Vee Popat is the Director of the Fine Arts Center of the Greenville County Schools. He holds a B.A. in Music Education from Virginia Tech, an M.M. in Jazz Pedagogy from the University of Miami (FL) Frost School of Music, and an M.S. in Educational Administration from the University of Scranton. Vee started as Director of the FAC in 2019 and was named as Greenville County Schools’ Administrator of the Year in 2022.
Under his leadership, the Fine Arts Center earned Arts in Basic Curriculum Certification in 2020 and was named an Arts Schools Network Exemplary School in 2023. The FAC received the Arts Schools Network Community Partnership Award in 2024, and was also recognized by the Greenville Community Foundation with the Leadership in the Arts Award in November of 2024. Enrollment at the Fine Arts Center is up over 20% since 2021, with students from all 15 Greenville County High Schools represented in the student population. Vee also restructured the Fine Arts Center Partners (FACP) – a 501c3 non-profit organization that supports the students of the FAC – resulting in a significant increase of funding for student initiatives. During the 2024-2025 fiscal year, the FACP provided $296,000 of support for students in the form of scholarships, equipment purchases, class fees, and field trip fees.
With 24 years of experience as a public school educator, Vee served as a band director for the first 9 years of his career before moving into the administrative level. The bulk of Vee’s career as a music educator was in the award-winning programs of the Randolph Township Schools in Randolph, NJ, where he was twice named “Teacher of the Year.” Concert and Jazz Ensembles under his direction received consistent Gold and Superior Ratings at contest festivals. He has served as the director of New Jersey Honor Ensembles multiple times, working with both Junior High and High School Concert and Jazz Ensembles at the Area and Region levels. Vee also served as President of the North Jersey Area Band and President of Region I of the New Jersey Jazz Education Association.
His tenure as an administrator began as an Arts Supervisor, serving in that role in the Randolph Township Schools (NJ) and the West Essex Regional School District (North Caldwell, NJ). He then served 6 years as West Essex Middle School Principal before moving to Greenville to become the Fine Arts Center’s Director. Vee currently serves on the boards of the South Carolina New Play Festival and the Arts School Network. He also maintains an active career as a saxophonist and educator, playing jazz gigs in both South and North Carolina, and teaching sax lessons in person and over Zoom.