Columbia – Anne Bull, a supervisor of teacher education, and MargaretAnne Gaffney, owner and director of a Lexington child development center, have been appointed to serve as the newest members of the South Carolina Education Oversight Committee (EOC). Both were appointed by Governor Nikki Haley to serve. Bull was appointed as Governor Haley’s educator representative, replacing Dennis Drew. Appointed to serve as the Governor’s business designee, Gaffney replaces Evelyn Perry, whose term on the EOC is set to expire June 2014.

Bull received her Masters of Education from Clemson University and has served as a supervisor of teacher education at the University of South Carolina since 2011. Prior to 2011, she taught for 32 years in South Carolina public schools. While in Lexington School District One, Bull was a top five finalist for the district teacher of the year. She was Teacher of the Year for the Lexington Intermediate School in 2001-2002. She authored a gifted curriculum that wa s used in several South Carolina school districts and while in Oconee County, implemented a program of developmental therapy.

Bull serves as a volunteer for Chris Meyers Children’s Place in Lexington, SC and is currently serving as Vice President of West Metro Women’s Club. She is a former president of the Iris Garden Club and is a member of Lexington Baptist Church. Originally from Easley, SC, Bull is married to Dennis Bull, CPA, and has two children: Sally Emory Hiott and Seth Jackson Bull.

“I am honored to have been appointed by the Governor for this position,” stated Bull. “It is a privilege to serve my state and I will do my best to perform the duties I am assigned.”

A native of Lexington, SC, Gaffney owns and operates Anne Pitts Child Development Center in Lexington, which offers private preschool and afterschool programs to 140 children ages 1-12. Gaffney holds a Bachelors of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of South Carolina Honors College and a Masters of Business Administration from USC. She has worked for Florence & Hutcheson Consulting Engineers, NCR Corporation, and Bose Corporation.

Gaffney is Past President of the Magnolia Woman’s Society of Lexington and a member of the Lexington Chamber of Commerce. She serves on the School Improvement Councils for both of the schools her children attend: Midway Elementary and Lexington Middle School. She has served on the Board of the South Carolina Child Care Association since 1999 and the Seabrook Island Board of Governors since 2012. She resides in Lexington with her husband Pearse and two children: Conor and Anna. 

“I am very honored and excited to have the opportunity to serve our state,” said Gaffney. “With two school-aged children and over 100 students at my center, education is one of the most important topics to me on both a personal and professional level.”

The SC Education Oversight Committee is an independent, non-partisan group made up of 18 educators, business persons, and elected leaders. Created in 1998, the committee is dedicated to reporting facts, measuring change, and promoting progress within South Carolina’s education system.