Forty Under 40: Jake Haak

Jake Haak recently accepted the position of chief financial officer for Rogers Public Schools, after spending five years in a similar role with Gravette Public Schools. He is one of the youngest in his field in Arkansas.

Haak was raised on a dairy farm in Gentry. His father was a farmer and businessman, his mother a professor at John Brown University, and Haak relished the blend of hard farm labor and intellect he was exposed to during his childhood.

He earned a bachelor’s degree, then a master’s degree in leadership and ethics from JBU. He served as experiential learning manager for the Soderquist Center for Leadership and Ethics, then worked with small business loans before turning to public education.

“With the economy turning, selling loans had become difficult,” Haak said. “The Gravette School Board took a chance hiring someone outside of [the education] field. I’ve always felt leaders put faith in me and I’ve helped reflect back that faith and put it toward others.”

During his tenure, teacher pay in the Gravette schools ranked in the top 10 in the state, and the district was able to dedicate $10 million toward facility improvement. Haak said he loves the challenge of finding dollars to improve programs for students.

Haak, married with three daughters, still helps with the family businesses. He also coaches T-ball, volunteers for the Gravette Kiwanis Club’s K-Kids program and is on the Farm Bureau of Benton County board of directors.