Lexington, SC 05/23/2022 - Recently, the Lexington County School District One Board of Trustees approved the hiring of Dr. Travis T. Keller as the new principal of Forts Pond Elementary School, effective July 1, 2022. Keller currently serves as the assistant principal of Meadowfield Elementary School in Richland School District One.
With almost 24 years of educational experience, Keller is a motivated administrator who builds positive relationships with students, parents and staff. Keller stepped into the classroom in 1998 as a teacher at Guinyard Elementary School in Calhoun County Public Schools, in St. Matthews, S.C. In 2000, Keller moved to Richland School District Two to teach at Killian Elementary and Bethel Hanberry Elementary schools. In 2004, Keller became the director of guidance at Newberry Middle School in Newberry County School District.
Keller was promoted to administrative assistant principal of the Newberry County School District in 2006. He was named assistant principal of Newberry Middle School in 2007. In 2009, Keller moved to District Five of Lexington & Richland Counties to serve as the administrative assistant principal of Oak Pointe Elementary School for three years. He then transferred in 2012 to Lexington School District Two to serve as the assistant principal at Saluda River Academy of the Arts. In 2018, he became the assistant principal of Meadowfield Elementary School in Richland One.
In addition, since 2014, Keller has served as a site-based clinical supervisor at Western Governors University in Millcreek, Utah, where he evaluates and provides feedback to student teachers during their Demonstration Teaching course to increase their instructional strategies and delivery. He also creates and implements improvement plans to resolve issues and drive improvements to deficient areas.
Keller graduated from South Carolina State University with a degree in elementary education. In 2004, he earned a Master of Science in K–12 counselor education from South Carolina State University. In 2011, Keller earned a Doctor of Education in K–12 educational leadership from Capella University in Minnesota.
Keller was named the 2005 South Carolina Middle School Counselor of the Year, the same year he was awarded an Honorable Mention from the 2005 National Career Guidance. He is a member of the South Carolina Association of School Administrators, R1-Ready Leadership Development Program, the Developing Aspiring Principal Program, the Assistant Principal Program for Leadership Excellence, as well as the Chi Sigma Iota National Honor Society and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity.
