Dr. Richard Abernathy is the Executive Director of the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators (AAEA), a position he has held since July 2010. Prior to that, he had the privilege of serving the students of the State of Arkansas for 23 years. Before beginning his term at AAEA, he served as the Superintendent of two different school districts in Arkansas — the Bryant School District, for seven years, and three years at the Paris School District.
Dr. Abernathy’s career in education began as a math teacher and coach at Alma. He then moved into administration serving as principal at Lavaca and Clarksville. Then assistant superintendent and athletic director at Ozark before becoming superintendent at Paris.
Dr. Abernathy serves on several state committees including the Board of Trustees for the Arkansas Teacher Retirements System. Dr. Abernathy’s continues his career in education by serving school administrators through the work of AAEA.