Corey Alderdice, executive director of the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts, has been named a 2025 Arkansas Executive of the Year finalist by Arkansas Business.
Alderdice is a finalist in the Public Sector/Education category. Other category finalists are Jim Hudson of the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, Dr. Pearl McElfish of the Institute for Community Health Innovation at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Dr. DuShun Scarbrough Sr. of the Arkansas Martin Luther King Jr. Commission, and Dr. Todd Shields of Arkansas State University.
“It’s a true honor to be named alongside these exceptional public servants and educators,” Alderdice said. “Any executive is only as successful as the team they build. This recognition is really a reflection of the shared commitment of our colleagues at ASMSA and their daily pursuit of excellence.”
Finalists were also selected for five other categories: Small Private Company, Large Private Company, Nonprofit Organization, Financial Executive and Board Member. In addition to Alderdice and McElfish who both serve at institutions within the University of Arkansas System, UA Board of Trustees Chair Kelly Eichler was named a finalist in the Board Member category.
This is the second year of the program, which is an expansion of the former CFO of the Year Awards. It recognizes and honors the region’s most outstanding senior executives, according to a release by Arkansas Business. Nomination forms were submitted to an independent panel of judges that met in late July to determine finalists and winners.
An awards ceremony recognizing the winners and finalists will be held at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock on Nov. 13. The winners of each category will be announced at the celebration, which is presented by Arkansas Talent Group. A special supplement of Arkansas Business highlighting the finalists will be included in the Oct. 27 issue of the publication.
