Menu
We are an affiliate of Acton Academy. Acton Academy Charleston is proud to be the first Acton Affiliate in South Carolina.
Acton Academy is part of a growing trend of small schools that offers a fresh approach to education. It is school reimagined for the 21st century. There are hundreds of Acton Academies across the world as of early 2022 with more launching throughout the year. Learn more about the revolution here.
Pam Coleman of Charleston, SC retired to the salt marshes of the Lowcountry in 2017. She and her husband, Mike, have their oldest child living close by. Athena sees the value of grandparents in helping to raise her young daughter, Julietta. Mike and Pam, who met back in high school, are devoted to their granddaughter, whose well-being and education are of foremost importance. It soon became apparent to Pam and Athena that modern education has not changed to meet the needs of the 21st century. Pam’s passion for learning ignited her search for innovative methods and schools. At last, she discovered an article that mentioned Acton Academy. She shared Acton’s focus on child-motivated learning, character development and real-world skill-building with Athena. They both knew they had found the right learning model for Julietta. Since Charleston didn’t have an Acton Academy, Pam chose to open an Acton Affiliate for her granddaughter and for the families in her community.
Pam Coleman, Founder/Guide
After college, Pam worked in educational sales until earning an MBA in Marketing from New York University. She then managed classical musicians until choosing to stay home with her young children. Having always wanted to be a teacher, she went back to school for an MS in Education and taught in both public and private schools in Connecticut. Once she found that administrators believe that testing is more important than the joy of learning, she left schooling to become an historic interpreter. Over time, she served on five not-for-profit Boards of Directors with organizations focused on music, history and education. During her 14 years with the Stamford History Center, she served as Chairman of the Board of Directors, organizer of many fundraisers, supervisor of employees, writer of newsletters and press releases, and liaison to the City of Stamford in a project to relocate and restore the oldest residence in the city.
Tricia’s career began with a degree in Business Administration from Grand Valley State University in Western Michigan. She worked in the private sector for 5 years before making the decision to stay at home to raise her two young sons. With an entrepreneurial spirit, Tricia then launched a home-based business and managed a sales team of fifteen people. When her family relocated to the Charleston area, Tricia found her calling in working with children from 5-8 years old. She earned her M.A. in Teaching from Liberty University and for more than 15 years has dedicated herself to teaching young children in public school, private preschool, church schools and camps. She is passionate about helping young children embrace a growth mindset, become problem-solvers and discover their gifts and purpose. Tricia has always had a fascination with the outdoors and spending time by the water, especially fishing and boating alongside her husband and sons. She enjoys homesteading and natural living (she and her husband raise chickens), reading, and spending time with her two adult entrepreneurial sons.
Tricia Ruddick, Guide
Tricia’s career began with a degree in Business Administration from Grand Valley State University in Western Michigan. She worked in the private sector for 5 years before making the decision to stay at home to raise her two young sons. With an entrepreneurial spirit, Tricia then launched a home-based business and managed a sales team of fifteen people. When her family relocated to the Charleston area, Tricia found her calling in working with children from 5-8 years old. She earned her M.A. in Teaching from Liberty University and for more than 15 years has dedicated herself to teaching young children in public school, private preschool, church schools and camps. She is passionate about helping young children embrace a growth mindset, become problem-solvers and discover their gifts and purpose. Tricia has always had a fascination with the outdoors and spending time by the water, especially fishing and boating alongside her husband and sons. She enjoys homesteading and natural living (she and her husband raise chickens), reading, and spending time with her two adult entrepreneurial sons.
Guide
Laura is cofounder and head of school of Acton Academy (Austin). Raised by a science teacher and minister, Laura lived on both coasts and in between as a child and then landed at Vanderbilt University for her undergraduate studies in the College of Arts and Science. After working in London and New York City in the aviation insurance business, Laura yearned to follow her heart into the world of teaching.
She went back to Vanderbilt’s renowned Peabody College and received her Master of Education. This led her to work in arts education at the Oklahoma Arts Institute. Laura later married Jeff and has two sons and a stepdaughter. It is the inspiration of these children that led Laura and Jeff to cofound Acton Academy. Her greatest hero is her beloved late mother, who was a master teacher as none other. Her wisest mentor is her father, who sent her off to college with two words of advice: “Be curious.”
Jeff is an entrepreneur and a Socratic teacher. As an entrepreneur who most recently sold Sandefer Capital, an energy investment firm with several billion dollars in assets. He cofounded the Acton School of Business, a school dedicated to America’s next generation of principled entrepreneurs and famous for its 100-hour work weeks. The Princeton Review has consistently ranked Acton’s teachers, students, and program among the best in the country.
While at the University of Texas, Jeff’s students voted him the school’s Most Outstanding Teacher five times, and he was named by Businessweek as one of the top entrepreneurship professors in America. He also cofounded Acton Academy (Austin), where he is a middle school lead guide. Jeff has been a longtime board member of National Review, the Texas Public Policy Foundation, The Philanthropy Roundtable, and the Harvard Business School and is one of the youngest members ever elected to the Texas Business Hall of Fame.
CoFounder of The Acton School of Business, at the University of Texas
We respect each child as a unique individual with great potential. Our curriculum utilizes hands-on Montessori materials, peer learning, and adaptive online programs for self-paced development of language and math skills.
Consider a Career with Acton Academy!
Acton Academy Charleston
2142 Executive Hall Rd.
Charleston, SC 29407
