Ayesha Hunter

Principal, Sumter School District

Ayesha A. Hunter, Principal of Bates Middle school, located in Sumter, South Carolina, is a highly-regarded educational leader in creating and implementing innovative programs that support students’ social and emotional learning, school transformation and teacher leadership. She has been an elementary teacher, secondary and adult education instructor and elementary and middle school assistant principal. Hunter has served as a leader in Title 1, high- performing and low-achieving schools, all of which has guided her outlook on what it takes to support the “whole child.” Hunter is a national and regional presenter, consultant and adjunct professor. She serves as the Chair of Sumter School District’s Middle and Secondary Principals’ Network Organization, where she facilitates and collaborates with middle and high school leaders to ensure equitable student success. She earned a BA in Elementary Education from Coastal Carolina University, an MA in Education Administration from Winthrop University and a doctorate in Educational Leadership from South Carolina State University.