Assistant Governor

 Ernie is originally from Jonesboro, AR, and graduated from Jonesboro High School in 1989.  He has an undergraduate degree from the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) and a Master’s Degree from Arkansas State University and a Ph.D. from Southern Illinois University Carbondale.  He currently teaches in the English Department at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville.

Ernie is married to Valerie (formerly Valerie Jones of Forrest City, AR) and they have two children, a son and a daughter.

Rotary is in Ernie’s family.  His father continues to be active in the Rotary Club of Jonesboro.  Ernie’s earliest involvement in Rotary comes from ‘helping’ his father with Rotary projects in Jonesboro such as planting trees along Highway 63.  In 1991, Ernie was a Rotary short-term youth exchange participant to Austria.  Ernie’s Rotary Club involvement began in the Rotary Club of Jonesboro (District 6150) in January of 1997.  He continued to be an active Rotarian in the Rotary Club of Carbondale (District 6510 in Illinois) and in the Rotary Club of Troy (District 6880 in Alabama) and regularly attended the Rotary Club of Baton Rouge - Sunrise (District 6200 in Louisiana) before moving back ‘home’ to Arkansas in 2005.  He also helped start Rotaract Clubs at Southern Illinois University Carbondale and Troy University.

Currently, Ernie is a member of the Rotary Club of Russellville.  He served as acting President for a portion of the 2007-2008 Rotary Year and as President for the 2008-2009 Rotary Year.  He is a Paul Harris Fellow (December 2008) and is a graduate of the Jeff Farris Leadership Academy (FLA) in District 6170 and is serving on the FLA Board of Directors for 2008-2010.  The 2009-2010 Rotary Year is his first year as Assistant Governor and he is grateful to District Governor Carlton Davis for the opportunity.