District 3 • Charleston County School Board of Trustees

Meet Tressa

When I was a high school sophomore, my part-time job bagging groceries helped make ends meet. One Saturday, my school counselor came through my line and asked why I was working instead of taking the PSAT. My answer: “What’s the PSAT?”

He summoned me to his office on Monday, told me I was college material, and explained the public university system and financial aid. He saw potential in me that I had not recognized—and caught me before I fell through the cracks.

That intervention changed the course of my life. Not falling through the cracks should not depend on a chance encounter. I am running for the School Board to give back—and to help ensure that every Charleston student is seen, challenged, and connected to opportunity.

Tressa Pankovits

From my home, I can hear the bells at Burke High School, even with the windows closed. They are a constant reminder of both the progress CCSD has made and the work still ahead. District administrators and educators have worked relentlessly to achieve the District’s recent academic gains, even as boardroom battles, embarrassing headlines, and costly lawsuits made their work more difficult. I am running to turn the page, help sustain that momentum, and ensure progress reaches every student in every school.

Join me in helping every student succeed.

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Why I am Running

I’m running for the Charleston County School Board because every child—regardless of neighborhood, background, or circumstance—deserves access to an exceptional education.

My career has taken me from journalism and law to education policy. For almost two decades, I have worked to improve public education—advising policymakers, visiting schools across the country, and championing approaches that put students and families first. Those experiences have shown me what is possible when strong leaders listen to parents, respect educators, support innovation, and remain focused on ensuring all students have what they need to succeed.

I will put that experience—and all it has taught me—to work for the families of Charleston County. As District 3 Trustee, I will be an informed, independent advocate for the parents and families I represent. I will:

Listen to their needs, bring their concerns to the School Board, and ensure their voices are heard.
Do my homework, ask the hard questions, and approach every decision armed with the facts.
Be guided by sound judgment, fiscal responsibility, and transparency.

I know you are being asked to support many important candidates and causes this election season. But local school-board decisions directly affect our children, our families, and the future of our community—and with early voting just two months away, there is no time to waste.

This is a people-powered local campaign, and I cannot do it alone. Whether you live in Charleston or are supporting us from afar, your contribution will help us reach more voters, share our message, and build the informed, student-centered leadership our schools need. If you believe in this work, please give as generously as you can—and invite others to join us. Together, we can create exceptional schools.

Every student. Every family. Every opportunity!

— Record of Leadership

Professional Background

Decades of dedicated public service in education reform, law, policy, and student advocacy from local classrooms to national platforms.

While co-directing the Reinventing America’s Schools Project, I visited dozens of schools from Hawaii to Massachusetts—and many places in between—to study and write about innovative models and initiatives that move the needle for students. That experience—and working internationally—taught me that meaningful progress happens when leaders listen, adapt, and remain relentlessly focused on what is right for students.

I will bring informed, independent, and constructive leadership to the Board while actively seeking out the priorities of Charleston’s parents, educators, and communities.

We expect students to do their homework. I will do mine—asking hard questions, studying the facts, while holding district leaders and the Board itself accountable for results.

Attorney, Journalist & Policy Advisor

AVID College-Readiness Leadership

White House Initiative Manager

Attorney, journalist, and education policy advisor

Chief of staff for AVID, a national college- and career-readiness organization

Project manager for the team tasked by President Barack Obama with reforming adult education in the federal prison system as part of “My Brother’s Keeper”