Don Beatty

Donald W. Beatty joined the Board of Trustees in January 2025 and will serve through 2031.

Mr. Beatty served as Chief Justice for the state of South Carolina, the highest position in the state judicial system, from 2017 through September 2024; as the second Black Chief Justice in South Carolina, Mr. Beatty previously served as an associate justice for the South Carolina Supreme Court, on the Court of Appeals and as a trial judge on the Circuit Court.

Mr. Beatty served in the South Carolina House of Representatives for District 31 from 1991 – 1994. There, Mr. Beatty served as vice-chairman and chairman-elect for the South Carolina Legislative Black Caucus and served on the House Ethics Committee, Medical, Military, and Municipal Affairs Committee, and the Judiciary Committee of the South Carolina House of Representatives. 

Mr. Beatty began his years of elected service on the Spartanburg City Council while building his private law practice in Spartanburg. 

A native of Spartanburg, Mr. Beatty attended Spartanburg County Public Schools and grew up on Spartanburg’s Southside in the 1960s. He graduated from South Carolina State University, served as a commissioned officer in the Army, and earned a Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law. He began his legal career working for the Neighborhood Legal Assistance Program, following his personal commitment to use his legal training to benefit those who could not afford paid legal representation. He has served on many initiatives and nonprofit boards in the community.  Mr. Beatty has received numerous honors and awards for vision, legal expertise, and commitment to the community, including having The Chief Justice Donald W. Beatty Center for Justice and Society at the University of South Carolina Upstate named in his honor.

Mr. Beatty and his wife Angela, members of Mount Moriah Baptist Church, have been married for 39 years and have three adult children: Brandon, Austine, and Morgan.