Park to lead South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind

Park to lead South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind

Maggie Park's interim position as president of the South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind was made permanent Tuesday by the school's board of commissioners.

Park, who has worked at the school for nearly 10 years, was selected in August to temporarily lead the organization until a permanent replacement could be found. She said her time already spent in the top position has allowed her a better overall view of the school and prepared her to take on the job permanently.

"I'm thrilled to be able to serve SCSDB in this way," Park said. "It has been a great opportunity to get a feel for the job in the last 10 months. With all the budget cuts, we are still going to be working on moving forward with our programs and serving our students here and across the state, but doing it as economically as we possibly can."

Until August, Park served as the school's director of curriculum and instruction. She has nearly 20 years of experience in curriculum, special education and administrative duties through work with SCSDB, the Willie Ross School for the Deaf in Longmeadow, Mass., the First Baptist Cooperative Preschool in Bethlehem, Pa., and Pateros Preschool in Pateros, Wash.

After earning degrees in educational administration, deaf education and early childhood education, Park is pursuing a doctorate in educational administration. She expects to complete the degree in 2011.

Park has earned numerous educational awards and is affiliated with the Convention of American Instructors of the Deaf, the Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development, the Council for Exceptional Children, the Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools and Programs for the Deaf and the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired.

SCSDB board chairwoman Cynthia Holland said the decision to appoint Park was unanimous.

"We feel that Maggie's outstanding credentials and years of experience at SCSDB qualify her to take on the leadership of this state agency," Holland said. "She has certainly demonstrated over the last year that she possesses the ability to lead SCSDB, as she has worked diligently to maintain student programs and services in spite of dire economic times. We are thrilled that Maggie will accept the position and look forward to working with her as SCSDB continues to grow here on campus and through outreach services statewide."

The SCSDB board conducted a formal candidate search last year, a few months after the replacement of former president Pamela Shaw in August 2008, then selected Park as an interim leader for the school.

Park's permanent appointment is pending approval by the South Carolina Agency Head Salary Commission and the Budget and Control Board in June 2010. The state Agency Head Salary Commission will set Park's salary this summer. She currently earns $103,000 per year as interim president.

"I am just thrilled the board has allowed me to have the position on a permanent basis," Park said. "I am really looking forward to serving this campus."