The chairman of the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System board thinks trustees deserve some of the blame for the much-criticized travel expenses of former executive director Paul Doane.

Doane resigned in October amid legislative criticism over an audit that showed he spent nearly half of his time on the job and more than $34,000 on travel out of state.

“There are certain laws and policies in Arkansas that someone from Massachusetts didn’t understand,” said Richard Abernathy, the board’s recently named chairman, in an interview with the Arkansas News Bureau. “And he went from the private sector to the public sector, and those are two different entities within themselves. We could have done better job as a board orienting him to that.”

The board’s previous chairman, Robin Nichols of Jonesboro, also resigned that position in October after defending Doane’s travels and her own expenses. She remains on the system board.

The Arkansas Teacher Retirement System has picked a former state senator to replace Paul Doane as executive director of the $10 billion system.

The system’s board voted 12-2 today to hire 50-year-old George Hopkins of Malvern to replace Paul Doane, who resigned amid criticism over his travel expenses. The job pays $153,000 a year.

Hopkins, a lawyer, served in the state Senate from 1987-2000. He served on the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Public Retirement for eight years, six of them as the committee’s Senate chairman.

Richard Abernathy of Bryant, chairman of the retirement system’s board, said Hopkins came highly recommended and looked good in background checks and research on him.

Doane resigned in October after an audit showed he spent nearly half of his time on the job and more than $34,000 traveling out of state. Lawmakers criticized Doane for his travels, which included 18 trips to Massachusetts and three to New Mexico, where he has homes.

Hopkins pledges to bring frugality and transparency to the post.

He was one of two people interviewed for the position. The other was state Sen. Jim Argue, D-Little Rock, who was prevented by term limits from seeking re-election this year.