South Carolina Treasurer Curtis Loftis has recognized Airport High School’s Tammi Campbell as the South Carolina Financial Literacy Master Teacher Program’s Educator of the Month for January.

“Thanks to her efforts, Ms. Campbell’s students have gained an important knowledge of personal finance that will serve as a foundation for building more complex money management skills,” said Treasurer Loftis. “We are grateful that the passion and dedication she brings to the Financial Literacy Master Teacher Program will continue to benefit these students for years to come.”

Ms. Campbell chairs the Career and Technology Education (CATE) Department at Airport High School, where she also teaches an array of business and finance classes. A graduate of Columbia College, Campbell holds an undergraduate degree in English Education and a Master of Education degree in Divergent Learning. Campbell began her teaching career at her alma mater, North Central High School in Kershaw County, then moved on to work at the Newberry County Career Center before joining the faculty at Airport High School. In addition to teaching, Campbell has participated on several state standard revision committees and served as an executive board member for the South Carolina Business Education Association.

“Many of our students enter college with no financial literacy basics and graduate with huge amounts of debt, creating undue pressure on these young people as they enter adulthood,” said Campbell. “Giving high school students access to financial literacy education provides them with an understanding of the importance of saving for the future, planning for retirement and spending their money wisely. By increasing their awareness that money matters encompass almost every aspect of a person’s life, we give individuals the knowledge they need to maximize the income they earn.”

The South Carolina Financial Literacy Master Teacher Program provides incentives to K-12 teachers who are experts in the area of financial literacy and have a desire to teach professional development workshops to other educators in their schools and districts. Through the program, participating teachers have access to specialized training and financial literacy curriculum resources that better enable them to promote financial literacy education in K-12 schools.

In addition to passing the W!SE Personal Finance for Educators national certification exam and exceeding the requirements of the South Carolina program, Campbell was recently recognized by Next Gen Personal Finance as one of its 2020 Extra Mile Award recipients for completing eight certifications, which equates to more than 80 hours of time dedicated to personal finance education.

Sponsored by Future Scholar, South Carolina’s 529 College Savings Plan, and in partnership with SC Economics, this statewide financial literacy initiative aims to increase teacher support and involvement in incorporating personal finance education into the curriculum.

About Future Scholar
Future Scholar, South Carolina’s 529 College Savings Plan, is administered through the State Treasurer’s Office. For more information, visit FutureScholar.com or follow @SCStateTreasurer on Facebook. No state funds are used to market Future Scholar or the SC Financial Literacy Master Teacher Program.