District. She works as the project coordinator for the Family Council Action Committee.
Brett Williamson of El Dorado will replace Alice Mahony, the release states. Williamson serves on The Murphy Foundation Board, which provides scholarships for El Dorado and Union County students. He is also part of the El Dorado Chamber of Commerce, United Way of Union County, El Dorado Fifty for the Future and El Dorado Works. Williamson is the general manager for Murphy Offices LLC and has two children in college and one child in the El Dorado School District.
Both Ledbetter's and Mahony's terms on the board expired at the end of June.
Susan Chambers of Bella Vista will replace Kim Davis, who resigned because of job obligations at the last board meeting. She serves as the executive vice president for the Global People Division of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and has received several honors from Forbes Magazine, including being named one of the "50 Most Powerful Women in Business."
The state Board of Education meets again July 9. The board in a June meeting voted down Hutchinson's recommendation to switch from the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers to standardized tests offered by ACT Inc.
Hutchinson issued a letter later that month directing state education officials to cut ties with the PARCC testing consortium and work with the board of education to find a new test provider, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette previously reported.
See Friday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full coverage.