Continuing A Legacy

Mr. John T. Wardlaw

John T. Wardlaw, long affiliated with Milliken and Company and later a successful entrepreneur, was a passionate passionate advocate for improving academic achievement across Spartanburg County, South Carolina and applied his professional expertise in data tracking to the academic achievement of K-12, school by school. In 1987, Mr. Wardlaw expanded his analysis to multiple indicators of community well-being: from cultural vitality to public health; the economy to education. His “Critical Indicators Project” has now expanded to become the “Spartanburg Community Indicators Project,” driving data-centered collective impact efforts county-wide.

The “Wardlaw Institute for Continuous Improvement” honors Mr. Wardlaw’s foresight, and drives forward his dream that data tracking can support continuous improvement in academic achievement. The Wardlaw Institute has been developed and is operated by the Spartanburg Academic Movement (SAM), and is largely funded through his personal philanthropic legacy.