At a special called meeting Thursday, June 2, the Lexington Two School District Board of Trustees voted to offer the position of superintendent to Dr. Brenda Hafner, subject to mutually agreed upon terms and conditions.

Dr. Hafner will begin her role on July 1.  

Prior to coming to Lexington Two, Dr. Hafner served as chief of schools for the Sumter School District and as an administrator and building principal in Richland Two. In 2020, Dr. Hafner was a finalist for the Lexington Two superintendent position. At that time, district stakeholders communicated their vision and priorities for a superintendent, and the board was impressed with Dr. Hafner’s qualifications and experience. During Thursday’s special called meeting, the board interviewed Dr. Hafner for a second time.

The board believes that Dr. Hafner will bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to Lexington Two, noting she is “a servant leader with a passion for children and a love for learning.”

“I am very excited to have the opportunity to join the Lexington Two team,” Dr. Hafner said. “I look forward to meeting our stakeholders and working with the students, staff, parents, and community to take Lexington Two to the next level.  I feel very strongly that if we work together to identify our priorities and hone in on best practices, nothing will be out of reach for the students of Lexington Two.”

Dr. Hafner received a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of South Carolina, a master’s degree in teaching (secondary and middle level social studies) from The Citadel, and a doctoral degree in educational leadership from Nova Southeastern University. 

Dr. Hafner started her education career in 1998 in Richland School District Two as a social studies teacher at E.L. Wright Middle School. She moved in 2000 to the Darlington County School District as an AP U.S. History and social studies teacher at Mayo High School for Math, Science, & Technology, then rejoined Richland Two in 2002 as a social studies teacher in the Leadership Academy at Wright. She was tapped in 2004 as curriculum effectiveness specialist, and later as assistant principal, at E.L. Wright Middle, and served there until 2008, when she became founding lead teacher for the Magnet Center with Richland Two’s Center for Accelerated Preparation.

In 2009, she became principal of Blythewood Middle School, which was awarded state and national recognitions during her tenure. In 2014 she became principal of Blythewood High School, and while there increased its graduation rate to 94 percent from 86 percent and launched several digital initiatives, as she had in previous roles with the district. In 2018, she joined Sumter School District, serving as chief of schools/chief administrative officer/assistant superintendent. During her time, she has worked directly with principals on continuous improvement plans for school excellence, launched a district leadership development program, supervised the district strategic plan and accreditation, and worked with offices across the district to secure technical assistance, interventions and needed resources to support the 27 schools in Sumter School District.

“Our Board is excited to welcome Dr. Brenda Hafner to the Lexington Two family,” Board Chair Christina Rucker said.  “Dr. Hafner has several strong characteristics that will be valuable to our school district.  She is passionate about her work, and we are looking forward to what she will bring to Lex2.”

Rucker added that the board believes Dr. Hafner will be “a true asset not only to the district but to all of our stakeholders.”

Dr. Hafner will be introduced to Lexington Two and community stakeholders over the next several weeks.