Hot Springs, Arkansas – National Park College (NPC) has selected Little Rock native, Dr. Chuck Argo as vice president for Academic Affairs and Hot Springs native, Bill Ritter, as vice president for Workforce. Dr. Argo and Ritter will be introduced at the regular monthly Board of Trustees meeting Wednesday, May 22.
Dr. Argo has served as interim vice president for Academic Affairs since Dr. Thomas vacated the post to accept the Chancellor position at Southern Arkansas University earlier this year. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in History , and a Ph.D. from the King Fahd Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Arkansas. After his studies, Argo taught for eight years in the history department at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. In 2012, he moved back to Little Rock and began teaching History at NPC.
In 2015, Argo became Chair of Social Sciences and Math Sciences at NPC, and in 2021 he was promoted to Dean of Math and Science. He currently lives in Little Rock with his wife, Courtney and their 13-year-old son, Griffin.
Vice President for Advancement and Government Relations, Dr. Wade Derden said, “I am confident in Dr. Chuck Argo’s ability to lead the faculty and academic affairs team at NPC into the future. He is a professional, creative, and energetic force on this campus, and he has proven himself during his interim appointment to be the right fit for the vice president for Academic Affairs.”
Argo said, “I look forward to working with NPC’s incredible faculty and staff to provide excellent educational and professional opportunities for our students and continue our goal to be the finest two-year college in the state.”
Ritter has served as the interim vice president for Workforce since March 11, 2024. With a 24-year career in education, Ritter holds both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from Henderson State University. His journey in education began in public schools, where he spent many years teaching before joining NPC in 2013 as an instructor in Adult Education. His leadership and commitment to education earned him a promotion to director of Adult Education in 2015. Ritter has been instrumental in expanding educational opportunities within the community. He played a pivotal role in establishing classes at the Garland County Detention Center and collaborated with the Hot Springs School District to develop the Gardner Center. Under his guidance, the Adult Education program flourished, introducing several no-cost, short-term training programs, including certifications for Nursing Assistants, Phlebotomy, Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians, and Medication Assistants.
After eight years at the helm of Adult Education, Ritter advanced to Associate vice president for Workforce, overseeing both Adult Education and the NPC Career Academy. His tenure saw the first enrollment increase at the NPC Career Academy since 2019, the expansion of the high school marine repair technology program, and the introduction of construction technology and welding programs. He is a proud father of his daughter, Isabel, and an avid runner and cyclist.
“I have known and worked with Bill Ritter for several years now. He is entrepreneurial in his approach to meeting the needs of the community, and he cares deeply about doing what is right to benefit students. I have every confidence in him as part of the new leadership team of NPC,” said Derden.
Ritter said, “I am passionate about our community’s workforce and passionate about National Park College. I grew up in a blue-collar family with hard-working parents who were small-business owners. I have some understanding of the difficulties our workforce and employers face. Seeing the challenges my parents faced and the time I have spent in education uniquely prepared me to fill the role of National Park College’s vice president for Workforce. Serving our students and the businesses and industry in our area are my highest priorities and I am humbled by the trust Dr. Hogan and Dr. Derden have placed in me. I am honored to be selected for this position and truly excited to work with the team Dr. Derden is building for his tenure as president of National Park College.”
National Park College was established in 1973 and is located in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The College enrolls over 7,000 credit and noncredit students per year. NPC is a comprehensive two-year institution offering associate degrees and certificates as well as continuing education, community services and workforce training.
Click here to visit the National Park College website.
Featured image: (left) Bill Ritter, NPC Vice President for Workforce; (right) Dr. Chuck Argo, NPC Vice President for Academic Affairs
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