My Lens

Dr. Dukes hails from the Pee Dee Region of South Carolina. He was raised by his grandparents, the late James J. Dukes and Elrima Dukes. The ideals, work-ethic and values, for which he stands, can be attributed to the loving and supportive home they created at the family farm outside of Kingstree, South Carolina. He was also fortunate to have his mother, step-father, aunts, uncles and many cousins nearby as beacons of support and guidance during his formative years. It was during many days of summer toil on the Dukes Family Farm with his cousins and uncles that the institutions of hard work, innovation and follow-through were indoctrinated in him. After graduating from Kingstree Senior High School, Dr. Dukes received an Educational Doctoral degree from North Greenville University, Associate’s Degree (A.S), Bachelors of Arts (B.A), Masters of Secondary Administration (M.Ed) from Charleston Southern University and a Masters of Business Administration (M.B.A), Specialist degree from Webster University. Dr. Dukes also served as a member of the South Carolina Army National Guard.

Work

As Mark Twain said, “Find a job you enjoy and you will never work a day in your life.” That statement has always resonated with Dr. Dukes. Dr. Dukes is an experienced educator with 19 years of experience, having served students in the largest (Greenville), second-largest (Charleston), and fifth-largest (Berkeley) school districts in the state of South Carolina. He is a dedicated leader with a commitment to moving organizations to increased significance and success through clear articulation of vision and meticulous execution. After teaching Business/Marketing/Entrepreneurship Classes and sponsoring DECA at Military Magnet and James Island Charter High Schools in Charleston, South Carolina, Dr. Dukes made his leap into school and teacher support as a data analyst and teacher coach at Cane Bay High School in Summerville, SC. While in Charleston County, Dr. Dukes led transformative change as a principal and assistant principal. To become more well-rounded as a leader, Dr. Dukes then sought an experience at a large, diverse, comprehensive high school as Assistant Principal at West Ashley High School. While at West Ashley, Dr. Dukes was named South Carolina High School Assistant Principal of the Year in 2014. As an administrator at St. John's High School, the school received its highest ranking on the school report card and also earned the highest graduation rate since the start of school accountability. Dr. Dukes currently serves as the principal of Southside High School. As principal, Dr. Dukes established ongoing accountability for all students through accelerated learning opportunities, early focus on inquiry-based learning, and equal access to programs, resources, and data for the educational advancement of all students. Dr. Dukes researched, designed, and implemented an AVID program (first high school in Greenville County Schools) to allow more educational opportunities for our first-generation students and created a college learning environment throughout the school.

Play

Dr. Dukes enjoys traveling (Miami, Chicago and NYC are a few favorites), college football (trying to get to all the stadiums in the SEC!), hiking, basketball, working-out and staying fit, gardening, being with his family and friends and 90’s hip hop and R&B. Dr. Dukes also recently earned his SC Realtors License.

Community

Dr. Dukes enjoys giving back and interacting with his community. He is currently the Vice President of Alpha Lambda Sigma Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, the Vice President of Charleston Southern University Alumni Board and the secretary for the Greenville Regional Advisory Career Board. He was named the South Carolina State Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Deputy Chief of Staff in 2019 and continues to serve in that role. He has won numerous academic and business awards, including the 2014 South Carolina Assistant Principal of the Year, 2017 Charleston 40 under 40 award Winner, and 2019 Phi Beta Sigma Education Award Recipient. Dr. Dukes is ready to serve districts, schools, and business organizations to impact positive change.

Faith DiAngelis was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. While attending Boston University as an undergraduate, she elected to spend a year studying abroad in Haifa, Israel. In addition to learning some of the jobs on a kibbutz, Faith also developed a lifelong love of travel and exploring new cultures, and has since visited more than twenty countries. During a graduate-level research fellowship in Experimental Psychology at Northeastern University, while serving as a teaching assistant for an undergraduate course, she discovered another passion- education. Ms DiAngelis pursued alternative licensure for secondary science teachers through an accelerated program at Bridgewater State College, and eventually settled on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Working for the nation’s largest school district, the NYCDOE, Faith spent the first 12 years of her professional career at Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, NY, one of the city’s last remaining large, comprehensive high schools. With a large immigrant population and over 200 native languages spoken by the student body, Faith developed a science course specifically for multilingual students, focusing on disciplinary literacy scaffolds and individual supports as her students developed content knowledge and increased English proficiency. Over time, she became a curriculum leader and developed the science programs for Twilight and Summer School, and earned her MS in Instructional Technology from Touro College in NYC. Ms DiAngelis also developed the curriculum and delivered instruction for two of the most popular science programs at Lincoln- AP Psychology and Social Science Research, which was a dual-credit collaboration through Kingsborough Community College. Eventually, Lincoln was divided into academies (small learning communities as a “school within a school” model), and Ms DiAngelis became the Pathway Coordinator for the Academy of Arts and Social Science Careers (AASSC). In this leadership role, Faith was able to steer groups of teachers through instructional moves that supported the academy’s mission and vision, such as targeted support for sub-groups of students and literacy initiatives throughout all content areas. After six years leading the AASSC, Faith became a mother of boy/girl twins and relocated to the Upstate of South Carolina in 2015. She taught Biology and Environmental Science at Travelers Rest High School for four years, bringing her previous leadership experience to bear on the Biology PLC, convincing other teachers to incorporate more literacy and inquiry activities into their instruction. Ms DiAngelis became a mentor at her new school, and was selected as the Science Department’s representative on the Faculty Council and at the ASCD National Conference on Leadership in Kissimmee, FL. The administration of TRHS recommended Faith for the Instructional Coach pool for Greenville County Schools, and in 2019, she was hired as the IC at Southside High School in Greenville, SC. In this role, Ms DiAngelis continues to develop her instructional and professional skills by leading teachers through innovative programs designed to develop them as leaders. From coaching cycles, to data analysis, to professional learning community support and teacher education programs, everything that Faith implements is designed to support the school mission of preparing all students to be college and career ready graduates.

I joined Greenville County Schools in 2001 as the teacher and coach at Mauldin High School in Mauldin, SC. I currently serve as the assistant principal over curriculum and instruction at Southside High School in Greenville, SC. Prior to Greenville County schools, I was a Human Resources Manager at a mid-size company, Southport Cutting-a Division on Levi Strauss. During my tenure at Southport Cutting, I also performed duties in Hiring, Accounting, and Project Management. During my 3 years at Southport, we boasted a 10% rise in quality assurance, which informed a 15% rise in earning for our 50 plus employees. In my 20 years in Greenville County, I have worked as a teacher, head athletic coach, Assistant Athletic Director, Instructional Coach, Special Education Coordinator, and Assistant Principal. As an assistant principal my focus is in curriculum and instruction. Finding unique and innovative approaches to building capacity in teachers and students is what drives me daily. My thirst for learning continues to enable me to seek out instructional practices and professional development that is tailored for the unique needs of the students and teachers I serve. My strengths as a strategist, as well as, being analytical and a relator has not only helped me to build systems in instruction and leadership that work, but also provide avenues of growth for both our students and teachers. I am a graduate of Converse College, where I majored in Psychology with a minor in English and math. I currently live in Greer, SC with my 13-year-old son. When I’m not keeping busy with my duties as an Assistant Principal at Southside High School, you can find me traveling, reading, or spending time with family and friends.
Areas of Expertise:
Educational Leadership: Distributive Leadership, Leadership and Program Development
Teacher and Leadership Development: Professional Leadership and Mentoring, Instructional Coaching, and Professional Learning Communities
Curriculum and Instruction: Intervention Strategies, Instructional Design