Archives: Teams

Anita Huggins, is the current Superintendent, she has served CCSD for over 25 years.

During her time in the role, Anita is committed to three priorities:

• Building upon the success of her predecessors, she will continue to improve student outcomes for all students while working intentionally to close the achievement and opportunity gaps.
• Anita is focused on supporting classrooms and teachers. She believes strongly the classroom teacher is the most important factor in a student’s success.
• She’s committed to streamlining school-based supports for teachers and students.

Huggins is a beloved educator whose relentless commitment and deep sense of service have been instrumental to Charleston County School District over the last two decades. As Deputy Superintendent, her passion for closing the achievement gap for students of color has been demonstrated through district-wide efforts in planning literacy and mathematics educational opportunities that serve all students, including her involvement in key ESSER funding initiatives in the D20 (downtown), D4 (North Charleston) and D23 (Hollywood/Ravenel) constituent areas. Ms. Huggins was charged with designing, executing, and measuring the success of programs that support Vision 2027, which aspires to have all students reading at grade level by fifth grade by the Spring of 2027. She was also a key architect of the work that led CCSD to its highest-ever SC Ready achievement scores.

Prior to being named Deputy Superintendent as the Interim Chief Transformation Officer, Ms. Huggins was responsible for working with the Superintendent, senior leaders, and other stakeholders to establish the district’s vision and develop strategies to meet the needs of all students. Huggins has ensured the use of effective systems coupled with accountability and support structures to serve schools, students, and communities.

Huggins’ professional accomplishments include serving as a Riley Institute Diversity Leaders Initiative fellow, English teacher, master teacher, principal, director, and executive director. She has served in various CCSD schools and communities during her tenure, including Simmons-Pinckney Middle School, Burke High School, Edmund A. Burns Elementary School, and Fort Johnson Middle School. As the Executive Director of Educator Effectiveness for over 12 years, Huggins impacted classrooms throughout CCSD by training hundreds of teachers and administrators; she focused on planning for instruction effectively, instructional delivery, and developing conducive environments for learners. In that role, Huggins was instrumental in creating district-wide systems for teacher development, support, and recognition while leading a team that designed and executed An Evening with Stars gala event to recognize teachers and principals. Proceeds from that event supported the Charleston Educator Symposium, a locally-recognized, multi-day professional development event for educators.

Throughout her career, Huggins has presented at numerous conferences, served as a guest lecturer, facilitated and served on various panels, and co-authored journal articles to help grow and support aspiring, novice, and veteran educators. Chair McKinney said of Huggins, “Ms. Huggins’ breadth of experience in Charleston and diverse skill set uniquely positions her for this role. A respected educator with a heart for kids, her enthusiasm and passion for ensuring all students achieve at very high levels will serve students and schools well.”

Huggins holds bachelor’s degrees in both English and Secondary Education and a master’s degree in Secondary Administration.

Dr. Clamp, a native of Williston, SC, understands the challenges of poverty firsthand, having grown up attending a Title 1 school. As such, during his time in district leadership, Dr. Clamp has taken a particular interest in serving and supporting rural Title I schools. Astute at school turnaround, Dr. Clamp coaches school leaders, employing data-driven strategies supported by strong instructional practices while building a positive school culture. Together, Dr. Clamp and leadership teams have seen positive movement in school ratings and increased student achievement. In 2011, Dr. Clamp was selected as the founding school principal of River Bluff High School, an innovative school with an Excellent rating shown to outperform the district and state in nearly every metric. River Bluff boasts the designation of Palmetto’s Finest, earned in 2019 under his leadership. During Dr. Clamp’s tenure at River Bluff, graduation rates increased by 15 points to over 95 % in ten years.

In 2018, Dr. Clamp was named the Secondary Principal of the Year by the South Carolina Association of School Administrators. He went on to earn national recognition as the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) National Principal of the Year in 2019. Currently serving as the High Schools and Postsecondary Pathways Executive Director in Lexington County School District One, Dr. Clamp brings experience in district leadership and educator preparation as an adjunct professor at both the University of South Carolina (USC) and Clemson University. He was recognized as the 2023 School of Education Adjunct Faculty Member of the Year at USC and enjoys teaching and molding the next generation of leaders in the master’s and doctoral degree programs through courses in Education Policy, Education Finance, and Instructional Leadership. Dr. Clamp began his teaching career as a science teacher at Irmo High School. A dedicated educator with over two decades of experience, he is a graduate of Clemson University and the University of South Carolina with a bachelor’s degree in Science/Education from Clemson University, a master’s degree, an Education

Specialist degree in Educational Leadership, and a doctoral degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of South Carolina. He has served in various state-wide leadership roles, including SCHSL Class 5A President and Class 4A Vice President, SCASA Secondary Principal’s Affiliate President, and on the SCASA Executive Board of Directors.

Denney, a Charleston County School District veteran, has served CCSD for over 20 years. In that time, she has demonstrated a deep commitment to engaging with partners across the county and to working with students, families, and neighborhoods while maintaining a focus on student outcomes. Most recently, she served as Interim Executive Director of the Office of Communications. During that time, she led a wide range of strategic communication efforts that have been instrumental in guiding the district through a period of significant change.

Until 2022, Denney served as the founding principal at Early College High School (ECHS), which first opened in 2017. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from the College of Charleston, a Master of Education in Elementary Administration, and a certificate in Secondary Administration, both from The Citadel. She also holds a Certificate in Education Finance from Georgetown University, and a Certificate of Strategy Execution for Public Leadership from Harvard Business School Online. In 2022, she was recognized as an Alumna of the Year from the School of Education, Health, and Human Performance at the College of Charleston. Denney was selected as a Furman University Riley Fellow in 2024.

Michelle Simmons has served as a CCSD administrator for 14 years before leading the ELC. Previously she led Stono Park Elementary School, serving as principal since 2010.

Simmons also served as principal of CC Blaney Elementary School, Assistant Principal at Goodwin Elementary School, and began her career in education in Charleston County, teaching at the Mary Ford Elementary School. Simmons holds a Bachelor of Science in Education from South Carolina State University and a Master’s in Elementary Education Administration and Supervision as well as an Ed.S. in Education Leadership from The Citadel.

Thompson boasts an extensive career rooted in education which began in 2003 as a secondary school special education teacher. After obtaining her Juris Doctorate in 2009, She began practicing law as an associate attorney with Duff, White & Turner, LLC in Columbia, SC–a firm that specializes in educational law. During her time with the firm, She advised school districts across the state on various matters, including employment, special education, and student discipline matters. She also litigated cases filed against school districts in state and federal court as well as conducted legal research and created memoranda on developments in case law and statutory requirements.

In 2015, She joined Georgetown County School District where she advised district and school-level administrators on employment, special education, and student discipline matters; drafted and reviewed board policies in compliance with local, state, and federal requirements; reviewed student-related legal documents such as custody agreements, proof-of-residency, and juvenile justice information; and processed all Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for the district. She also lent her expertise to assist with sales of district real property and leases of district spaces and served as a liaison between the district and all outside attorneys for litigation matters and other legal concerns.

She has earned a Bachelor of Arts in Special Education from Clemson University Honors College and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Tennessee College of Law. She is a member of the South Carolina and Tennessee Bars and the National School Attorneys Association.

Hampton is a former member of the CCSD Board of Trustees and has served as CCSD’s Director of Achieve Charleston since March 2023.

She came to Charleston from Seattle in 1995 by way of Americorps National Civilian Community Corps (Americorps NCCC). Americorps NCCC, a domestic service program for 18–24-year-olds similar to the Peace Corps, hired her as a team leader after college and before she attended law school. In addition to her time spent in Americorps, She has been part of the Liberty Fellowship, a South Carolina statewide leadership and service network, since 2006. However, it’s her service on the Charleston County School Board as a Trustee from 2006 to 2012 that has garnered her significant attention. During her six years on the board including serving as chair in 2009, she dedicated her efforts to improving the public school system and lent her support for the construction of numerous new school buildings.

She  is an accomplished lawyer, and has practiced in the state of South Carolina for 23 years. In addition to having served on several local and state boards such as the City of Charleston Board of Architectural Review, South Carolina Women Lawyers Board of Directors, Synovus Bank Board of Directors, and Wings for Kids Board of Directors, she has also spent some of her professional time at the South Carolina School Boards Association (SCSBA) as the SCSBA Director of Policy and Legal Services. She holds a degree in Communications from the University of Washington and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Miami School of Law. She is a member of several associations, including the South Carolina Bar Association and the Charleston County Bar Association.