Bernie Scolaro

Bernie Scolaro is a retired school counselor now campaigning for the State House District 118 seat in Bluffton, South Carolina. She began her career after college with volunteer work at an Indian boarding school in Chamberlain, South Dakota, then earned her Master's degree from South Dakota State University and K-12 school counseling certification. Scolaro worked in a residential treatment facility with Catholic Charities in Sioux City, Iowa, providing counseling and serving as program director before going into school counseling. She spent eight years at a Catholic high school and later at a public school in Iowa until retiring in 2021, during which time she served as teachers' union president. After retirement, she completed a term on the school board. Her volunteer efforts include three weeks responding to 9/11 with the Red Cross in New York, work in Lourdes France, and hospice care. She maintains lifetime memberships in the National Education Association and Iowa State Education Association and belongs to the League of Women Voters and Beaufort County Democrats. Scolaro received the Iowa School Counselor of the Year award in 2021 from the Iowa Association of College Admission Counseling.