Dr. Rose Wilder grew up in Santee, SC. She is the daughter of the late Mr. Laco Davis and Mrs. Ruby Mae Davis. She is one of seven siblings.
She spent eight years as a teacher before she entered into school administration. She served three years as an Assistant Principal, three years as a Principal, one year as a Curriculum Facilitator and one year as an Assistant Superintendent for Instruction. This is her 25th year serving as a District Superintendent of Education. On May 2, 2013, Dr. Wilder was named Superintendent of the Year for the State of South Carolina for the 2013-2014 school year. She was also President of the South Carolina Association of School Administrators during the same time. The membership of the organization at that time was approximately 3,600.
Dr. Wilder’s 1994 appointment to Superintendent in Clarendon Two (Manning, SC), was a historic moment because Dr. Wilder was the first black female Superintendent in the State of South Carolina since Reconstruction. She was the first black Superintendent in Clarendon Two and she also has the distinction of being the first black female superintendent appointed to serve in Clarendon One (Summerton, SC), and Fairfield County School District (Winnsboro, SC), on a non-interim basis. Dr. Wilder was named outstanding Superintendent in 1999 by the South Carolina School Boards Association. She has effected positive change wherever she has served. Additionally, Dr. Wilder has received numerous awards and recognition as an outstanding and committed educator.
Dr. Wilder is a 1994 graduate of Leadership South Carolina. She was selected by Dr. Jim Rex, former State Superintendent of Education, to serve on his transition team when he was elected in 2006. She is a 2009 graduate of the Riley Leadership Diversity Institute at Furman University. The Leadership Institute is a program for leaders and decision-makers who have the capacity to impact positive change. Dr. Wilder has a passion to do what is best for all students.
On April 11, 2018, State Superintendent Molly Spearman, appointed Dr. Wilder as State Designee Superintendent of Williamsburg County School District.
Dr. Wilder is married to Dr. James C. Wilder. They share three children, Warren Lamont Wilder (deceased), Sharron H. (Nathaniel) Horace, and Michelle Wilder Bedford. They also share two grandchildren, Jaleah Wilder and Blake McKinley Horace.
Clarendon School District One Board of Trustees voted to officially rename St. Paul Elementary School after having received over 900 completed community surveys voting affirmatively to rename the school in Dr. Wilder’s honor. The board held public participation sessions for the voices of the community to be heard on the possible action. Results from the votes were certified by four community leaders, including a Scott’s Branch High School student.
Honoring the rich history of Summerton, SC and the esteemed legacy of Briggs v. Elliot, the Clarendon One Board also voted to have the current District Administrative Office (Old Summerton High School) and main building of the Community Resource Center (Old Scott’s Branch High School) to be designated as affiliate sites as part of the pending Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Network.
