Russell Booker

Dr. Russell Booker is executive director of Cradle to Career Network member Spartanburg Academic Movement in Spartanburg, South Carolina. With an unwavering conviction in the power of education, he believes our greatest hope for the future is to inspire and equip students for meaningful lives of leadership and service.

Dr. Booker served as superintendent of Spartanburg County School District Seven, where he directed many progressive initiatives. Most notably, he led a total restructuring of the district, a complete digital immersion and a bold comprehensive capital plan. Dr. Booker began his tenure at District Seven in 2010 after serving as superintendent in York School District One for three years.

Dr. Booker serves as vice chair of the Liberty Fellowship Board and is a past chair of the United Way of the Piedmont. He is a South Carolina Liberty Fellow (affiliate of the Aspen Global Leadership Network) and a graduate of the Diversity Leaders Initiative and the Spartanburg Regional Fellows program.

In 2013, Dr. Booker received the Whitney M. Young, Jr. Humanitarian Award from the Urban League of the Upstate. In 2015, Dr. Booker was named the South Carolina Superintendent of the Year by the South Carolina Association of School Administrators (SCASA) and was also named Superintendent of the Year by the South Carolina Athletic Administrators Association. He is a past president of SCASA’s Superintendents’ Division.

Dr. Booker received his Bachelor of Science degree from Wingate University and his doctorate from the University of South Carolina. He and his wife, Sheryl, live in Spartanburg with their two sons.