CCSD welcomes new leader for intercultural organizational development
September 10, 2021
Charleston County School District (CCSD) announced Brandi Blake as Executive Director of Intercultural Organizational Development.
Blake began her career in post-secondary education in 2014 as Assistant Director for Residence Life and First-Year Experience at Coker University managing their first-year student development program, freshman orientation, and residential events. While at Coker, Blake co-authored a grant that led to the establishment of the University’s first Center for Diversity, Faith, and Inclusion Education.
In 2016, her passions led her to George Mason University as the Assistant Director for the Center for Culture, Equity and Empowerment where she primarily served and supported Black and African Heritage students. In 2019, she was promoted to the Associate Director role, leading the Student Engagement for Racial Justice team. Blake’s team was responsible for campus-wide cultural heritage ceremonies and celebrations, student advocacy, and developing intersectional programming that directly supported students with various identities: Hispanic/LatinX, Black and African Heritage, Asian American and Pacific Islander, Native American and Indigenous, Middle Eastern/North African, and LGBTQ+ student communities.
At George Mason University, Blake led division-wide identity and biasreduction training, participated in the National Coalition Building Institute (NCBI), The Truth Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT) Center, and served as a training and development member for the President’s Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence (ARIE) Taskforce. Most recently, she developed Well-Being for the People, a cross-campus collaborative that centered well-being for marginalized peoples, and spearheaded the George Mason Solidarity Project in the summer of 2020. At Mason, Blake instructed first-year diversity courses and facilitated dozens of processing and affinity spaces for students, staff, and faculty. She also developed the University’s Inaugural TRHT Symposium on Race, Gender and Equity.
Blake holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business from South Carolina State University and a Master of Education degree in College Student Affairs and Professional Counseling from the University of West Georgia.
For more information, contact the Division of Strategy and Communications at (843) 937-6303.
About the Charleston County School District
Charleston County School District (CCSD), a nationally-accredited school district, is the second largest school system in South Carolina representing a unique blend of urban, suburban, and rural schools spanning 1,300 square miles along the coast. CCSD serves more than 50,000 students in 87 schools and specialized programs. With approximately 6,100 employees district-wide, CCSD is the fourth largest employer in the region.
CCSD offers a diverse, expanding portfolio of options and specialized programs, delivered through neighborhood, charter, magnet, IB (international baccalaureate), and Montessori schools, and is divided into three Learning Communities. Options include specialized programs in science, engineering and mathematics; liberal arts; music and other creative and performing arts; career and technical preparation programs; and military and other public service enterprises.
