Parents must have the freedom to choose a learning environment that suits their child’s needs, wants, and abilities.
Mike Grew up in West Virginia with two loving parents. Mike is a graduate of Bob Jones University. He worked his way through college the old-fashioned way by delivering pizzas, making sub sandwiches, and even scrubbing pots and pans. That experience not only paid for his tuition, but it also taught Mike the value of a dollar.
A committed conservative Republican, Mike worked on and for a variety of South Carolina GOP campaigns at the national, state and local levels.
Mike eventually settled in West Columbia, where he learned the Lexington County real estate market as president of A H Holdings. He is currently on the City Council for the city of West Columbia.
Mike serves as a volunteer in Grace Baptist Church’s bus ministry. In his spare time, he enjoys indulging his love of science fiction movies.
Decision making power in education must be returned to parents and teachers. Unelected bureaucrats have too great a grip on education in the United States.
Rich Bolen is the 13th child of 15 (7 boys and 8 girls). He graduated from the State University of New York at Albany with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology in 1989. He attended law school at the University Of South Carolina School of Law beginning in 1990 and graduated from law school in 1993. He took and passed the bar exam in three different states and was admitted to the practice of law in South Carolina, New York and Georgia. After graduating law school, he married Lisa Rickert his high school sweet heart, a school teacher.
Rich was a member of the Lexington County Sheriff’s Foundation Board. He is also a member of the Greater Lexington Chamber of Commerce and the Irmo and Chapin Chamber of Commerce. He was also Legal Counsel to the Columbia-Charleston Better Business Bureau. He is also a member of the Federalist Society which is an organization advocating for the application of our Constitution as originally written by our founding fathers and for educating law students in this regard.
Rich Bolen served the Lexington County Republican Party as Chairman from 2009 through 2012. During his time as Chairman of the Lexington County Republican Party Republicans were elected to every office in Lexington except Senate District 26 which is currently held by Democrat Senator Nikki Setzler. Additionally, 5 out of the 9 statewide elected officials were elected in 2010 from Lexington County: Governor Nikki Haley, Attorney General Alan Wilson, Treasurer Curtis Loftis, Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom and Adjutant General Bob Livingston.
It is past time that the power of the free market be unleashed on government’s education monopoly.
Mr. James M. Miles – Jim is a native Virginian who received a Bachelor of Arts Degree from
Duke University in 1964. He then went to the University of North Carolina School of Law and received his Juris Doctor in 1969. He was admitted to the North Carolina Bar in 1969, and the South Carolina Bar in 1971. In 1974, he was admitted as an attorney before the United States Supreme Court. He was a founding partner of the law firm of Haynsworth, Baldwin and Miles, in Greenville, South Carolina that specialized in labor relations law. He has also been an adjunct professor of labor law at the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina.
Jim served on the Greenville City Council before being elected as the 40 th Secretary of State of South Carolina serving from 1991 to 2003. He also served as the Chief of Staff for the South
Carolina Lieutenant Governor. Mr. Miles has consistently served with charitable organizations including the American Cancer Society, Greenville Chamber of Commerce, and Donaldson Airport Economic Commission.
He has been awarded an honorary doctorate in Philosophy from the College of Charleston, the Order of the Palmetto (the highest citizenship honor conferred in South Carolina), and the Palmetto Patriot Award (the highest honor conferred by the South Carolina Lieutenant Governor’s office).