Board Biographies

Leslie Graham is Secretary of the SCHEA board. Leslie and her husband David have five children and have been home schooling for the past 20 years. They’ve graduated four of their children and are currently home schooling their 3rd grader. Leslie handles all registrations for every SCHEA event, including the annual state convention! Leslie is SCHEA's office manager, so she's the voice on the phone when you call the office these days. She also handles all membership issues and keeps all of our records in order.

Gale Farrier is SCHEA Treasurer, legislative researcher, and vendor coordinator for the convention. Gale and her husband Gregg were married for 37 years before the Lord took him Home in 2010. They were founding members of Easley Home Educators (EHE) and were on the EHE board for 14 years. They home schooled their five children for 20 years until the youngest one graduated in 2005. Gale has seven beautiful grandchildren (just ask).

Karen Replogle and her husband, Chester, began their three sons’ formal education at home in Florida in 1997. Since then, they have taught them in Virginia, Arkansas, Germany, and, since 2005, South Carolina. Their eldest son is a freshman at Lander University. Outside the home, Karen has taught at various levels including undergraduate and graduate. She has served on the board of various local support groups, and been a convention speaker for SCHEA and in Germany. She holds a Masters’ in Human Resource Management from SUNY-Binghamton. Her hobbies include reading, writing, travel, and coaching soccer.

James and Tracy Taylor have been actively homeschooling for 4 years. James is a Management and Leadership Consultant, currently pursuing his PhD in Organizational Management. Tracy also serves as Strategy Team Leader for their local support group in Lexington. They are pleased to be serving South Carolina Homeschoolers in this capacity.

Rachel Ward board President, began home schooling her three children in 1990. She joined Sumter Area Family Educators and SCHEA that year and has been a member ever since. She has held offices in the Sumter Area Family Educators support group of Coordinator, Testing Coordinator, Field Trip Coordinator and Newsletter Editor. In 1996 she began Homeward Education Association, a third-option accountability association. HEA became a member group of SCHEA in 2004. Also in 2004 she became a board member of SCHEA. Rachel and her husband Phil live in Sumter and have one child still being home schooled. Rachel is SCHEA’s Building and Grounds coordinator for our annual state convention. She assembles information packets to give to legislators at Homeschool Day at the Capitol. Rachel also does workshops around the state, writes for the newsletter, and helps out at all SCHEA events.