James W. Carr is an American educator, businessman, and former university administrator who has served on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) since 2020.
Biography
Carr was born in Tallahassee, Florida, on the campus of Florida State University. He earned a Bachelor of Science from Harding University and later received a PhD from Florida State University. He is a member of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity (Delta Iota chapter).
Career
Higher Education Administration
Carr began his career in various administrative positions at Florida State University, followed by a role as a regional director at The American College Testing Program (ACT). He then joined Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas, where he served for 25 years as a professor of business, senior vice president, and executive vice president before retiring in 2019.
Government Appointments
In 2005, Carr was nominated by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to the National Security Education Board, serving until 2011. In 2020, he was appointed by U.S. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).
At the state level, Carr was appointed to the Arkansas Forestry Commission in 2004 by Governor Mike Huckabee and reappointed in 2012 by Governor Mike Beebe, serving as vice chairman. In 2015, he was appointed by Governor Asa Hutchinson to the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board, where he served as chairman from 2018 to 2020 and was again selected as chairman in 2025.
Business and Board Service
Carr currently serves as President, Chairman, and CEO of Highland Home Holdings, a boutique investment company. He has served on the board of directors of World Christian Broadcasting since 1993 and has held board positions with the Comsafe Company (a Jack Nicklaus-Golden Bear company), the Quapaw Council of the Boy Scouts of America, the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce, First Community Bank, and 21Wilberforce.
Sanctions
On December 21, 2021, Carr was sanctioned by the Chinese government as part of retaliatory sanctions imposed in response to U.S. sanctions on Chinese officials.
Personal Life
Carr is married to Susan Housley Carr and has three children. He has been awarded two bronze medallions by the Arkansas Martin Luther King Commission for the promotion of racial harmony within the state.
