Administration

Mr. Jeff Blankenship

Mr. Blankenship is originally from North Carolina and moved to the Lowcountry to attend the College of Charleston where he was a pitcher on the baseball team.  He is entering his 25th year as an educator, having spent his first 18 years as a teacher, coach, and administrator at Wando High School.  Mr. Blankenship piloted a course named "The History of Conflict and War" and compiled a 135-24 record over five years as the Head Varsity Baseball Coach before becoming an Assistant Principal in 2010 and Associate Principal in 2017.  In August 2019, he was named Principal of the East Cooper Center for Advanced Studies.  Mr. Blankenship hopes to shape the future of our CAS by carrying on the vision of the late Lucy Beckham to East Cooper students, where every child graduates with a "viable plan, a realistic plan for what to do next and have the education and skills to do it."

Mr. Blankenship and his wife Jennifer have three sons, Jake (16), Sam (14), and Anderson (6).  They are passionate about their UNC Tar Heels and enjoy hitting the beach, spending time out at the ball fields, and taking family road trips.  If it were up to the boys, every night would be a family movie night!

Ms. Colleen Carr

Ms. Colleen Carr brings nearly 27 years of experience in education and school leadership. Originally from Kingston, Jamaica, she moved to the U.S. at age 10 and began her career as a social studies teacher in Orlando, Tampa, and Atlanta. She earned multiple Teacher of the Year awards and was a three-time district semi-finalist. Ms. Carr later served as assistant principal at middle and high schools, expanding access to Advanced Placement, Career & Technical Education, and dual enrollment.

As the Principal of Beth Shields Middle School—Hillsborough County’s largest, with over 1,900 students—she led the school out of turnaround status and launched the Scholar Quest Academy, enabling students to earn up to 13 high school credits before the 9th grade. She was instrumental in creating the College Fellows Initiative, a mentoring and tutoring program recruiting college students to serve in high-need schools, boosting achievement and building a pipeline of equity-minded educators. She also taught college readiness courses as an adjunct at Hillsborough Community College.

Since relocating to Charleston, Ms. Carr has served as Director of Acceleration Schools for Charleston County School District. She supported efforts to reduce disciplinary disparities, improve attendance, and strengthen family and community engagement. She coached assistant principals in high-need schools, shifting their focus to instructional leadership and leadership development. As Interim Leader at Simmons-Pinckney Middle School, she drove significant gains in instruction and student success, including 100% pass rates in Algebra I and Spanish I.

Ms. Carr believes that “All students are gifted; some students just open their gifts earlier or later than others,” thus guiding her commitment to personalized, equitable education. She holds degrees from the University of South Florida, the University of Georgia, and the University of West Georgia. She is the proud mother of Ja’Siyah (“Josie”), who is active in sports, the performing arts, and MMA Karate. Ms. Carr enjoys reading, shopping, and cheering on the Georgia Bulldogs and USF Bulls.

Mrs. DeAna Sutler

Mrs. Sutler was born in Beaufort, SC where she grew up spending time at the beach, in the pool, or tending to her grandmother's farm animals.  After graduation from Beaufort High School, she moved to Charleston, SC where she has remained.  While working on her Bachelor's degree, Mrs. Sutler enrolled in an EMT course through TTC.  Upon completion of the course, she began working for CCEMS as a part-time medic.  It was during those 4 years that she found her passion for teaching as co-owner of an emergency training company.  She spent most of her days traveling around the tri-county area training industry personnel in First Responder, EMT, and CPR.  

After graduating from CofC, Mrs. Sutler found her way into public school teaching through the State's alternative pathway, PACE.  She spent 11 years in the classroom at Wando High School teaching Physical Science, Biology, Anatomy & Physiology, and Biomedical Science (PBS & HBS).  In the spring of 2017, she moved out of the classroom when she accepted a position as a Teacher Effectiveness Specialist with the Office of Teacher Effectiveness in CCSD.  She then spent the next 3.5 years working in various schools across the district, ranging from K-12 grades working with first and second-year teachers.  

Mrs. Sutler and her husband, Bryan, do not have any children of their own, but they have 2 wonderful fur babies: Riker (Brittany) and Winnie (Terrier Mix).