The Team Behind Your Safety
Heather Dykes
Instructor and Tester
April SpearÂ
Instructor and Tester
Evan Henderson
Instructor and Tester
Heather Dykes founded Drive Safe Driving Academy in 2008 with a passion for helping new drivers develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to become safe and responsible drivers. She grew up in Camden, and is proud to serve the community she called home. She graduated from Columbia College in 1999 with a Bachelors Degree in History and Public Affairs. She also attended the Driver's Education certification at Erskine College. She is married to her high school sweetheart, and together they have a wonderful family that includes a daughter, a son, a bonus daughter, and a beautiful granddaughter. In her spare time she enjoys cooking and spending time with her friends and family on their farm.
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Her mission for Drive Safe Driving Academy is to provide new drivers of all ages with the education and practical skills they need to become successful, confident drivers. She takes great pride in guiding the students through every step of their driving journey-from preparing for and passing the knowledge test to completing our course and ultimately earning their driver's license.
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Watching the students grow in confidence and reach such important milestones is one of the most rewarding parts of what she does. She is proud of the role Drive Safe Driving Academy plays in preparing safer drivers for the roads and the community.
April has been a proud member of the Drive Safe Driving Academy team since 2019. As a lifelong resident of Kershaw County, she enjoys helping local students become safe, confident, and responsible drivers.
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She is married to her best friend, and together they have three sons, one daughter, and two very spoiled fur babies. When she is not teaching driver education, she enjoys spending time with her family and taking relaxing eventing rides on her golf cart.
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On of the most rewarding parts of teaching is seeing the excitement as the students master new skills and successfully earn their driver's license.
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Se believes driving is an important lifelong skill and she is passionate about giving each student the knowledge, confident and safe driving habits they need for the road ahead.
Evan has been married to his high school sweetheart, Tracey, for 18 years, and together they have a son and daughter. He owns and operates a local, family-owned trucking safety company and previously served as a Safety Officer with the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) in Richland and Kershaw counties.
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After his son attended Drive Safe Driving Academy and earned his license, Evan was inspired by the instructors’ dedication and care. He joined Drive Safe part time to help prepare new drivers for a lifetime of safe driving.
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An active member of Malvern Hill Baptist Church in Camden, SC, Evan enjoys giving back to his community by working with teenage students and first-time drivers of all ages. Whether they are church members or simply members of the community, helping others gain confidence and develop safe driving habits brings him great joy.
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For Evan, teaching someone to drive is more than helping them earn a license—it is an opportunity to make a positive difference and help keep drivers and their loved ones safe.
Jason McIntyre
Instructor and Tester
Jason is married for over 26 years to his best friend and better half. They have 4 adult children and 5 grandchildren. He recently retired from SCDOT as a Safety Officer and is a former fireman.
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He has spent over 15 years teaching some form of drivers education, from fire trucks, to CDL vehicles, to first time drivers. He has been with Drive Safe Driving Academy for over 5 years and is one of our road test examiners.
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He gets enjoyment in seeing the confidence of students grow the more they are behind the wheel and when they finally get the skill they have been nervous to do.
Tonya Spradley
Instructor
Tonya was born and raised in the area and is proud to call it home. She is married to her high school sweetheart, and they have been blessed with 33 years of marriage and have four sons. She is beginning her 14th year at Lugoff Elgin Middle School as a health assistant.Â
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Her passion for highway safety and responsible driving comes from her personal experience when her oldest son, Sullivan, was five years old, was tragically killed by a drunk driver while riding his bicycle with his dad and brother.Â
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Because of Sullivan, highway safety and responsible driving are deeply important to her. She enjoys helping young drivers make good choices, understand the responsibility that comes with driving, and learn how to keep themselves and others safe on the road.
Lisa Wilson
Instructor
Lisa loves being part of the Drive Safe Team. She graduated from Camden High School in 1982 and earned a degree in Early Childhood Education. With more than 40 years of experience working with children, she has learned that even though she may be the instructor, her students always have something to teach her as well.
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She joined Drive Safe Driving Academy in 2025 and enjoys meeting each student wherever they are in their driving journey. Watching their confidence and skills grow from the early stages through completing the program is incredibly rewarding. Â
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She is also an active member of El Bethel Faith Community Church. Outside of work she enjoys cooking and spending quality time with her family and friends. As a cancer survivor, she strives to embrace every opportunity and live each day to the fullest.
Tina Crane
Instructor
Tina joined Drive Safe family in 2025. She is a RN and works at Lugoff Elgin Middle School as their school nurse. She has three sons and a daughter. Two of her sons are married to the sweetest young ladies that she is proud to call daughter in laws. She enjoys spending time with her family and being active in the Kershaw County community. The best part of driving with students is the relationships that she gets to form with them away from school.
All instructors have passed a National Criminal Background check as required SCDMV.
