From staff reports
Four veteran administrators have been selected for key Beaufort County School District (BCSD) roles for the upcoming school year, according to a news release from the District.
Melissa Pender, current principal of Coosa Elementary, has accepted the role of executive director in which she will be assigned a portfolio of schools, supervising district principals with a focus on instructional leadership. Pender’s educational career began at BCSD in 1997.
Under her leadership, Coosa Elementary was named a National Blue Ribbon School (2023) and a Leader in Me Legacy School (2025), only the 28th school to achieve this recognition out of over 8,500. Under Pender’s leadership, her team raised the School Report Card Rating from Average to Excellent for the 2021-22 school year, and the school has maintained this rating ever since. In addition to being a Leader in Me School, Coosa also added a second school of choice during her tenure, that of Project Based Learning.
Then, the BCSD has named three new principals:
Coosa Elementary School: Kelly Goudy, current assistant principal at Lady’s Island Elementary, replaces Pender. Goudy began her educational career as a kindergarten teacher at Chasco Elementary School in Florida. She relocated to South Carolina in 2011 where she taught third grade at St. Helena Elementary School. Goudy’s additional administrative experience includes serving as the MTSS/GT coordinator and then assistant principal at Robert Smalls Leadership Academy. A current Educational Leadership and Innovation doctoral student at Purdue Global University, Goudy holds a master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of South Florida.
Beaufort Elementary School: Michelle de Bruin, current assistant principal at Beaufort Elementary School, replaces Michelle Sackman, who has accepted the position of Teaching and Learning at the District Office. De Bruin began her educational career at BCSD as a fifth-grade teacher at Bluffton Elementary School, subsequently teaching fourth grade at Jennie Moore Elementary School in Mount Pleasant and then Bluffton Elementary School. De Bruin’s administrative experience includes assistant principal roles at Beaufort and Bluffton Elementary Schools. DeBruin holds a master’s degree in Educational Administration from The University of South Carolina.
Bluffton Elementary School: Brandi Bullock, current BCSD Director of Teaching and Learning, replaces Paula Brown, who is retiring after a 28-year educational career with the Beaufort County School District. Bullock started her educational career as a first-grade teacher at Boones Creek Elementary School in Tennessee and went on to become an instructional coach for Gray and Ridgeview elementary schools in Tenn. She has served in assistant principal roles at Jonesborough Elementary School (Tenn.) and Hilton Head Island Elementary School. Bullock holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership from East Tennessee State University and a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Carson Newman University.
“Every exceptional district has strong school leaders, and I’m excited to see these superb educators be successful in their new roles,” BCSD Superintendent Frank Rodriguez said in a news release. “They’re experienced, they understand the importance of creating a district and school culture of moving academic achievement and ensuring our students succeed.”
