landerteacher

06/01/2026

We are so proud !

🌟🍎 Congratulations to Kaley Mills, 1st Grade Teacher at Woodfields Elementary School, on being named First Year Teacher of the Year! Your kindness, enthusiasm, and dedication help create a positive and welcoming classroom environment for your students every day. Keep shining! 🎉📖

05/28/2026

05/19/2026

Mrs. Jennifer Howard will join the College of Education as a Lecturer of Education. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English Education from Newberry College and a Master of Education from Anderson University. Over the past twenty-seven years, she has taught English and Teacher Cadet at Clinton High School in Laurens School District 56. In her new role, she will teach field experiences as well as a variety of education courses, supporting students as they connect theory to practice.

Outside of her professional work, Mrs. Howard enjoys spending time with her husband, Tim, and their twin daughters, Mary Ryan and Kate. She also loves reading, watching sports, and traveling.

She looks forward to this next chapter as she joins the Bearcat family.

05/18/2026

Kendall Minor will serve as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Education at Lander University, where she will teach early childhood and elementary education courses. She is excited to begin this new chapter and to continue supporting and preparing the next generation of educators.

She is a two-time graduate of Lander University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education and a Master of Education in Teaching and Learning. She is proud to call Greenwood home and deeply values the community she serves.

Kendall has spent the past nine years teaching elementary students in Greenwood School District 50. For the past two years, she has also served as an adjunct instructor at Lander University, teaching education courses to online students.

05/17/2026

Dr. Lexie Hahn is joining the College of Education at Lander University this fall as an Assistant Professor!

Originally from Indiana, she earned her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and began her teaching career as a sixth-grade math and humanities teacher at Zionsville West Middle School. She later moved to South Carolina, where she taught sixth-grade math at Indian Land Intermediate School for five years while completing both her M.Ed. in Teaching and Learning and her Ed.D. in Curriculum & Instruction with a focus on Elementary Education.

Most recently, Lexie has enjoyed traveling throughout Europe, visiting Portugal, Spain, France, Switzerland, Italy, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia.
Outside of her professional work, she enjoys reading, traveling, attending concerts, and spending time with her cat.

She is excited to join the College of Education at Lander University and begin the next chapter of her journey as a professor!

05/15/2026

🍎 Teacher Spotlight: Mandi Cleveland 🍎

Mandi Cleveland has always known she was meant to teach. From playing “school” as a child to being inspired by her grandmother in a library, that passion never faded.

After starting a family, she returned to college in her 40s—balancing work, family, and school—to earn her degree with the support of her loved ones and Lander University.
Now, as Greenwood School District 50’s Teacher of the Year, she focuses on what matters most: building real relationships with her students and supporting their families every step of the way.

It’s never too late to follow your calling.

05/14/2026

Lander University recently hosted an Educator Signing Day on Friday evening, May 1, to celebrate students from across the region who have committed to entering the teaching profession and attending the university in the fall of 2026. The signing ceremony served as an inspiring reminder of the importance of investing in the next generation of teachers.

A special thank you is extended to Dr. Tamara Pack for hosting such a wonderful and memorable event in honor of these future educators.