AAEA: On a Role!

Learn more about AAEA Staff and the roles they serve!

Dr. Karla Neathery Assistant Executive Director

Our newest AAEA member will be a familiar face! Dr. Karla Neathery, who was last year’s AAEA Board President, joined the AAEA team on July 1 as our new Assistant Executive Director. Dr. Neathery will work with several constituent group executive boards and assist them in compliance, election of officers, annual board meetings, conferences, and member communication. She will also work with legislative committees and new superintendent mentoring.

Prior to working at AAEA, Dr. Neathery served as the Superintendent for the Sheridan School District. Over her career she served across several districts in roles that ran the gamut: teacher, assistant principal, principal, assistant superintendent, and superintendent. Dr. Neathery says her favorite part of her job at AAEA so far is serving others and helping them succeed. "I hope to focus on the needs of administrators and how we can help them succeed," she says.

When she’s not at work, Dr. Neathery loves spending time with her family, stating, "I have been married to Scott Neathery for 31 years. We have one daughter, Morgan Ward who is a 5th grade English teacher. Morgan is married to Jackson Ward who works for E. Ward Construction. We have one son, Ty Neathery who just recently graduated from UCA and will begin his first