Derek McDowell
A Lyon College graduate is returning home to Arkansas to lead the state’s premier residential high school for gifted students.
The University of Arkansas System Board of Trustees on Thursday approved Derek McDowell as the new executive director of the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences & the Arts (ASMSA). McDowell, currently the director of secondary academics for the Amarillo Independent School District in Texas, will assume his new role by July 1.
A native of Arkansas, McDowell’s academic roots run deep in Batesville. He earned bachelor’s degrees in both mathematics and chemistry from Lyon College before completing a doctorate in physical chemistry at Rice University.
“I hope to make sure all Arkansans are aware of this gem in Hot Springs,” McDowell said, noting that he would have been a “perfect fit” for the school had it existed during his youth.
According to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, UA System President Jay B. Silveria, who recommended McDowell following a national search, praised his unique blend of high-level research and K-12 leadership. McDowell succeeds interim director Stuart Flynn and long-time leader Corey Alderdice.
ASMSA is one of only 17 schools of its kind in the nation, serving approximately 250 students in grades 10 through 12.
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