Conway’s Murry Named Top School Chief

Dr. Greg Murry, Superintendent of the Conway School District, received the 2013 Arkansas Superintendent of the Year Award during a surprise announcement at a dedication of the new Conway High School Sunday.

Murry was presented the award by Dr. Richard Abernathy, executive director of the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators.

Murry was selected by a committee made up of former superintendents of the year along with board members with the Arkansas Assocation of School Administrators.

Abernathy said in an interview Tuesday that Murry’s people-centered management style and knowledge of school finance were reasons he was selected for the award. “His integrity is just unapproachable,” he said. “He’s phenomenal. If we had a state full of Greg Murrys, we wouldn’t have nearly the issues that we have now.”

The award makes Murry eligible for the National Superintendent of the Year award, which will be presented in Los Angeles in February at the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) National Conference on Education. The award is sponsored by AASA, ARAMARK Education, and ING.

Murry has been superintendent at Conway since 2007. Previously, he was an assistant superintendent for business affairs in Springdale and, before that, a principal and assistant principal at Springdale and Ashdown.