Ellen Weaver is a commonsense reformer with real results.

Since taking office in 2023 as South Carolina’s 19th State Superintendent of Education, she has delivered on the promises she made to students, teachers, and parents—raising pay and securing paid parental leave for teachers, launching bold literacy and math reforms, expanding education choice, and cutting red tape so teachers can focus on teaching.

Born and raised in South Carolina, Ellen knows firsthand the sacrifices families make to give their children a brighter future.

Her own path—reading with her mom and great-grandmother, working alongside her dad on the construction site, graduating from an outstanding public school, and working for U.S. Senator Jim DeMint—taught her the power of faith, integrity, hard work, and standing firm for what you believe.

In 2013, Ellen founded Palmetto Promise Institute, to champion common sense, conservative solutions that expand opportunity for her fellow South Carolinians. She also served as the first female chair of the South Carolina Education Oversight Committee.

Today, as State Superintendent of Education, she has turned vision into action: implementing evidence-based reading instruction grounded in phonics, leading the charge for phone-free classrooms, investing in safe schools and buses, and partnering with parents to restore trust and transparency in education.

Ellen’s guiding belief is simple: hope is not passive. It’s an action plan. With a listening ear, a strong backbone, and a laser focus on excellence, she works each day to ensure every child graduates ready for college, career, or military service. When education rises, South Carolina rises.

When she’s not serving South Carolina’s students, Ellen loves to read, spoil her nephew, travel with her sister, walk her handsome hairball German Shepherd named Gus, and serve as a pianist and choir member in her church.