WASHINGTON - February 22, 2021 – America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) today presented the 2021 Excellence in Innovation Award to South Carolina ETV (SCETV) for its pioneering work in educational datacasting. The award was presented to SCETV president and CEO Anthony Padgett and Vice President for Education Dr. Stephanie Frazier.
“As students were suddenly homebound when schools were forced to close last year, Anthony Padgett, Dr. Frazier and their team at SCETV quickly stepped forward and began working with the South Carolina Department of Education to develop an education datacasting pilot project as a way to deliver educational content to students without broadband access,” said Patrick Butler, president and CEO of America’s Public Television Stations.
“Thanks to Anthony’s and Stephanie’s innovative, dedicated and passionate leadership, educational datacasting is now a reality in South Carolina. And it has the potential to revolutionize the future of education in America for children and educators in rural, low-income and internet desert communities.
“SCETV’s pioneering work in educational datacasting is a national model for public media,” Butler said, “and they are generously sharing their expertise and experience with other station leaders across our system. A parade of public television stations are now following SCETV’s lead and bridging the remote learning gap in a growing number of States. Congratulations to Anthony, Stephanie and their colleagues at SCETV for a job remarkably well done.”
“We are grateful to receive the APTS 2021 Excellence in Innovation Award,” said South Carolina ETV President and CEO Anthony Padgett. “While we don’t make decisions based on accolades or recognition, I can truly say that this honor is both exciting and humbling. Unprecedented challenges require innovative and thoughtful solutions, and when those challenges occur, we believe it to be our responsibility to attempt to provide any advantage we can to students through the unique technology we have available. Our datacasting initiative was born out of that philosophy, and we’re grateful that others were able to see it as a model that could be deployed across the country, resulting in stronger relationships between public media organizations and their respective communities. Thank you to my team for their many hours of dedicated work and to the state’s legislative delegation who recognized the importance of this technology and moved with haste to assist with financial resources and unparalleled support.”
“We are truly honored and humbled to receive the APTS 2021 Excellence in Innovation Award,” said South Carolina ETV Vice President of Education Dr. Stephanie Frazier. “The work we have done with datacasting over the past several months proves that creativity and innovation are often highest during the most challenging times. When we started our datacasting journey, no one knew what the coming months would bring. Yet we remained diligent in exploring this technology to support the access and equity issues that were amplified as a result of the pandemic. Delivering instructional content in a timely and efficient manner is critical to the success of our educational ecosystems and community development. Fortunately, the mission of public media is rooted in the design of service-oriented solutions and educational resources. It is extremely rewarding to know that students and families, not only in South Carolina, but across the nation, will benefit from this work. We are thankful to the SCETV team and to our colleagues nationwide for their ongoing support.”
Anthony Padgett joined South Carolina ETV (SCETV) in October of 2017. He previously served as Georgia Public Broadcasting’s Chief Operating Officer. Padgett’s responsibilities there included the management and oversight of the organization’s day-to-day operational needs, including technology services, content creation and distribution, digital and education innovations and business services.
Padgett formerly served as the Senior Vice President of Content and Operations at WJCT in Jacksonville, Florida, where he lead multiple departments, such as Technology/Operations, Studio/Facilities, Radio/News/Digital and Programming/Production. Padgett began his career in the United States Air Force as a broadcasting engineer and also worked in public broadcasting as Chief Engineer at WBCC in Florida.
Padgett is an active member of the National Educational Telecommunications Association Board, the Public Media Business Association Board, the Public Media Venture Group, the Organization of State Broadcast Executives, the S.C. Broadcasters Association and the S.C. Arts Alliance. Married with four children, he is active in the community.
Dr. Stephanie Frazier is the Vice President for Education at South Carolina Educational Television (SCETV). In this role, she leads the coordination of division activities including datacasting, educational broadband services, online professional development, instructional technology initiatives, public safety and educator training. Prior to joining ETV, Dr. Frazier served as the Associate Vice President for Curriculum and Instruction at the SC Technical College System.
Dr. Frazier received her undergraduate degree in Business, Master’s degree in Educational Technology and her Ph.D. in Educational Administration, all from the University of South Carolina. A proud first-generation college graduate, she is dedicated to the provision of meaningful educational experiences for students. Having worked in education for nearly 20 years, she is most passionate about issues related to digital learning, gender equity and leadership development.
Dr. Frazier has received numerous awards and has published many articles and case studies in a variety of publications. Her favorite quote is from Aristotle, which reminds us that, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
The 2021 Excellence in Innovation Award was presented to Anthony Padgett and Dr. Stephanie Frazier during the APTS Public Media Summit on Monday, February 22, 2021.
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About APTS
America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) is a nonprofit membership organization ensuring a strong and financially sound public television system and helping member stations provide essential public services in education, public safety and civic leadership to the American people. For more information, visit www.apts.org.
Contact:
Stacey Karp
202-654-4222
skarp@apts.org