October 31, 2018 - Board Chairman Update: ATRS Board unanimously choose Mr. Clint Rhoden as ATRS Executive Director

I am extremely pleased to announce that this afternoon, the ATRS Board of Trustees hired Mr. Clint Rhoden as the new ATRS Executive Director.  Mr. Rhoden was hired from a pool of 26 applicants and after the Board conducted interviews of the 6 leading candidates.   Mr. Clint Rhoden was the unanimous choice for executive director after the interviews were concluded. The Board was highly impressed with Mr. Rhoden's 17 years of work under the ATRS umbrella including his leadership in the last 4 years as a part of the executive team under the current executive director.   Mr. Rhoden's background, skill set and dedication stood out to the Board.  For example:

• For over 17 years, Mr. Rhoden has lead the IT team at ATRS.
• Through his leadership in IT development and technology, he has saved ATRS millions of dollars by developing internal software and migrating away from expensive third-party software.
• He has extensive knowledge of the day-to-day operations of ATRS including member issues, ATRS legislation, actuarial analysis, ATRS investments, and was a key member of the current executive director's policy team.
• In addition, Mr. Rhoden has a Juris Doctorate degree that he obtained while working at ATRS due to the legal issues that ATRS constantly has to address.
• Mr. Rhoden is homegrown talent having grown up in Sheridan, Arkansas.

As Board Chair,  I asked Mr. Rhoden to provide me a statement that I could include in this update.  Here is what Mr. Rhoden said:

"As Executive Director of ATRS, I will continue to focus on providing exemplary member service for all ATRS members, continue and expand member outreach, and maintain day-to-day business as usual with the help of an outstanding staff already in place."  

The ATRS Board looks forward to ATRS members and other interested parties to meet Mr. Rhoden and see his passion, dedication, and capability to continue the mission of ATRS and service to ATRS members.

Respectfully,

Jeff Stubblefield, Chairman

ATRS Board of Trustees

 

October 4, 2018 - Board Chairman Update: Smooth Transition Underway at ATRS

Based upon the level of calls and messages from ATRS members, I felt members should be reassured that the retirement of Mr. Hopkins has been part of succession planning at ATRS for over 2 years. The ATRS Board is using the same process used a decade ago when Mr. Hopkins was selected to be the Executive Director of ATRS. The focus of the ATRS Board will be to choose a strong successor to continue the programs and initiatives the ATRS Board has developed over the last 10 years and the decades before. The ATRS Board is confident that strong candidates will apply to become the new Executive Director. The ATRS Board will carefully screen the candidates and undertake extensive interviews with the top candidates. Be assured that the strength and sustainability of ATRS will be maintained. The mission of ATRS to recruit, retain and reward career educators will always be the cornerstone of the ATRS Board's mission.

I have attached a longer message concerning the ATRS tradition of keeping members informed. For members who have questions or concerns, the attached Board Chair update should be very informative and comforting.

Respectfully,

Jeff Stubblefield, Chairman

ATRS Board of Trustees

List of Attachments:

1. Smooth Transition for ATRS