Jolene Madison named president of the SC School for the Deaf and the Blind

Jolene Madison has been named president of the SC School for the Deaf and the Blind (SCSDB). She brings 25 years’ experience in special education to the position and has served as the school’s director of education and special education services since 2018.

“We are delighted to have a new president with extensive experience in special education and related services as well as educational administration,” said Scott Brawley, chairman of the SCSDB Board of Commissioners. “We are excited by Jolene’s vision for the students and staff, and we look forward to working with her to serve individuals throughout South Carolina.”

Prior to her most recent position, Madison served as SCSDB’s director of special education services and as compliance coordinator. Before coming to SCSDB in 2014, she worked for Greenville County Schools as a compliance and monitoring coordinator, coordinator of autism services/behavior specialist, and special education teacher. She also worked as an administrative assistant principal and a special education teacher in School District 5 of Lexington and Richland counties.

Madison is currently pursuing a doctorate at Clemson University. She holds an educational specialist degree as well as superintendent and principal certifications from Arkansas State University. She completed a master’s degree in education from Southern Wesleyan University and earned certification in special education from Clemson University. She completed a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from Bob Jones University.

“I am honored to be selected as the next president of the SC School for the Deaf and the Blind,” said Madison. “I look forward to building upon our rich heritage and furthering the mission of SCSDB through innovative, accessible educational programming provided in a safe, inclusive environment on campus and through the Division of Outreach’s continued partnerships with local school districts across the state.”

While at SCSDB, Madison’s accomplishments have included:

• Integrating nursing services into each school location, providing more immediate access to nursing care and decreasing loss of instructional time
• Developing a model to support students through an in-house school-based mental health counselor, allowing for timely intervention for students needing immediate support as well as providing on-going counseling services as needed
• Restructuring transition services to provide significantly improved opportunities for work-based learning experiences, both on campus and in the community
• Successfully implementing the school’s distance learning model during the spring closure
• Developing an implementation plan and monitoring the school’s safety protocols, allowing SCSDB to open with full-time face-to-face instruction this school year
• Updating and enhancing the school’s assistive technology devices to further increase accessibility on campus and in the community

Madison and her husband Daniel are parents to two sons. Their son Jack works in the Greenville/Spartanburg area, actively coaches youth soccer, and serves as part-time youth pastor at his church in Greenville. Their son Luke is finishing his freshman year at Byrnes High School and is interested in pursuing a degree in cyber security and programming. Daniel serves as vice-president of property management at Carolina Moves in Greenville.

The SC School for the Deaf and the Blind is the state’s specialized school for students who are deaf or blind. It offers pre-K-12 educational programs on its main campus in Spartanburg and specialized vision and hearing services in school districts and homes throughout the state. For more information, go to www.scsdb.org or call the school’s toll-free number at 1-888-447-2732.