The Arkansas Academy for Educational Equity at the University of Arkansas seeks to transform the way teachers are prepared, supported, and mentored throughout their career.

The academy, which was made possible by a collaboration between the College of Education and Health Professions at the U of A and the Walton Family Foundation through a $10 million gift, addresses the severe teacher shortage in Arkansas by recruiting talented and motivated teachers to relocate to the state as well as supporting early-career teachers who have committed to teaching in Arkansas' most underserved districts. 

Eric Mayes was recently appointed as founding executive director.

"I am excited by the opportunity to lead the academy and help build a more equitable education system in Arkansas," Mayes said. "I look forward to working alongside dedicated community partners and talented staff and faculty at the University of Arkansas and academy to achieve this goal."

Prior to his current position, Mayes served on the faculty at Johns Hopkins University working at the nexus of leadership development, social entrepreneurship, and educational equity. While there, he designed and implemented an innovative Doctor of Education program in entrepreneurial leadership that focused on addressing some of the most intractable problems in education. His research focused on examining the mediating role of culture on learning and cognition, leading him to spend considerable time studying internationally in both Africa and South America.

Mayes has also held senior leadership positions at the Children's Defense Fund, Wayne State University, and the U.S. Dream Academy. He holds a post-doctorate master's degree in education policy and management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, a Ph.D. in educational psychology from Howard University, and both a master's degree in educational technology and a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. As a former student-athlete, Mayes advanced from walk-on to co-captain of the 1997 University of Michigan national championship football team.

The Arkansas Academy for Educational Equity has hired a talented staff to lead the instructional and operational aspects of this charge. More information about each staff member can be found at the links below.

Instructional Team:

Pamela Yancy-Taylor, senior director of instructional leadership

Chandra Boone, director of secondary mathematics

Lizette Burks, director of secondary science

Whitney Harris, director of secondary English language arts

Katina Leland, director of elementary education

Shannon Heard, manager of program design

Operations Team:

Nick Patterson, senior director of operations and marketing

Autumn Lewis, associate director of placement and operations

Jessica Pontoo, associate director of recruitment

Megan Brosh, manager of internal operations