By Bru Nimmons

Staff Reporter

bnimmons@thepccourier.com

PICKENS — Following a tumultuous couple of months, the Pickens County Board of Voter Registration and Elections has hired a new executive director heading into June’s primaries.

Travis Alexander, who has been a Greenville county poll worker and elections official for nearly 12 years, was selected by the board to replace former director Rodney Allen.

“We are excited to have Travis join the county in this leadership role,” board chairman Jim Liddle said. “I look forward to him moving us through this busy election year with confidence. His experience and passion for the job will serve the county well.”

While Alexander will now oversee the day-to-day operations of the department and plan, coordinate and conduct municipal, state and federal elections, he initially had other plans for his career.

Alexander attended Clemson University, earning letters in track and field as a distance runner from 2000-02, and studying to be a teacher after finishing his degree. While at Clemson, he got his first taste of the Pickens community, student teaching at Pickens High School.

After completing his bachelor’s degree at Clemson, Alexander moved on to Charleston Southern University, where he received his masters in education with an emphasis on social studies, while also coaching cross-country and distance runners at the school.

Alexander moved into teaching after leaving Charleston Southern, teaching and coaching track at high schools around the state, including Byrnes, Eastside, Goose Creek and Stratford. With his social studies emphasis, Alexander taught many civics classes such as U.S. government, and his love of teaching the subject led him to start as a poll worker in 2008.

“It had an always been an interest of mine,” Alexander said. “I felt the need to provide this civic duty.”

Alexander continued working the polls and teaching, even becoming the head coach of the Eastside and Byrnes track programs, before his elections work started to become a bigger focus over the past couple of years.

Serving as an adjunct professor for Greenville Technical College and having risen to the role of precinct and poll worker coordinator, Alexander applied for the job in Pickens County shortly after seeing the posting online, and with more than 10 years of experience within the voting offices of Greenville County, he was found to be the best man for the job.

“(Greenville County elections director) Conway Belangia took me on and helped train me in a lot of ways in the voting office,” Alexander said. “It’s one of many things that helped me prepare for this job.”

Alexander will have his work cut out for him in the aftermath of Allen’s resignation, but he is already hard at work, as he started on the job on Monday.