Women in Government & Public Administration

Learn about women who serve in government and public administration!

Learn about women who serve in government and public administration!

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Marian Wright Edelman | Carolina Snaps
Marian Wright Edelman | Carolina Snaps

Video

Marian Wright Edelman has dedicated her life to advancing civil rights and children’s rights. Born in South Carolina in 1939, she was inspired by her father to pursue education despite adversity...
Tameika Isaac Devine | Women Vision SC
Tameika Isaac Devine | Women Vision SC

Video

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Tameika Isaac Devine was age 29 when she ran for office for the first time. She became the first African American female and the youngest person on the Columbia City Council. She recalls winning that...
Betty Jo Rhea | Women Vision SC
Betty Jo Rhea | Women Vision SC

Video

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Betty Jo Rhea served as Mayor of Rock Hill for 12 years and as a member of the City Council for 8 years. She was referred to as “the people’s mayor.” When she took over as mayor, unemployment stood at...
Deborah Blalock | Women Vision SC
Deborah Blalock | Women Vision SC

Video

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

“Follow your passion. Don't ever forget to take care of yourself. That's critically important . I think as women, we don't always do that very well.” That’s the advice of Deborah Blalock, one of the...
Mignon Clyburn | SC African American History Calendar 3
Mignon Clyburn | SC African American History Calendar
Episode 3

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Higher Education

Mignon L. Clyburn became the first woman head of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) when she was appointed Acting Chair by President Barack Obama in May 2013. She was also the first African...
Hope Blackley | Women Vision SC
Hope Blackley | Women Vision SC

Video

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Hope Blackley defines leadership as “making other leaders.” “It’s really that simple. I’m only as good as my team. And if my team isn’t good, then I’m not good,” she said. Hope Blackley served as...
Inez Tenenbaum | Women Vision SC
Inez Tenenbaum | Women Vision SC

Video

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Inez Tenenbaum entered law school in her 30s. She cashed out her state retirement to pay for her first year of law school. That was a turning point in her life, and she credits that move for later...
Clelia Peronneau McGowan | History of SC Slide Collection
Clelia Peronneau McGowan | History of SC Slide Collection
Episode 96

Photo

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Clelia Peronneau McGowan (1865-1956) of Charleston was a pioneer woman suffragist in South Carolina. After the 19th Amendment was passed giving women the right to vote, she became the first woman...
Ann Pamela Cunningham | History of SC Slide Collection
Ann Pamela Cunningham | History of SC Slide Collection
Episode 48

Photo

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Best known as the "Savior of Mount Vernon," Ann Pamela Cunningham (1816-1875) had the distinction, for a long time, of being the only woman whose portrait hung in the South Carolina State House. From...
Ellen Iredell Butler | History of SC Slide Collection
Ellen Iredell Butler | History of SC Slide Collection
Episode 27

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Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

In this photograph, Ellen Iredell Butler (1905-) is opening her invitation to the 1961 presidential inauguration of John Fitzgerald Kennedy. A lifelong Democrat and the first woman to hold political...
Jean Toal | History of SC Slide Collection
Jean Toal | History of SC Slide Collection
Episode 9

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On January 27, 1988, Jean Toal was chosen as the first woman to sit on the South Carolina State Supreme Court. Here, her family looks on as the vote confirming her election is announced in the Senate...
Road Trip Coastal, Stop 3
Road Trip Coastal, Stop 3

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8

The Road Trip Coastal team learns about the historical significance of Atlantic Beach.
Marian Wright Edelman | S.C. Hall of Fame
Marian Wright Edelman | S.C. Hall of Fame

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Marian Wright Edelman is founder and President of the Children's Defense Fund, the nation’s strongest advocacy group for children and families. Born in 1939 in Bennettsville, South Carolina, she...
Ann Pamela Cunningham | S.C. Hall of Fame
Ann Pamela Cunningham | S.C. Hall of Fame

Video

Grades: 4 8

Ann Pamela Cunningham (1816-1868) was a South Carolinian from Laurens County who led the effort to restore and preserve Mount Vernon, George Washington’s ancestral home in Virginia. She served as...