During a regular session on Jan. 23, in preparation for Superintendent King Laurence stepping down effective June 30, board members from Aiken County’s Board of Education voted and approved three selections for the finalist round of the superintendent search.
After screening and interviewing several applicants, the Aiken County Public School Board of Trustees has moved forward in the selection process and narrowed down the pool of applicants to three finalists: Chan Anderson, Amy Edwards and Corey Murphy.
The search for the district’s next superintendent is being led by the South Carolina School Board Association (SCSBA).
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Chan Anderson
Anderson currently serves as superintendent for the Chesterfield County School District, a role he has held since 2022. In his almost 30 years as educator, Anderson has also served as an assistant superintendent and an executive director in Chesterfield for nine years.
Prior to serving as a principal for nine years at Savannah Grove Elementary, R.N. Beck Learning Center and Park Lakes Elementary, Anderson spent the first 10 years of his career in the Broward County School District in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. There he was also known for being a classroom educator, a coach and an assistant principal.
He received his doctorate of education and educational specialist degree from Wingate University, a masters in educational leadership from Nova Southeastern University, and a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Claflin University.
Amy Edwards
Edwards currently serves as the chief instructional officer for Aiken Public School District, a position she has maintained since August 2022.
Edwards also served as in various positions within the field, such as: an independent educational consultant for AME Solutions, LLC, a transformation leadership coach with the South Carolina Department of Education, an assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction in Orangeburg County’s consolidated school district three, a director of curriculum and instruction in Dorchester School District’s zone four and more.
Prior to these positions, Edwards was also an assistant principal for academics at Sedgefield Middle School and became a Title I curriculum facilitator and math intervention teacher at College Park Middle School.
Additionally, she served as a principal at Andrews Christian School and a classroom teacher at Andrews Primary/Elementary School and Rosemary Middle School.
Corey Murphy
Murphy presently serves as the chief officer of operations and student services in Aiken Public School District, which he has been engaging in since 2020.
Before that, Murphy was chief of staff at Williamsburg-James City County public schools and served five years as principal of Great Falls Middle and High School.
He was also an assistant principal at Camden High School and a classroom teacher for the state’s Department of Juvenile Justice as well as Eau Claire High School.
Murphy is also currently a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve and has more than 23 years of honorable service. With a master’s degree in education, a bachelor of science and an educational specialists degree from the University of South Carolina, in Columbia, S.C.
“I have been pleased with the caliber of applicants to select from and am confident that the right candidate to serve as Aiken County’s next educational leader is among the group of finalists,” said Aiken County School Board Chairman Cameron Nuessle.
According to a press release from the school district, the community will also have an opportunity to meet the finalists in the next coming weeks, and additional details on that opportunity are forthcoming.
To find out more about the candidates, visit acpsd.net
Liz Wright is a staff writer covering education, lifestyle and general assignments for The Augusta Press. Reach her at liz@theaugustapress.com
