COLUMBIA – Longtime Blythewood High School teacher Patrick Kelly has taken a new position as Director of Governmental Affairs for the Palmetto State Teachers Association.
Kelly has taught AP U.S. Government and Politics for the past 15 years at Blythewood High School. In 2013, he was selected as the Richland Two Teacher of the Year and was one of five finalists for South Carolina Teacher of the Year. In 2015, he was selected as a Classroom Teaching Ambassador Fellow for the U.S. Department of Education, and in 2016, he moved to Washington, DC for a year to work as the lead Washington Teaching Ambassador Fellow at the Department.
Kelly was recently confirmed to a four-year term on the National Assessment Governing Board and serves as the Vice Chair of the CERRA Board of Directors.
“We are so excited to have Patrick on our staff,” PSTA Executive Director Kathy Maness said.
“His expertise in government, ability to work with others, and his passion for the students and teachers in the public schools of South Carolina make him a valuable member of the PSTA team.”
PSTA provides legislative advocacy, professional development, scholarships, publications, and legal representation to its 15,000 members.