Rose Buyck Newton, chair of the Bank of Clarendon Board of Directors, has been elected the first woman to lead the University of South Carolina Board of Trustees in the university’s nearly 225-year history.
Trustees unanimously elected Newton chair Friday, Aug. 21. She succeeds Thad H. Westbrook, who served as chairman from 2022 through 2026.
“Serving the University of South Carolina is an honor and a privilege,” Newton said in a university release. “For 225 years, USC has played an indispensable role in guiding the economic prosperity and well-being of our state, adding to its rich culture.”
Newton said she looks forward to working with USC President Michael D. Amiridis, communities represented by the university’s eight campuses and leaders across South Carolina as the university continues its education, research and service missions.
Newton, a third-generation banker, has spent much of her career with the Bank of Clarendon in Manning and was named chair of the bank’s Board of Directors in 2017. She has more than two decades of experience in banking, including executive management, marketing, financial services and corporate governance.
The Bank of Clarendon congratulated Newton following the election, calling her a respected banking executive and civic leader who has demonstrated a commitment to service and leadership in South Carolina.
“We are incredibly proud to see her bring that same vision and dedication to this important statewide role,” the bank said in a social media post.
Newton has served on the USC Board of Trustees since 2018. She previously chaired its Audit, Compliance and Risk Committee and was elected vice chair in 2022. She has also chaired the board’s Governance Committee.
A graduate of Converse College, Newton earned degrees in finance and economics in 1992 before receiving her Master of Business Administration from USC in 1994.
Her ties to USC extend beyond the Board of Trustees. Newton is a trustee of the Business Partnership Foundation at USC’s Darla Moore School of Business and was named the school’s 2026 Distinguished Service Award recipient, an honor recognizing extraordinary service to the Moore School, university and community.
Newton also serves on the board of the South Carolina Bankers Association Bankers School and chairs the Board of Governors for Novant Health Coastal Carolina Medical Center.
Her election places USC among a growing number of South Carolina colleges and universities with women leading their governing boards.
Newton is married to state Rep. Weston Newton, chairman of the S.C. House Judiciary Committee. Their three children also have ties to USC. Daughter Reedy Newton served as USC student body president before graduating in 2023, son William Newton graduated in 2025 and is a first-year USC law student, and daughter Eliza Rose Newton is a USC senior.
