The Honorable Rita Allison serves on the SC Board of Education as the Governor's Appointee, appointed in January of 2023.

A former member of the District Five School Board of Trustees for eight years, South Carolina Outstanding PTA President, Board Member for R.D. Anderson Vocational School for 8 years are all among her accomplishments. Rep. Allison served in the South Carolina House of Representatives (1993-2002), and again (2008- 2022). Rep. Allison served on the House Ways and Means Committee and Chaired the K-12 and Special Schools Sub-committee. She also served as Vice Chair of House Operations and Management Committee, Joint Legislative Committee for Families and Children and in 1994-96 she served as Chair of the SC General Assembly's Women's Caucus. She has also served as Chair of the Spartanburg County Legislative Delegation, organized and chaired the GOP Women's Caucus and was Assistant Majority Leader in the S.C. House of Representatives. She is an active Board Member of the Middle Tyger Community Center in Lyman and the Board of the J. Verne Smith Human Resource Center in Greer, S.C. She also served on the Greer Development Board, served on the S. C. Commission of the Blind Foundation Board, the SC Office of First Steps Board and the Board for Senior Centers.

Rep. Allison has sponsored legislation for Education, Domestic Violence, Child Abuse (served on Ad Hoc Committee to strengthen the Children's Code) Tax Reform (served on Ad Hoc Committee to study tax reform) School Choice (served on Ad Hoc Committee to study school choice) Retirement System review and Economic Development issues. She sponsored the Partial Birth Abortion legislation that passed in South Carolina, as well as Character Education Legislation and Health Issues for the young and elderly.

Rep. Allison served as one of eight people on Governor Mark Sanford’s Transition Team. In January of 2003, she took a position with the administration as one of Governor Sanford’s Education Advisors and later served as Legislative Director. She also served the Commission on Higher Education as their Director of Communications. She was awarded the first Terry Haskin’s Legislative Leadership Award for outstanding service to our state and the prestigious “Order of the Palmetto”, the highest honor given by the State of South Carolina. She was appointed as Chair of the House Education and Public Works Committee, the first Republican woman to chair a major committee and the first woman in a decade to chair a major Committee. She is also chaired the SC House Education Task Force on Policy and Reform which presented a report to the House in 2016 in answer to the Abbeville Court Case. She has received the Woman of Distinction Award from the SC Girl Scouts and in 2016 Rep. Allison was honored by the Riley Institute with the David Wilkins Award for outstanding work as a SC Legislator. Honored recently with the Neville Holcombe Servant of the Year award and a leadership award in her honor to be given each year for outstanding Leadership.