# Shawn Higginbotham Vice Chair of the ATRS Board of Trustees at all times documented in this investigation through 6/30/2025. Holds Position #6 (Administrator Trustee) on the ATRS Board. Announced his resignation at the April 7, 2025 Board meeting effective June 30, 2025. The resignation prompted the Position #6 vacancy and Vice Chair election agenda items at the June 2, 2025 meeting. ## The April 7 resignation announcement The 4/7 minutes embedded in the 6/2 packet document: > "XVIII. Resignation of Mr. Shawn Higginbotham. Mr. Higginbotham presented his resignation to the Board effective June 30, 2025." > 04-07-25 minutes embedded in 06-02-25_BOT_Packet.pdf The Board acted on Item XIX (Fulfillment of Vacancy Pursuant to A.C.A. 24-7-302(b)(2)) at the same meeting: > "Mr. Stubblelfield moved for Appointment for Position #6 – Administrator Trustee, for ATRS staff to advertise a vacancy for Position #6, and to accept applications and bring applications to the June meeting for appointment. Ms. Bell seconded the motion and the Board unanimously approved the motion." > 04-07-25 minutes embedded in 06-02-25_BOT_Packet.pdf Position #6 is identified as the Administrator Trustee elected seat. Per ATRS Rule 4 Section 4-105(b)(2), the Administrator Trustees are two of the eleven elected positions, requiring administrator licensure with at least one being a school superintendent or educational cooperative director. ## The June 2 succession process The 6/2 agenda includes the related items XVII (Executive Session for Appointment for Position #6), XVIII (Appointment of Position #6 Trustee), and XIX (Election of Board Vice Chair): > "XIX. *Election of Board Vice Chair. Mr. Danny Knight, Board Chair / Mr. Shawn Higginbotham is Vice Chair of the ATRS Board of Trustees. Due to his resignation effective June 30, 2025, the Board will need to elect a new Vice Chair of the Board." > 06-02-25_BOT_Packet.pdf p.7 of Executive Summary Higginbotham was therefore present and serving as Vice Chair at the June 2 meeting (the resignation effective date is 6/30/2025, four weeks later). Whether Higginbotham voted on Resolution 2025-22 is not knowable from the 6/2 packet (which is pre-meeting); the 6/2 minutes when produced would document this. ## Role at the April 7 meeting Higginbotham as Vice Chair attended the 4/7 meeting and is listed among "Board Members Present" in the attendance roster. He participated procedurally as a regular trustee at the meeting; the 4/7 minutes do not record him moving or seconding motions at this meeting beyond his role in the resignation item. ## Position in the broader investigation Higginbotham appears in the wiki record only via the 7/3/25 supplemental FOIA production. He is not documented in the R1 ATRS Staff Emails batch, the Auditor's office productions, or the Board Rules production except by virtue of holding Position #6. His resignation creates a Board composition change four weeks after the Israel Bonds vote; whether the timing is significant beyond the calendar coincidence is not knowable from the documentary record. ## Cross-References [[danny-knight]] ATRS Board Chair who handles the Vice Chair election [[atrs-board-governance-structure]] concept page on the Board composition [[atrs-bot-packets-7-3-25]] source page