As The Manning Times concludes its Women’s History Month series, we’re taking one final opportunity to celebrate the women whose leadership, service and determination help Clarendon County grow stronger. Throughout March, we’ve spotlighted women whose work in business, healthcare, public service and volunteer leadership continues to leave a lasting mark close to home. This final feature highlights one more local woman helping shape the county’s future.
When Tabitha Hanna talks about planning and development, she does not begin with permits or site plans.
She begins with people.
For Hanna, director of Clarendon County’s Planning and Zoning Department, the work has always centered on service — first through nearly two decades with the South Carolina Department of Social Services, then through legal and administrative work, and now through helping guide how the county grows.
A native of Marion County who now lives in Florence, Hanna said her career in public service began in 1996 at DSS, where she worked until 2017. During that time, she continued her education, earning a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Limestone University and a master’s degree in law from Regent University School of Law. She is now nearing completion of a doctorate in law and policy from Liberty University.
Hanna joined Clarendon County in 2021 as deputy planning director and became department director in 2022 after the retirement of former director Maria Rose. Since then, she has helped oversee a period of visible growth in the county, including commercial and residential projects that many residents now see taking shape along the Interstate 95 corridor and beyond.
“I really love this area of service,” Hanna said. “My ultimate goal is helping people live, thrive and succeed.”
That perspective, she said, was shaped in large part by her years in social services.
Working in Child Support Services taught her how to navigate legal processes, ordinances and public-facing work, but it also taught her how to treat people.
“It enabled me to serve citizens across different populations with dignity and respect,” Hanna said. “In public service, you cannot expect everyone to know your role or your capacity, so you have to lead with empathy and compassion.”
Those lessons still guide her approach in a role that many residents may only see in part. While the public often encounters Hanna through permit applications, zoning questions or Planning Commission meetings, much of her work happens behind the scenes with developers, contractors, engineers, architects and economic development officials.
She said her office works to encourage growth while also protecting the county’s character, safety and long-term quality of life.
“My job is to advocate for development, but also to preserve Clarendon County’s character,” Hanna said. “We want growth, but we also want to preserve that quiet atmosphere — a place where families can come, put down roots and enjoy a slower pace of life.”
That balance has become especially important as the county continues to attract new investment. Hanna said she played a leading role in development along Exit 119, where Love’s was built in recent years and a new 7-Eleven is now under construction, and pointed to the Chick-fil-A project as one of the first major developments she completed after stepping into leadership.
At the same time, she said, planning is about more than welcoming projects. It is about making sure growth happens responsibly.
In simple terms, Hanna describes herself as a “guard” for the county. Her role includes making sure development follows zoning regulations, fits surrounding properties and does not create harmful environmental impacts. From reviewing site plans to monitoring land use compliance, she said much of her work is focused on making sure projects align with both county ordinances and the broader vision for Clarendon’s future.
She has also helped shape that vision through policy. Among the ordinances she is most proud of are the county’s solar ordinance, which she describes as one of the most comprehensive in the state, as well as regulations related to tiny homes, food trucks and flexible design districts.
For Hanna, that work carries added meaning as a woman in a field still often dominated by men.
She said there have been moments in meetings with developers, engineers and other professionals when she was the only woman in the room. Early on, that could feel intimidating. Over time, though, confidence replaced hesitation.
“With my knowledge, education and experience, I have proven otherwise,” Hanna said of assumptions women can face in the field. “I can speak that same language when it comes to development.”
That confidence was built over many years and with the influence of other women leaders who came before her. Hanna said she still remembers walking into DSS early in her career and seeing women in management positions across the division.
“It really inspired me,” she said. “I saw a whole group of women in charge of a department, and that stayed with me.”
She named several women who helped shape her path, including former coworkers and supervisors at DSS, former Clarendon County Human Resources Director Linda Lemon and former Planning Director Maria Rose. She also credited Ted Felder and David Epperson as mentors who helped guide her growth in county government.
Outside of work, Hanna said her husband, Darren, and their four children remain her greatest source of motivation. She said she has tried to lead by example, showing them what perseverance looks like through long nights of work, school and family life all at once.
“I want to be a role model to them,” Hanna said. “Whatever obstacles come your way, you can still do it.”
That same message is the one she hopes young women take from her story.
Hanna encourages girls and young women interested in government and public policy to learn all they can, study the systems and ordinances that affect their communities and not be discouraged by spaces where they may feel outnumbered.
Her own career, built through education, persistence and service, stands as proof that they belong there too.
As for the mark she hopes to leave on Clarendon County, Hanna said it comes down to something simple but meaningful: that she leaves it better than she found it.
Whether through cleaner development, stronger policy or a more welcoming path for future growth, she wants her work to help create a county where people can build lives, raise families and enjoy the qualities that make Clarendon unique.
In the end, Hanna sees planning not just as regulation, but as stewardship — of land, of opportunity and of the community itself.
