Eric D. Flowers, Ed.D

Eric serves as Senior Director for K-12, Small Enrollment Institutions, and College Access Terrain. He comes from the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) where he served as the Chief Academic Officer and previously served as the Chief Opportunity Officer. In these roles, Eric provided leadership and oversight for efforts in both the K-12 and higher education divisions working collaboratively with district, 2-year and 4-year leaders.

Eric was a lead member for the state with the Regional Education Laboratory (REL) Southwest to conduct applied research and training to support a more evidence-based K-12 education system. He led the development of the 2021-26 Arkansas Division of Higher Education strategic plan focused on closing equity gaps at the state’s universities. In addition, Eric is also an avid graduate adjunct faculty and dissertation committee member having served at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and University of Central Arkansas. Prior to working at ADE, Eric served in various roles as both an educational researcher and university administrator with 15 years of proven achievement in leading teams, planning, and implementing programs focused on college access and academic success.