Dr. Frank Rodriguez named SC Superintendent of the Year
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, May 3, 2024
COLUMBIA, SC – Beaufort County Schools Superintendent, Dr. Frank Rodriguez, has been named the 2025 South Carolina Superintendent of the Year by the SC Association of School Administrators (SCASA).
Dr. Rodriguez is an active member of the SCASA Superintendents’ Affiliate and has made a tremendous impact in Beaufort County through his exceptional leadership, communication skills, and student-focused initiatives. His innovative community engagement programs helped address pandemic learning loss—resulting in the district's best-ever ELA scores that surpassed pre-pandemic levels. Dr. Rodriguez fostered trust through initiatives like the Citizen-Led Oversight Committee to monitor bond spending, contributing to voters overwhelmingly approving the district's largest ever bond referendum in 2023.
“Dr. Rodriguez is so deserving of this honor. I have seen firsthand what a hardworking, personable, and excellent leader he is,” said Dr. Christina Gwozdz, Beaufort County Board of Education Chair. “His ability to connect with the community and district employees is amazing. And no matter what, he always strives to ensure our students are challenged scholastically so they can meet success in their academic careers and life. It’s been an honor to work with him in my role as Board Chair as we moved very important initiatives forward that benefit our entire county, such as two overwhelmingly successful referendums and increasing our teacher pay to the top in the state.”
Elizabeth “Beth” A. Phibbs, Executive Director of SCASA, states, “In addition to his impactful initiatives around retaining top talent, mitigating pandemic learning loss, and securing record-breaking bond funding, Dr. Rodriguez has made remarkable strides in enhancing communication and stakeholder engagement. Dr. Rodriguez is well-respected among his colleagues, and we are delighted to honor him as the 2025 South Carolina Superintendent of the Year.”
Dr. Rodriguez will be recognized throughout the year for his accomplishments. Moseley Architects supports this award by providing a scholarship to the winner to be used to assist a student or teacher with professional development or college courses.
SCASA is the professional organization for school leaders in South Carolina, with a membership of more than 5,400. From leadership development opportunities and research, to publications and legislative advocacy, SCASA’s focus is to support school leaders in providing the best possible education for South Carolina’s young people. As a state affiliate of three national associations for school leaders, SCASA also works on the national level.