ROGERS -- The Arkansas Arts Academy Board of Directors decided to replace its chief executive officer who was hired less than a year ago.
The charter school's board chose last month not to renew the contract of Richard Burrows, who was hired last August following a nationwide search for a new leader, according to Howard Alsdorf, who served on the board for 20 years until last month.
Alsdorf said he resigned from the board in protest of the decision to let Burrows go.
The board on Monday released a statement announcing it has hired an interim CEO. Allison Roberts will serve in the position while a national search for a permanent leader is conducted, according to a news release posted on the school's Facebook page. The board decided to hire Roberts during its meeting Tuesday.
Burrows, when contacted Monday, said his last day with the school was June 30. He said a change in board leadership led to his departure, and it was "absolutely not" his choice to leave.
"So I guess it's a new ballgame," Burrows said.
He said he and the board are still in negotiations on the terms of his departure.
Arkansas Arts Academy operates two campuses in Rogers, one for grades K-6 and another for 7-12. It enrolled about 1,200 students in grades K-12 as of October, according to state data.
Roberts, an Arkansas native, has experience in numerous roles including visual artist, kindergarten through college art educator, arts consultant, national professional development facilitator, author, school administrator, accreditation evaluator and education policy adviser, according to the news release. She has a doctorate in leadership for educational equity from the University of Colorado at Denver.
Roberts most recently served as senior education adviser for Gov. Asa Hutchinson, according to the release.
The academy hired Arts Consulting Group, a Boston-based organization, last year to find Burrows and fill the CEO position left vacant following the retirement of Mary Ley, who held the job for six years. The Walton Family Foundation provided the school a $50,000 grant for the nationwide search.
Burrows was director of community outreach and engagement with The Historic Trust in Vancouver, Wash., prior to joining the Arkansas Arts Academy. He's also been director of arts education for the Los Angeles Unified School District and executive director and board president of the Institute for Arts Education in San Diego, according to a news release from the school last year.