State education agency hires Bailey to replace Owoh in job

Suzanne Bailey is the Arkansas Department of Education’s new assistant commissioner for educator effectiveness and licensure, Education Commissioner Johnny Key announced Tuesday.

Bailey, who will start work Monday, replaces Jeremy Owoh in the job. Owoh left the position when he was appointed superintendent at the Pine Bluff School District.

Bailey, 49, has served as the academic dean of career/ technical education at Arkansas State University in Beebe since 2017 and has been an adjunct associate professor for educational leadership at Arkansas State University at Jonesboro since 2014.

Her employment history includes serving as superintendent of the Lonoke, Waldron and Maynard school districts, and as junior high school principal in the Newport School District, elementary principal in the Carlisle School District, and teacher in the Beebe School District.

Mentoring new superintendents, providing strategic planning training for school board members and district leaders, and attending the Leadership Academy’s Master Principal Institute are among Bailey’s experiences.

She has a doctorate in educational leadership from Harding University at Searcy and completed the superintendent program of study at Harding. She has a master’s degree in educational leadership from Harding, a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Central Arkansas at Conway, and an associates degree from Arkansas State University at Beebe.

Bailey serves on the Arkansas Advanced Initiative for Math and Science board of directors and previously served as a board member for the Arkansas Activities Association, Arkansas Professional Licensure Standards Board, Arkansas Rural Education Association, Arkansas Association of School Administrators, Arkansas School Boards Association Workers’ Compensation, and Arkansas Association of Curriculum and Instruction Administrator.

Key said Bailey’s experiences in kindergarten-through-12th-grade education and higher education have prepared her for her newest role.

“Not only does she have a firm foundation in academic and fiscal best practices, Ms. Bailey also streamlined processes on the local district level to improve efficiency. I welcome her to the ADE team,” he said.

Bailey’s salary was not immediately confirmed Tuesday. She earned $79,000 at Arkansas State University in Beebe. Owoh’s salary in the position was $117,676.42.