Our Board of Directors

We believe children deserve to learn, lead, and succeed.

Virtus Academy is governed by a Board of Directors comprised of community leaders, professionals, and parents dedicated to powering the future of our students, teachers, and school community.

Chairman
Dr. Thomas Ducey is a Research Microbiologist, and resident of the City of Darlington. He is a graduate of both the University at Buffalo where he received B.S. and M.S. degrees in Clinical Laboratory Science, and the University of Oklahoma were he received his doctorate in Microbiology. Dr. Ducey serves as a volunteer coach with the Florence Soccer Association, and is interested in STEM development and integration.
Vice Chairman
Mr. Washington has been involved in a number of different volunteer organizations including Department of Juvenile Justice Board Member, former president of Florence Jr. Football League, School Foundation Member, Salvation Army Board Member, Florence Youth Basketball Board Member/Governance, and Student Discipline.
Board Member
Scott Kozacki, ESQ, is an attorney with the Attorneys of Willcox, Buyck & Williams, P.A. in Florence. He received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law. Mr. Kozacki is a current member of the S. C. Bar Labor and Employment Law Committee, Workers’ Compensation Law Committee, and the Law/Physician Relationship Committee. His civic involvement includes volunteer work for the Institute of Faith and Justice, coaching youth athletics, and membership in the Florence Kiwanis Club.
Board Member
Mr. Ron Roberts serves as a counselor in higher education and also has served in secondary education. He attended and graduated from Winthrop University, Webster University and Southern Illinois University. He currently serves on several boards in the Pee Dee region. Mr. Roberts and his family reside in the Florence area.
Board Member
Lindsay Watford Privette is the Economic Development Director for the Pee Dee Regional Council of Governments. In this role, she is involved in several state and local initiatives to promote economic and community development across the Pee Dee Region. She is a graduate of Francis Marion University where she earned a BA in Professional Writing and Spanish and an MBA in Business. Privette lives with her husband and two children in the Darlington area.
Board Member
Dr. Machell F. Sprauve is a veteran secondary math teacher with over 25 years of experience. She taught in the Florence One School District at Wilson High School for 16 years and in the Darlington County School District at Darlington High School, and at the Virtual Academy for nine years. Now retired, she supports a variety of local, state, and community organizations. Dr. Sprauve holds a PhD in Educational Leadership and a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Capella University, a Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Mathematics from Francis Marion University, an Associate of Science Degree in Computer Science from Horry-Georgetown Technical College, a certificate for Online Teaching from Clemson University, and an Entrepreneur Certificate from Cornell University. She has served on Cognia teams for accreditation and diagnostic reviews, where she worked collaboratively with team members nationwide to accredit schools and school systems. Dr. Sprauve is active in her community and around the state as a Donate Life & Sharing Hope volunteer, Assistant Dean for Christian Education for the St. John Baptist Association, and a Florence County Library System board member. She is also a proud member of the Xi Iota Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta, Inc.
Board Member
Mrs. Cotton works with the local court system. A Pee Dee native, she is a graduate of Clemson University with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing. Meredith and her husband, Rusty, have two daughters and reside in Marion County.
Board Member
Dr Latoya Mitchell Hodges is a scientific communications manager with a large pharmaceutical company and a licensed apprentice funeral director at a local funeral home. She is a graduate of Furman University where she earned a BS in biology, Wake Forest University where she earned a PhD in microbiology and immunology, and Piedmont Technical College where she earned a certificate in Funeral Directing. Dr Mitchell Hodges holds a Certified Medical Publication Planning credential from ISMPP and is a SC Notary Public. She has held several alumni board and council positions with Furman University, including the Young Alumni Council, Young Benefactors, and the Alumni Board of Directors, and is currently secretary of the Furman Black Alumni Council. She is also a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Dr Mitchell Hodges currently lives in Darlington with her son.

Upcoming Board Meetings

6PM Tue, Dec 3, 2024

Regular

Regular board meetings are scheduled to occur most months throughout the school’s fiscal year (July 1-June 30) on the last Tuesday of each month, beginning at 6:00 p.m.

Previous Board Meetings

6PM Tue, Nov 19, 2024

Special

6PM Tue, Oct 29, 2024

Regular

4PM Tue, Oct 29, 2024

Special

9AM Sat, Oct 5, 2024

Special

6PM Tue, Sep 24, 2024

Regular

6PM Thu, Aug 29, 2024

Regular

6PM Tue, Jul 30, 2024

Special

6PM Tue, Jun 25, 2024

Regular

6PM Tue, May 28, 2024

Regular

6PM Mon, May 13, 2024

Special

6PM Tue, Apr 30, 2024

Regular

6PM Tue, Mar 26, 2024

Regular

Special meetings are held as the board determines. Unless otherwise announced, in-person meetings are held in the school’s reception area conference room.

As a public school, Virtus Academy’s board meetings are open to the public, the only exception being, those meetings that may be lawfully closed to the public under SC Title 30 §30-4-70.

Most meetings are held in person, however, public participation in all meetings is available through this Zoom link, throughout 2023-24. (The board has also invested in OWL technology to optimize digital participation.)

By law, all board meetings (except for bonafide emergencies) must be announced no later than 24 hours in advance, though the board does its best to post its agendas a full week in advance, as well as make the board packet available though the school’s website. Agendas for Virtus Board Meetings are always posted on the front door of the school, as well as on the front page of our website, as well as on our official Facebook page.

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