New era begins for SC High School League. Amy Boozer steps into top leadership role
Amy Boozer will begin her role as commissioner of the South Carolina High School League on July 1.
Boozer was voted interim commissioner by the SCHSL executive committee on June 4. She’ll replace Jerome Singleton, who retired after 21 years as the league’s commissioner.
Boozer, a Saluda High School alum, is the first woman to hold the role as SCHSL commissioner. The High School League has managed athletics in South Carolina for more than 100 years.
Boozer has been with the league since 2016 as an associate commissioner. Before coming to the SCHSL, she spent 19 years as a coach and teacher at Newberry High School, where she coached volleyball, softball and boys golf.
Boozer sat down with The State for an interview to talk about her new role, expectations and challenges she faces as interim commissioner heading into the 2026-27 school year.
Lou Bezjak: Your role as associate commissioner included oversight of volleyball, cheerleading, golf, and softball, among other things. Will you still manage those same areas as you step into the interim role?
Amy Boozer: I will still be overseeing some of the sports I currently oversee. That will be boys and girls volleyball, competitive cheer, boys and girls golf and softball.
Bezjak: What stood out, do you think, in your pitch to the league and the executive committee to be the interim commissioner?
Boozer: I’m not exactly sure what stood out. I was very overwhelmed when they called my name. I think one of the things I brought to the interview process probably was a calm presence, just looking for stability and to continue leading the High School League as we transition until a permanent placement for a commissioner.
Bezjak: The announcement of you landing the role said you’ll be “responsible for the overall leadership, administration, and governance of League operations.” For the average person who may not follow as closely or fully understand, what are this job’s top priorities?
Boozer: One of the top priorities is to really make sure the day-to-day operations keep going. The most important thing is that our member schools are getting the information they need and making sure student-athletes are being able to participate in interscholastic athletics. But moving into the commissioner’s job, there are things I am not aware of. There is more getting out amongst the member schools, meeting with superintendents, principals. In addition to that, getting out to the State House and meeting with our local politicians.
Bezjak: What do you think has prepared you the most for your new role?
Boozer: I think it is a lot of things. Just being open-minded when I came here and trying to take in as much information as I could from the people that were here prior to me. Working closely with Dr. Singleton the last few years, our relationship has really grown, and I really trusted him and his guidance. We do a lot of collaboration here in the office, so we are all able to be on the same page when it comes to responding to our student eligibility, our transfers and other situations that arise that we have to sanction on. So the collaboration, working together with the staff and former staff, has been important in preparing me for this.
Bezjak: Who will you lean on the most during your first few months on the job, and what advice has Commissioner Jerome Singleton given you?
Boozer: One thing Commissioner Singleton does is continue to pour into me his belief that I can do the job, which I greatly appreciate. Dr. Singleton will be one that I will lean on as, he has been in that position for 20-plus years. He has a wealth of knowledge. Also, I am fortunate that we have other commissioners and executive directors that we work closely with. North Carolina director Que Tucker recently reached out to me and extended her congratulations and said she is here for me. I think we are in a unique position as commissioners because I am one of 50. Leaning on those people with experience in this position, not only Dr. Singleton, but other states as well.
Bezjak: Have you been tasked with shaking things up, or is it more important to maintain a sense of steadiness and normalcy until a full-time hire is made?
Boozer: I would say more to maintain stability. We have a great foundation that has already been laid. One thing I do want to do as interim commissioner is I want to get a pulse on where our member schools are and what areas we are doing well in here at the High School League, and what areas we need to look into to be better for our member schools. I want to offer more than we do here besides classification meetings and things. We need to travel to them. And that isn’t just for me in the office but the staff. I want the staff to get out as well.
Bezjak: Is it your expectation that this interim job could last one month? Three months? Six months?
Boozer: That is the interesting piece. I don’t know if this role will last one month, three months, six months or a year. I am here to do the best I can during the time that is needed of me.
Bezjak: Do you have any aspirations of becoming the SCHSL commissioner full-time? Will your experiences in the interim role shape those future aspirations?
Boozer: I think right now, taking it day-by-day as the interim will guide me in that direction of when the opportunity presents itself, and when it is time for them to solicit applications. Then I will make the decision of do I want to do this and apply for it full-time? Or look at it as the interim was enough. But I will say it means a lot that the executive committee put their trust in me. It was really humbling that they thought I was the right person to take the interim job. As we move forward, I feel like I will be seeking it, so yes.
Bezjak: How have you seen the S.C. High School League’s scope and impact change over the years?
Boozer: I think one of the ways we have grown is the way we communicate now. We are able to use Zoom meetings. Our press conferences went from only doing football and some other sports to offering it for almost all the sports and our student-athletes. That has been a major plus to highlight our student-athletes as well as the leadership stuff we have been offering. When I was teaching and coaching, I was one of the first groups that got student leadership started. Just to see the growth of that and being able to reach more student-athletes has been one of the biggest positive changes at the league office.
Bezjak: The senior transfer rule is going into effect for the first time this school year. Last year, everyone was grandfathered in. What challenges does that rule create and do you expect a lot of hardship appeals?
Boozer: We’ve already started receiving some hardships on that and already receiving phone calls on that from the schools and parents to gauge the interpretation of the rule. Basically, any time a student changes their academic enrollment is what is looked at. The senior transfer rule comes into play if it is their first time and if they participated in that sport the previous year. They would have that 22 days (or one-third of the competitions) of ineligibility period, which the first contest’s dates (for that sport) by the league office. If it is the second transfer, it is 30 days and no postseason.
Bezjak: What are the challenges of the league now and in the short term? And then what new challenges are out there that might be coming in the next few years?
Boozer: I think we are seeing the most recent challenge and that is politicians becoming more involved. Parents are being more vocal and reaching out to them. I really think transparency and trying to communicate what the High School League is. It isn’t one person. It isn’t Amy Boozer and it never was Jerome Singleton. It is 229 member schools and those member schools are the ones who put in what our rules and regulations are and our bylaws are. So the schools are all invested when it comes to realignment, transfers, students academics and athletic eligibility. Our office is doing the job of what the 229 member schools are putting forth.
