Jennifer Clyburn Reed is an American businesswoman and retired schoolteacher. She is the federal co-chair of the

Southeast Crescent Regional Commission The Southeast Crescent Regional Commission (SCRC) is one of seven federal regional commissions and authorities authorized by the United States Congress to address instances of major economic distress in certain defined socioeconomic regions. Ori ...

. Reed is a co-owner of the 49 Magnolia investment property company and chief executive officer of the Palmetto Issues Conference. She was a schoolteacher for 28 years and served as director of the center for the education and equity of African American students at the University of South Carolina.

Early life and education

Jennifer Clyburn Reed is the middle daughter of Emily England and Rep.

Jim Clyburn James Enos Clyburn (born July 21, 1940) is an American politician and retired educator serving as a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina. He has served as House Majority Whip since 2019. He is a two-time m ...

, the Democratic

U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

for since 1993. Her older sister is

Mignon Clyburn Mignon Letitia Clyburn (born March 22, 1962) is an American former government official who served as a member of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from 2009 to 2018. In December 2017, Clyburn and fellow Democratic commissioner Jessica Ro ...

. Reed majored in political science at University of South Carolina in the 1990s. She assisted

Stephen K. Benjamin Stephen Keith Benjamin (born December 1, 1969) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 70th mayor of Columbia, South Carolina from July 2010 to January 2022. He was the first African American mayor in the city's history. Befor ...

's campaign for student government president. Reed is a three-time graduate of the University of South Carolina, earning

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in political science,

Master of Arts in Teaching The Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) or Master of Science in Teaching (MST) degree is generally a pre-service degree that usually requires a minimum of 30 semester hours beyond the bachelor's degree. While the program often requires education ...

and

Education Specialist The Education Specialist, also referred to as Educational Specialist or Specialist in Education (Ed.S. or S.Ed.), is a specialist degree in education and terminal professional degree in the U.S. that is designed to provide knowledge and theory in ...

in teaching degrees. She also earned a

Doctor of Education The Doctor of Education (Ed.D. or D.Ed.; Latin ''Educationis Doctor'' or ''Doctor Educationis'') is (depending on region and university) a research or professional doctoral degree that focuses on the field of education. It prepares the holder for a ...

degree in educational leadership from

Nova Southeastern University Nova Southeastern University (NSU or, informally, Nova) is a private nonprofit research university with its main campus in Davie, Florida. The university consists of 14 total colleges, centers, and schools offering over 150 programs of study ...

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale () is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and largest city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth ...

Career

Education

Reed taught as an elementary and middle schoolteacher for 28 years. She taught and coordinated the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) colleges preparatory system at Richland County Middle School. Reed was an education specialist for the

South Carolina Department of Education The South Carolina Department of Education is the state education agency of South Carolina. It is headquartered in Columbia at the Rutledge Building. The agency is overseen by an elected Superintendent of Education, currently Ellen Weaver. Pre ...

and worked as a school district literacy coach for the South Carolina Reading Initiative. Reed also taught English language arts. By November 2020, she had retired as an educator. Reed also helped manage her father’s campaign in 2020 earning $45,000 campaign funds. Until her retirement in 2021, Reed was director of the center for the education and equity of African American students at the University of South Carolina. She helped to design the Apple Core Initiative scholarship program for freshmen students at the University of South Carolina. Reed served on the selection committee for the Emily Clyburn Honors College Scholarship at the

South Carolina State University South Carolina State University (SCSU or SC State) is a public, historically black, land-grant university in Orangeburg, South Carolina, United States. It is the only public, historically black land-grant institution in South Carolina, is a memb ...

Business and community advocacy

Reed co-owns the investment property company 49 Magnolia Blossom. Reed and her husband rented office space to

Tom Steyer Thomas Fahr Steyer (born June 27, 1957) is an American climate investor, businessman, hedge fund manager, philanthropist, environmentalist, and liberal activist. Steyer is the co-founder and co-chair of Galvanize Climate Solutions, founder and ...

's 2020 presidential campaign. She is chief executive officer of the advisory group, Palmetto Issues Conference, aimed at advocating for equitable socioeconomic policies. In November 2020, Reed filed plans with the city of

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 census, it is the second-largest city in South Carolina. The city serves as the county seat of Richland County, and a portion of the city ...

to renovate the Alston House. In August 2021, U.S. President Joe Biden nominated Reed as federal co-chair of the

. The U.S. Senate confirmed her appointment on December 9, 2021. In this role, Reed will work on economic and poverty issues in the

Southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also referred to as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical region of the United States. It is located broadly on the eastern portion of the southern United States and the southern por ...

, along with state co-chair South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster.

Personal life

Reed's son is Walter A Clyburn Reed.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reed, Jennifer Clyburn Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) University of South Carolina alumni University of South Carolina faculty Schoolteachers from South Carolina 21st-century American women educators 21st-century American educators African-American schoolteachers 21st-century African-American women 21st-century American businesswomen African-American women in business Businesspeople from South Carolina Clyburn family Biden administration personnel