Dr. Purcell took the helm of the Alabama Commission on Higher Education in April, 2017. His tenure in Alabama, combined with Arkansas, Louisiana, and Rhode Island, makes him the longest-serving active State Higher Education Executive Officer in the country. He has served in cabinet positions of four governors, which include one Republican (LA), two Democrats (AR, RI), and one Independent (RI).

Dr. Eric G. Mackey serves as the Alabama State Superintendent of Education, where he leads the state’s efforts to improve student outcomes through his strategic plan, Alabama Achieves. His priorities include the Alabama Literacy Act, Alabama Numeracy Act, STEM education, Career Technical Education, and workforce development

Honorable Senator Dial has played the most critical role in establishing A-KEEP from connecting the Gyeongbuk Provincial Department of Education to the Alabama State Department of Education, establishing the inaugural Board of Directors, and fundraising to send the very first Alabama Youth Delegation, 2012. He is a Co-Founder of A-KEEP. Senator Dial, born in Delta, Alabama, is serving his ninth term in the Legislature, having served two terms in the House and six previous terms in the Senate.

With unwavering dedication, Meesoon Han propelled AKEEP from a memorandum of understanding between the Alabama Department of Education and South Korea’s Gyeongbuk Province into a vibrant nonprofit, driven by key support from co-founders Dr. Thomas Bice and the Honorable Gerald Dial. Since AKEEP gained nonprofit status in 2012, Han has led as its Executive Director. Born in Seoul, South Korea, Han devoted her formative years to education and attended Hanyang University, a renowned institution for engineering research. She then moved to the United States, earning a master’s degree in Computer Science and Mathematics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Although she did not complete her Ph.D. thesis, she became a college professor and established herself in Illinois, Kentucky, and Alabama before making Alabama her permanent home.

An educator for over 30 years, Dr. Ledbetter’s experience spans roles from classroom history teacher, assistant principal, middle school principal, and high school principal to assistant superintendent for curriculum and for finance, and he is now in his 14th year as a superintendent. He previously served as superintendent in Dublin, Georgia; Dothan, Alabama; and Pike Road, Alabama prior to joining Pelham City Schools.

David Sikes is a veteran educator and administrator with more than two decades of proven leadership in K–12 education. A past president of the Alabama Association of Secondary School Principals and former CLAS Board of Directors member, Sikes has opened new schools, led large faculties, secured major grants, and built award-winning academic and athletic programs.