Board of Trustees

Trustees

Christy Clark

Christy Clark

Little Rock
Chair

Christy Clark, a 1992 graduate of Arkansas State University, is controller of Clark Contractors LLC of Little Rock.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting at Arkansas State and is an inactive Certified Public Accountant. Professional memberships include the Arkansas Society of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

She is a founding member of the A-State Women’s Leadership Center, a 1924 Sustaining Life Member of the ASU Alumni Association, a member of Chi Omega, and a member of the board of directors for Home for Healing and Arkansas Sheriffs' Youth Ranches. In addition, she is a life member of the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Auxiliary, the CHI St. Vincent Auxiliary and the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute Auxiliary.

She and her husband, William, were co-chairs of the Baptist Health Bolo Bash for 2021 in conjunction with her chairing the Partnerships for Life capital campaign to raise funds to renovate the Baptist Breast Center.

The Clarks received the 2018 Arkansas JDRF Imagine Gala Living & Giving Award on behalf of Clark Contractors, and she received the 2022 Arkansas Children's Award from Arkansas Sheriffs' Youth Ranches.

They have three children: Will, Ben and Alex.

She was first appointed to a five-year term in 2018 by Gov. Asa Hutchinson. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders in February 2023 appointed her to fill the unexpired term of Niel Crowson. Her appointment expires in January 2025. She may be contacted at chclark@asusystem.edu.


Steve Eddington

Steve Eddington

Benton
Vice Chair

Steve Eddington, a 1984 graduate of Henderson State with a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and a 1997 graduate of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with a Master of Arts in journalism, is vice president of public relations at Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation. He joined Farm Bureau in 2003 and is responsible for public information efforts that promote the policies, programs and achievements of the 190,000-member statewide agricultural advocacy organization.

A native of Warren, he was previously a communications executive at Alltel Corp., Alltel Information Services and Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield. He is a former sportswriter at the Arkansas Democrat and was sports information director at Henderson.

In addition to serving as president of the Alumni Association, Eddington is a life member of the H Club and a member of Sigma Tau Gamma at Henderson. He is a member of the Arkansas Newspaper Foundation board of directors.

He and his wife, Vanna McCauley Eddington, have two grown children and three grandchildren.

His appointment expires in January 2026. He may be contacted at seddington@asusystem.edu.


Bishop Robert G. Rudolph Jr.

Bishop Robert G. Rudolph Jr.

Bryant
Secretary

Bishop Robert G. Rudolph Jr. earned a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Texas at El Paso and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Henderson State University, where he served for two terms as student body president.

In 2022, Presiding Bishop J. Drew Sheard appointed Bishop Rudolph as the Governmental Affairs Liaison for the Church Of God In Christ. It is his duty to establish and maintain constructive relationships with elected and appointed officials on local, state, and federal levels for the denomination. After being elected president of the largest episcopal class in the history of the church, he was consecrated to the Office of Bishop in 2014 by Presiding Bishop Emeritus Charles E. Blake and has served as Prelate of the St. Maarten Rehoboth Jurisdiction since 2019, where he provides executive leadership to eastern Caribbean churches and ministries.

Bishop Rudolph was raised in Harrisburg and Malvern, Ark., and is a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. His secular career spans three decades in government, including service as a clerk for the Arkansas General Assembly, a congressional aide and a special assistant to the Governor of Arkansas. In 2021, Governor Asa Hutchinson appointed him as a member of the ASU System Board of Trustees. Rudolph is married to Michelle Parham Rudolph and has participated in the White House Roundtable of African American Faith Leaders.

His appointment expires in January 2027. He may be contacted at rudolph@asusystem.edu.


Paul Rowton

Paul Rowton

Harrisburg

Paul Rowton, a 1998 graduate of Arkansas State with a Bachelor of Science in marketing, is executive vice president of GES Inc. GES operates eight Edwards Food Giant stores and five Edwards Cash Saver stores. He is also a partner in Fast Lane Markets LLC, which owns and operates convenience stores.

A native of Forrest City, Rowton is past president of the A-State Alumni Association and helped oversee construction of the Cooper Alumni Center. The 2009 Arkansas Business 40 Under 40 honoree is also a past chairman, treasurer, vice chair and board member of the Arkansas Grocers & Retail Merchants Association and past president of the Harrisburg Chamber of Commerce.

Rowton is a member of Kappa Alpha Order. He and his wife – Ashley Edwards Rowton, a 1999 graduate of A-State – are 1924 Sustaining Life Members of the A-State Alumni Association and are members of the Red Wolves Foundation. They have two sons, JP and William.

His appointment expires in January 2028. He may be contacted at prowton@asusystem.edu.


Price Garnder

Price Gardner

Little Rock

Mr. Price Gardner of Little Rock is the Managing Partner of Friday Eldredge & Clark LLP, the state’s largest law firm, and has been a member of the firm since 1989.

He earned his Bachelor’s degree in accounting at Arkansas State in 1984 and his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Law in 1988. He also has a Master of Laws (LL.M) degree in taxation from the University of Florida Levin College of Law. In addition to being a member of the Arkansas bar since 1988, he is also licensed as a certified public accountant (inactive) in Arkansas.

He is a member of Fifty for the Future, Arkansas and American Bar Associations, the Arkansas Society of Certified Public Accountants, the Red Wolves Foundation and Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. He is a 1924 Sustaining Life Member of the ASU Alumni Association.

While at Arkansas State, he was a four-year football letterman, two-time All-Southland Conference selection and three-time Southland Conference All-Academic Team. In 2021, he was named a Distinguished Alumni of the UA Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law.

His appointment expires in January 2029. He may be contacted at pgardner@asusystem.edu.


Gary Harpole

Gary Harpole

Jonesboro

Mr. Gary Harpole of Jonesboro is a managing partner and director of development at Halsey Thrasher Harpole Real Estate Group in Jonesboro, serving markets in Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama.

Prior to becoming a partner in the real estate agency, Mr. Harpole was director of operations for the City of Jonesboro and chief of staff in the mayor’s office. He has a long history of community service and leading quality of life projects in Jonesboro.

In 1992 at age 26, he was elected to serve on the Jonesboro City Council, He served two terms on the council, the last of which he also served as vice mayor. While on the council, he co-chaired the city’s Metropolitan Area Traffic Authority and chaired the city’s Parks and Industrial Committees. He later served on the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission and co-chaired Jonesboro’s 20-year Vision 2030 Master Planning Committee.

Mr. Harpole is a member of the Advisory Board of the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine on the campus of Arkansas State in Jonesboro, the Jonesboro Exchange Club and First Baptist Church of Jonesboro. He is a former member of the A-State Chancellor’s Task Force on Safety, past president of the Jonesboro Jaycees and a former member of the Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. He is a graduate of the Delta Regional Authority Delta Leadership Institute.

Mr. Harpole was appointed to a seven-year term that will expire in January 2030. He may be contacted at gharpole@asusystem.edu.


Jerry Morgan

Jerry Morgan

Jonesboro

Jerry Morgan of Jonesboro was reappointed to a seven-year term on the board by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders in January 2024. He was originally appointed by Gov. Asa Hutchinson in December 2021 to fulfill the remaining term of Dr. Tim Langford of Jonesboro and served as chair of the board in 2023. He has worked in banking for more than 30 years and is Regional President for First National Bank, which is the naming sponsor of First National Bank Arena on the Arkansas State University campus.

A native of Harrisburg, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from Arkansas State in 1992 and a Master of Business Administration degree from A-State in 1998. He also holds a degree from the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking from Southern Methodist University.

Morgan is chairman of the Jonesboro Advertising and Promotions Commission, where he has been active in many tourism- and sports-related economic development projects. He was also an integral part of the development of the Embassy Suites Hotel and Red Wolf Convention Center.

He is past president of the Jonesboro University Rotary Club, where he has received two Paul Harris Fellow awards, and served as a board member of the Arkansas Bankers Association and Craighead County Community Foundation.

Morgan was selected as an Arkansas Business “40 under 40” honoree in 2007 and as a Jonesboro Sun “12 People That Make Things Happen” honoree. He is a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity, where he received the Alumni of the Year Award. He is also a 1924 Sustaining Life Member of the A-State Alumni Association.

Jerry is married to Caroline Bishop Morgan, who received a Master of Communication Disorders degree in speech-language pathology from A-State and practices at the Valley View School District. They have two children, Luke and Kate Morgan.

His term will expire Jan. 14, 2031. He may be contacted at jmorgan@asusystem.edu.


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