Retired middle school teacher Jennifer Clyburn Reed still serves her community. She was appointed by Pres. Joe Biden to serve on a federal committee that explores economic and poverty issues in South Carolina. Photo Credit: Southeast Crescent Regional Commission
It is always a privilege to share stories about hardworking educators who continue to serve their community, even after they leave the classroom. One of these is Jennifer Clyburn Reed, a retired middle school teacher who now serves on a committee that explores economic and poverty issues for her home state of South Carolina.
Born on Aug. 16, 1970, Jennifer is the middle child of three girls. She is the daughter of Jim Clyburn, who currently serves as the House Majority Whip in the US House of Representatives. Her mother, now deceased, was Emily (England) Clyburn.
After her graduation from Keenan High School in Columbia, South Carolina, in 1987, Jennifer earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science in 1991, a Master’s degree in Education in 1992, and a certification as an Education Specialist in 1994, all from the University of South Carolina. She earned her PhD in Educational Leadership in 2015 from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Jennifer’s career as an educator spanned 28 years. She worked for 25 years at Richland County Middle School. There she served as a teacher and coordinator of her school’s AVID program. AVID is an acronym that stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination, a high school program that prepares minority and under-represented students for success at college. Jennifer next served as an Education Specialist for the South Carolina State Department of Education. In this role, she worked as an English teacher and literacy coach for the South Carolina Reading Initiative.
In 2017, Jennifer moved to the university level, where she served as the Director of the Center for the Education and Equity of African American students at the University of South Carolina. While there, she helped design the Apple Core Initiative (ACI), a program that works toward teacher recruitment, enrollment, and retention. She also served on the selection committee for the the Emily Clyburn Honors College Scholarship at South Carolina State University. She retired from the teaching profession in 2020.
In Aug., 2021, the former teacher was nominated by President Joe Biden to be a Co-Chairperson of the Southeast Crescent Regional Commission, a federal organization that works on issues related to poverty and the economy in the Southeastern United States. The US Senate confirmed her appointment in Dec., 2021. Her Co-Chairperson is South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster.