Join SCNSPRA

Dear Colleague,

We are excited to invite you to join the South Carolina Chapter of the National School Public Relations Association (SCNSPRA) for 2026-27! SCNSPRA provides invaluable insight, experience and assistance. Members know they can always reach out to their SCNSPRA colleagues for help, and I am honored to serve as the chapter's president this year. The relationships we build and support we provide each other are invaluable, and together we help support public education!

The SCNSPRA Executive Board began work this summer to plan meetings, conferences, and other offerings for the membership this year. Our chapter activities are designed to provide you with assistance and resources to grow as a communications professional and are a direct result of your feedback and requests.

Your membership in SCNSPRA provides:

• Conferences and professional development opportunities throughout the year.
• Access to SCNSPRA's member Google group for emergency help, networking, questions and information sharing.
• Financial assistance for members seeking professional accreditation (APR).
• Access to online school PR resources through the Chapter's website (www.scnspra.org), social media (@scnspra), and our discussion email group.
• SCNSPRA's Rewards for Excellence Program that recognizes outstanding communications and public relations efforts by schools, districts and educational agencies and associations.
• Webinars and Lunch & Learns

For 2026-27, SCNSPRA already has a variety of offerings planned for its members:

• July 9 - SCNSPRA Board Planning Meeting (Orangeburg, SC), 
• September 4 - SCNSPRA Back-To-School Meeting, Fort Mill Schools District Office, 2233 Deerfield Dr, Fort Mill, SC 29715
• November 11-13 - NCSPRA & SCNSPRA Fall Conference,  Embassy Suites Riverfront in Wilmington, NC **Confirmed and hosted by NC-SPRA
• January 22 - SCNSPRA Winter Workshop, Woolard Technology Center, 70 Innovation Way, Camden, SC 29020
• May 7, 2026 - SCNSPRA RFE Luncheon, Phillips Marketplace, 117 Ballard Ct, West Columbia, SC 29172
• SCNSPRA Communicator of the Year and Administrator of the Year Communications Awards.

We're excited for you to join SCNSPRA today and be a part of the best school public relations and communications group in South Carolina. Enclosed is a membership application form that may be duplicated as needed and returned with a check payable to SCNSPRA ($30.00 for individual membership; $110.00 for a district membership with up to 5 members; and $15 for additional district members) by October1, 2026 to: SCNSPRA/P.O. Box 81/Sumter, SC 29151

You can also pay online at https://squareup.com/store/sc-nspra. If you choose to pay online, please email your membership forms to jlegrand@scsba.org, so we will have all of your contact information. Please be sure to include your birthday (month and day only) on your membership form so we can celebrate you!

Below is a listing of the Executive Board, as voted on by the membership this summer.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to me, your regional representative or anyone on the Executive Board if you have a question or a need. We also welcome your participation in chapter operations! Reach out to me or anyone listed below for more information and to learn how you can take part in supporting fellow communications professionals throughout the state!

We look forward to working with you this year!

Sincerely,
Dr. Erica Taylor
SCNSPRA President
Orangeburg County School District

President: Toni Chewning (Palmetto State Teachers Association) tchewning@palmettoteachers.org

President Elect: Erica Taylor (Orangeburg County School District) erica.taylor@ocsdsc.org

Vice President: Amanda Taylor (Lexington-Richland School District 5) attaylor@lexrich5.org

Secretary: Jenny Overman (Fort Mill School District) overmanj@fortmillschools.org

Past President: Julie Putnam (Kershaw County School District) julie.putnam@kcsdschools.net

Wise Council: Libby Roof (Lexington School District 1) lroof@lexington1.net

Regional Representatives - Upstate:

Darian Byrd (Pickens County School District) darianbyrd@pickens.k12.sc.us

Whitney Hanna (Greenville School District) whanna@greenville.k12.sc.us

Regional Representatives -Midlands:

Chris Christoff (Chester County School District) cchristoff@chester.k12.sc.us

Hatara Tyson  (Orangeburg County School District) hatara.tyson@ocsdsc.org

Regional Representatives -Lowcountry:

Andy Pruitt (Charleston County School District) andrew_pruitt@charleston.k12.sc.us

Cristin Casper (Beaufort County School District) cristin.casper@beaufort.k12.sc.us

Hospitality/Goodwill Co-Chairs:

MacKenzie Taylor (Lexington County School District 3) mtaylor@lex3.org

Megan Moore (Lexington School District 1) mmmoore@lexington1.net

Rewards for Excellence Committee Chair: Julie Putnam (Kershaw County School District) julie.putnam@kcsdschools.net

Treasurer: Judy LeGrand jlegrand@scsba.org