Corey Alderdice, executive director of the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts, was named the 2025 Arkansas Executive of the Year in the Public Sector/Education category by Arkansas Business.
Alderdice was recognized at an awards ceremony held at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock on Nov. 13. Other category finalists were Jim Hudson, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration; Dr. Pearl McElfish, founding director of the Institute for Community Health Innovation at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences; Dr. DuShun Scarbrough Sr., executive director of the Arkansas Martin Luther King Jr. Commission; and Dr. Todd Shields, chancellor of Arkansas State University.
“While Arkansas Business honored me as an individual, every achievement behind this recognition is the product of the collective work of ASMSA students who push boundaries, dedicated educators who embrace challenge, and partners who believe in expanding opportunity,” Alderdice said. “Stewarding ASMSA these past thirteen years has been the real honor even amid this special recognition.”
A video of the ceremony may be viewed here.
Awards were also announced 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 was the second year of the program, which is an expansion of the former CFO of the Year Awards. It recognized and honored 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.
For more information about the Arkansas Executive of the Year Awards and a list of this year’s winners, visit www.ArkansasBusiness.com/event/executive. The celebration was presented by Arkansas Talent Group.