At State Policy Network, we often talk about the importance of building leaders in the states who have a profound impact on their communities. Our Network leaders not only run effective state think tanks, but they often go on to other leadership roles in nonprofits, the private sector, and in government. In 2022, founder and former CEO of the Palmetto Promise Institute Ellen Weaver decided to take the leap and run for public office to build on her decades of work creating better education opportunities for children in South Carolina.
In November, she won her election against Democratic opponent Lisa Ellis and now leads the South Carolina Department of Education and its staff of over 1,000 employees. This was an unexpected journey for Ellen, as she was happy with her life at the Palmetto Promise Institute for the past decade. She started her career in politics working for Senator Jim DeMint as an advisor and state director. Together, they founded Palmetto in 2013 so there would be a strong free-market presence in the state advancing sound research and policy solutions. Through her time at Palmetto, Ellen also was appointed to serve on—and eventually chaired— the South Carolina Education Oversight Committee, getting a behind-the scenes look at the state’s education challenges.
But a health scare changed everything in 2021 and reframed her thinking about what it means to be courageous. “As I really thought about this opportunity, I realized what would have held me back from doing it was fear: the political arena is very toxic right now,” she said. “I thought long and hard about what this would mean to step up at this moment in time, and I realized that there was freedom on the other side of fear. Good policy can help people reach their full, God-given potential—students, teachers, and families. And I had to be brave enough to step up.”
Ellen experienced the power of the American Dream through education in her own life. She had several different education experiences, ranging from home school, religious school, and public school. She saw what many parents see—that their children each have unique needs, and there isn’t a “one size fits all” that works for every kid. She made it her mission to stand for greater educational opportunities for every child, regardless of their zip code or background.
During her time at Palmetto, the organization helped advance significant reforms for education in the state. In 2022, Palmetto released a study that helped inspire significant budget reform to make education funding more flexible, transparent, and student-focused. They also launched a new education center with US Senator Tim Scott, The Artis Ware Center for Education Opportunity (named after his grandfather), to help more South Carolinians rise out of poverty through a quality education. With a supportive governor, Ellen hopes to open the pathway for greater educational opportunities for children in the state, in addition to helping kids recover from pandemic learning loss. The state currently has a literacy and math crisis, with two-thirds of kids not performing on grade level. The path to improvement won’t come easy. “There will always be opposition to education freedom and that is just the political reality,” she said. “There is a lot of power and money at stake. But the silver lining of the pandemic is that in states all over the country, citizens, parents, and community members are more awake and aware than they have ever been about the needs and opportunities of our students and our education system.”
Through it all, Ellen has found support and community among other leaders across the states who are part of the State Policy Network. She has long been involved in SPN’s leadership peer groups that regularly bring together think tank leaders so they can share their experiences, learn from each other, and find opportunities for multistate reform.
“The peer groups SPN supports have really been instrumental in my personal journey and in shaping my leadership and honing my willingness and ability to take risks,” she said. “Some of my best friends in the world are fellow SPN CEOs. We’ve grown up together in a lot of ways and I’m so proud of the incredible work they have done to build out not just an organization, but an infrastructure of capabilities in their own states. I know no matter what, they are just a phone call away,” she said.
SPN also worked alongside Ellen and Palmetto staff in their “startup phase” when they navigated the ins and outs of running a policy nonprofit. SPN offered guidance on the essentials of operations, fundraising, government affairs, and policy, so they could hit the ground running with a solid foundation in place. And over the years, as the organization evolved, SPN adapted their offerings to support their needs. Part of SPN’s unique role with their state partners is that they work with them in different ways no matter what stage they are in, whether it be startup, expansion, or starting over with new leadership. Even now, SPN is supporting Palmetto through Ellen’s departure and helping to set up the new leadership for success. Our partners trust that we will be alongside them for the long term.
“Having the team at SPN help walk us through the essentials and not just do a data dump and walk away, but holding our hand through the process, has been such an incredibly rich resource,” she said. Ellen has bold plans for South Carolina, at a time when families need it most. Parents are demanding change in our nation’s education system, and leaders like Ellen are charting the course for the future.
