Charleston Co. School District CFO resigns ahead of budget season; interim appointed

CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - The Charleston County School District has appointed a new chief financial officer just as the budgeting season is getting underway for the next school year.

The current chief financial officer, Channa Williams, has tendered her resignation, according to the school district.

The announcement was made in an internal memo from Superintendent Don Kennedy dated Feb 3. She has remained on staff to help facilitate a smooth transition for her replacement and was standing alongside the superintendent on Feb. 23 during a press conference.

Williams’s departure comes as the school board is set to sit down for a budget workshop Monday afternoon, kicking off the district’s annual budget process. Williams is attending Monday’s meeting.

The board usually approves the budget in June, but the work begins much earlier. According to the district’s budget calendar published in November, staff are expected to review the initial revenues and expenses next week ahead of a series of budget workshops to hammer out the budget.

“On behalf of Charleston County School District, I want to thank Ms. Williams for her service to our students, staff, and community. I considered it a great honor that she agreed to move to Charleston to serve in CCSD,” Kennedy said. “Though the decision is sad for us, we know that she is leaving CCSD to pursue an opportunity that will benefit her family, and we support and respect that decision.”

Williams joined the school district in 2021 as deputy CFO and was promoted to interim CFO when Kennedy was elevated to interim superintendent in Jan. 2022. She was then given the full role in July that year in a slew of executive appointments that included new leaders in the roles of deputy superintendent, chief academic officer and associate superintendent for elementary learning.

“Channa has been an extremely talented addition to the CCSD leadership, and her leaving is a tremendous loss,” Kennedy wrote in a letter to the school board. “However, she is committed to working with me and others to minimize disruptions within the Finance Division... I very much appreciate her professionalism in doing so.”

Williams has accepted a position with another organization. Her last day is March 7.

Kennedy has named Jacquelyn Carlen as Interim Chief Financial Officer.

Carlen has served as the district’s Executive Director of Finance since 2017.

“Having worked alongside Ms. Carlen, I am excited to have her step into the role,” Kennedy said. “Her breadth of experience and knowledge of CCSD make her a clear choice to lead this critical division.”

When Kennedy was elevated to the interim superintendent role, a clause in his contract allowed for him to resume his previous role as chief financial officer should the board choose to select a new superintendent.

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