Dr. Saundra Glover

Dr. Saundra H. Glover, a product of rural South Carolina, the Four Holes Community of Orangeburg County, never forgot her rural roots and has dedicated her life’s work to improve rural communities and to elevate the voices of the disadvantaged, the disenfranchised, and the most vulnerable at the local, state, and national levels. In accepting the appointment as the State Director for Rural Development in South Carolina, Dr. Glover feels her work has come full circle, blending her banking career, her academic career, and her community activism, to create a culture of partnerships that will help build rural back better. Dr. Glover is currently a Distinguished Professor Emerita and adjunct professor in the department of Health Services Policy and Management in the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina (UofSC). Dr. Saundra H. Glover has been at the forefront of Public Health Practice and Health Equity Initiatives locally, nationally, and internationally, publishing 100+ articles in peer-reviewed journals and presenting her findings to audiences at all levels. She served for several years as the first Associate Dean for Health Disparities and Social Justice in the Arnold School of Public and directed the School’s Institute for Partnerships to Eliminate Health Disparities research portfolio that grew to $35 million under her leadership. Dr. Glover was also Associate Director of the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center. She has worked tirelessly to increase minorities in the biomedical field as an advisor and mentor to students and junior level faculty at UofSC and in partnership with historically black colleges and universities across the country. A summa cum laude graduate of the School of Business at South Carolina State University, Dr. Glover received her MBA and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Management and Organizational Behavior from the Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina.

Dr. Glover is married to the Rev. Samuel B. Glover, and they are proud parents of three Col. Sam Jr. (Denise), Jared, and Crystal Glover (Seth) Goldwire. Most compelling for Dr. Glover, in offering her time in service to the Biden-Harris Administration, is her genuine desire to build a better future for her four grandchildren. In her own words, "I feel the need to rekindle the hope that inspired me as child for Samuel III (18), Autumn Symone (13), Adeline Pearl (3), and Glory Kate (2)."