Nomination Process
The Port Ambassador Program consists of delegates nominated by each of the ten SC Ports Review and Oversight Commission of the South Carolina Ports Authority (ROCSPA) members, the nine board members and two ex-officio members of the SC Ports Board of Directors, the Chairman of Charleston, Berkeley, Dorchester, Dillon and Spartanburg County Councils, and select members of the SC Ports Senior Management team. The target class size is thirty individuals from around the state with varying professional backgrounds and community engagement.
The program runs September through May; during that time, delegates are exposed to the Port and intermodal industry’s inner workings through a series of full and half-day educational sessions and tours. Further, to foster an atmosphere of networking and industry understanding, special events hosted by the Port and port partners will include delegates when appropriate.
Mission
Increase public awareness and understanding of the SC Ports Authority’s strategic plan, ensuring the Port is the preferred top-ten Port in the nation.
Develop a network of graduates to cultivate goodwill, understanding, acceptance, and advocacy from local, state, and federal leaders and community members.
Background
The Port Ambassador Program seeks to educate community leaders on the Port’s inner workings, statewide impacts, and opportunities facing the organization. Emerging from a six-year capital investment plan, SC Ports is bringing to fruition its top infrastructure projects: Phase One of the Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal, the refurbishment and modernization of the Wando Welch Terminal, expansion of the Inland Port Greer, and the Charleston Harbor Deepening Project – achieving 52 feet of depth, the deepest on the east coast.
Graduates of the Port Ambassador Program will be a resource for grassroots community efforts to support the Port’s goals and mission.
Target Ambassador Criteria
Port Ambassadors are South Carolinians who are not already exposed to or involved in the maritime industry and are currently exhibiting leadership and influence within their respective sectors of business, philanthropy, or community service. The ideal Ambassador is a busy, involved person who is already making a difference in the economic, cultural, and social quality of life in South Carolina with enough schedule discretion to devote 5-6 days per year to the Port Ambassadors program.
Trent Acker, Duke Energy Carolinas
Tony Allen, S.C. Department of Commerce
Quinn Balderson, Choate Construction Company
Jessica Bright, Emerge South Carolina
George Druyos, Berkeley Habitat for Humanity
Barnwell Fishburne, Fishburne & Company Development Corporation, SC Department of Transportation
Edward Frazier, SC Treasurer’s Office
Anthony Gibson, Sumter City Council, Grace Cathedral Ministries
Hamilton Grant, Grant Business Advisors
Therese Griffin, Dominion Energy South Carolina
Liz Griffith, International Transportation Innovation Center
Taylor Grooms, Steinberg Law Firm
Natalie Ham, Charleston County
Mark Harmon, Harmon Consulting
Tim Harper, Dillon County
Rick Havekost, RDBP, Inc., Mickey Finn’s
Bill Hearn, Dorchester County, William Hearn Law Firm
Nikki Huber, Bridge Public Strategy Group
Kristen Lanier, Terracon Consultants, Inc.
Rob Lapin, Trinity Partners
Amanda Loveday, NP Strategy
Kelly Moore, SC Department of Transportation
Ken Nagel, Thomas & Hutton
Mike Nickel, Choate Construction Company
Sergey Ponomarov, The Citadel
Alison Raffety, Mercedes-Benz Vans
Dawn Robinson, Pinnacle Financial Partners
Amy Sartain, SC Council for Competitiveness
Jessica Takach, United Community Bank
Dillon Swayngim, Colliers International
Eric Woods, Palmetto Grain Brokerage
Pat Black, Chairman, Calhoun County Economic Development Board, Cameron, SC
Leslie Clark, Vice President of Operations, Carolinas AGC, Lexington, SC
John Clark, Partner, The Clark Law Firm, Sumter, SC
Delores Dacosta, Executive Director, SC Commission for Minority Affairs, Columbia, SC
Rick Danner, Mayor of Greer, City of Greer, Greer, SC
Todd Davis, President, Benefit Designs, LLC, Dillon, SC
Kimberlyn Davis, Executive Director, Mother Emanuel Foundation, John’s Island, SC
Cashion Drolet, Chief Advocacy Officer, Historic Charleston Foundation, Charleston, SC
Barron Ervin, President, Ervin Engineering, Florence, SC
Dewey Evans, Senior Associate, Site Selection Group, Greenville, SC
Bruce Greenberg, Commercial Real Estate Broker, Trinity Partners, Columbia, SC
Brooks Hearn, Senior Public Relations Manager, Chernoff Newman, Summerville, SC
Emily Heflin, Business Development Manager, MAU, Greenville, SC
Jerome Heyward, North Charleston City Council Member and Mayor Pro Temp, City of North Charleston, North Charleston
Jack Jamison, Principle and Broker-in-Charge, RealtyLink, Greenville, SC
Kaala Maple, Consultant, Deloitte, Cayce, SC
James T. “Jim” McCain, Jr., Chairman, Sumter County Council, Sumter, SC
Richie Murray, Partner, Charter One Realty, Hilton Head, SC
Joannie Nickel, Legislative & Public Policy Advocate, Municipal Association of SC, Columbia, SC
Rob Perry, Director of Traffic Engineering, SCDOT, Columbia, SC
Matt Pickard, Vice President, InLight Real Estate Partners, Charleston, SC
Ashley Powell, Deputy County Supervisor, Berkeley County, Summerville, SC
Daniel Prohaska, President & CEO, Lions Vision Services, Columbia, SC
Mark Sweatman, Chief of Government Relations & Senior Advisor to the Board, MUSC, Columbia, SC
Brian Symmes, Vice President of Government Relations, McGuireWoods, Columbia, SC
John Truluck, Director of Economic Development, Dorchester County Economic Development, Summerville, SC
John Wall, Counsel, Burr Forman, Columbia, SC
Marshall West, Berkeley County Councilman, Senior Real Estate Appraiser, Compass South Appraisals, Pinopolis, SC
Charlton “Chuck” Whipple, Executive Director, Enterprise Campus Authority, Midlands Technical College, Lexington, SC
Michael Wood, Principle, Asset Integration Consultants, Summerville, SC
Jonathan Yarborough, Director, Government Affairs & Economic Development, Dominion Energy South Carolina, Columbia, SC
*Positions reflect Ambassadors’ company and title at the time of program graduation
Juwan Ayers, commercial banker with Synovus Bank, Charleston
Karl Brady, Charleston City Councilmember and director of development at Teach for America- South Carolina, Charleston
LaJoia Broughton, government relations advisor with Adams & Reese, Columbia
Jennifer Brown, director of business development for Charleston County Economic Development, North Charleston
James Brunson, family physician with Orangeburg Medical, Orangeburg
Jody Bryson, president and CEO of SC Technology and Aviation Center, Greenville
Willis Cantey, president and CEO of Cantey Tech Consulting, Charleston
Tushar Chikhliker, attorney with Nexsen Pruet, Columbia
Brian Frerichs, senior vice president and branch manager with Stephens Private Wealth Management, Sumter
Rob Honeycutt, CEO and co-founder of SixAxis, Pawley’s Island
Felicia Howard, vice president of economic development strategy with Dominion Energy, Columbia
Pat Hudson, of counsel with Willoughby & Hoefer, Blythewood
Andrew Lesinski, vice president and general manager of brokerage, Cardinal Logistics, Indian Land
Edward McKelvey, senior vice president of community development banking with South State Bank, North Charleston
Christopher McKinney, CEO & founder at 10X Leadership Consulting, Sumter
Phillip Obie, Berkeley County Councilmember and manager of coal combustion products and Ash Pond closure with Santee Cooper, Goose Creek
Bill Otis, former mayor of Pawley’s Island, Pawley’s Island
Robby Robbins, attorney with Thurmond Kirchner & Timbes, Summerville
Joan Robinson-Berry, former senior vice president and chief engineer with Boeing, Charleston
Will Salters, client development manager with Terracon, Charleston
Heather Simmons-Jones, senior advisor with MRB Group, Charleston
Lynn Stokes-Murray, director of government affairs with Burr Forman, Columbia
Rebecca Vance, president of Vance LLC, Summerville
Jim Wanner, CEO of Keymark, Liberty
Clay Williams, broker with NAI Earle Furman, Greenville
Natalie Zeigler, city administrator for the City of Goose Creek, Goose Creek
*Positions reflect Ambassadors’ company and title at the time of program graduation
Franklin Adams, President & CEO, Adams Property Group, LLC
Dan Battista, Senior Vice President and Southeast Regional Leader, LOWE
Richard Blackwell, Vice President of Development, Southeast, Agracel, Inc.
Peggy Boykin, Executive Director, SC Public Employee Benefit Authority
Shannon Bruning, Consultant, Burr Forman McNair
Hugh Buyck, Attorney, Buyck, Sanders & Simmons, LLC
Jonathan Coleman, President/CEO, Laurens County Development Corporation
John Davey
Hunter Dawkins, Director of Development, Natural Resources, Johnson Development Associates
Scott Garcia, Sr. Vice President/Regional Banking Manager, United Community Bank
Ann Grindstaff, Retired CPA, N/A
Srikanth Kodeboyina, Managing Partner, Blue Eye Soft Corp
Virginia Lee, Senior Vice President, First Citizens Bank
John Lummus, President/CEO, Upstate SC Alliance
Derek Mathis, Sr. Vice President, Suncap
Robert Nutley, Director of Employer Broker Relations, HCA – Trident Medical Center, Summerville Medical Center
Anita Patel, International Trade Program Manager, South Carolina Department of Commerce
Shaquite Pegues, Director of Ella Baker Leadership Development and Senior Program Associate at the Children’s Defense Fund
Susie Shannon, President & CEO, SC Council on Competitiveness
Emma Shillman, Catering Sales Manager, Hyatt Place + Hyatt House Downtown Charleston
Katherine Sosebee, Business Development, Turner Agency Insurance
Dalton Tresvant, Deputy District Director, Office of Congressman James E. Clyburnn
Cecil Williams, CEO, Cecil Williams Civil Rights Museum
Sherrie Snipes-Williams, CEO, Charleston Promise Neighborhood
Will Williams, President & CEO, Economic Development Partnership
*Positions reflect Ambassadors’ company and title at the time of program graduation
Ann Angermeier, Executive Director, Upstate Workforce Board
Frank “John” Brand, Financial Advisor, Stifel
Van Cato, State Director, Office of Senator Lindsey Graham
Andrew Cook, Financial Advisor, Vice President, Morgan Stanley
Christine Crawford
Johnny Cribb, County Supervisor and Council Chairman, Berkeley County Government
Suzanne Dickerson, Director of SC Fraunhofer USA Alliance, SC Council on Competitiveness
Alexander Fournil, Principal, Vista Insurance Group & iVista Group
Jamey Goldin, Energy Regulatory Counsel, Global Energy Markets and Policy, Google
Sara Hazzard, President and CEO, SC Manufacturers Alliance
Angie Leidinger, VP, External Affairs & Executive Secretary to the Board of Trustees, Clemson University
Thomas Lorenzo, International Transportation Manager, Domtar
Bill McCarthy, General Manager, Charleston Gate Company
Sunny Philips, Executive Vice President of Investor Relations, SC Chamber of Commerce
Tony Pope, Agent, State Farm Insurance
Buddy Pough, Head Football Coach, South Carolina State University
Brian Rauschenbach, Economic Development Project Manager, Sumter Economic Development/TheLINK
Anne Smith Reid, Director of Development, Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired Charleston
Tiffany Santagati, Senior Vice President, Retail Banking Executive, Community First Bank
Mark Schmidt, Director Term Lease Operations, Direct ChassisLink Inc. (DCLI)
Steve Sydow
Tom Trouche, Regional Pres. and CEO, ServisFirst Bank of SC
Marlon Walters, PhD, Vice President I Process Design & Customer Segment Consultant, Bank of America
Tom Winslow, Attorney at Law, Goldfinch Winslow, LLC
Jason Zacher, Senior Vice President of Business Advocacy, Greenville Chamber
*Positions reflect Ambassadors’ company and title at the time of program graduation
Bob Barrineau, Partner, CBRE
Mac Bennett, Senior Counsel, Capital Development Services
Danny Black, President and CEO, Southern Carolina Regional Development Alliance
Doug Boston, Deputy Director and CFO, Charleston International Airport
James Burns, Partner, Nelson Mullins
Susanne Buck Cantey, Vice President, Jupiter Holdings
Sky Foster, Manager, Corporate Community Relations, BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC
Tavia Gaddy, Project Manager, Greenville Area Development Corp.
Tommy Hall, Proprietor, Hall Management Group
Brad Henry, CEO, Henrico Holdings
Elizabeth Hills, Corporate Affairs Manager, Charleston Branch Pilots Association
Grayson Kelly, Vice President, Institutional Advancement & Business Relations, Tri-County Technical College
Craig Kinley, Founder/Owner, Growler Haus Holdings LLC
Mark Lattanzio, Market President, Commercial Banking Manager, SunTrust now Truist
Christin Mack, Manager, Non-Profit & Government Executive Search and Talent Consultant, Find Great People, LLC
Bill Medich, South Carolina Coastal Division President, South State Bank
Leah Moody, Principal, L. Bess Moody Consulting, LLC
Chakisse Newton, Principal, Cardinal Consulting, LLC
Kenneth Nix, Site Director, Broker, Acquisitions, Land South of Charleston
Lowndes Pope, Partner, Riley Pope & Laney, LLC
Keith Rourk, Manager Customs & Trade Compliance, Michelin North America
Jamie Scott, President, Jamie Scott Fitness, Inc.
Walt Tobin, President and Chief Executive Officer, Orangeburg Calhoun Technical College
*Positions reflect Ambassadors’ company and title at the time of program graduation
Mary Barrineau, Co-Owner, Spherion Recruiting & Staffing
Will Beecher, Senior Vice President & Senior Regional Wealth Advisor, South State Private Wealth
Gary Brewer, South Atlantic Area Construction Services Leader, HDR
Heather Holmquest, Director of Transformation, Clear Impact LLC
Mikee Johnson, Board Chair and Co-President, Carolina Ceramics Brick Company
Peter LaMotte, SVP, Chernoff Newman
Jil Littlejohn, Director of Inclusion and Diversity, Hubbell Incorporated
Otha Meadows, President & CEO of the Charleston Trident Urban League
Mitchell Metts, Infrastructure Consulting and Engineering (ICE), Vice President of Special Projects
Terri Heard, Manager, Business Incentives, Michelin
Barbara Ryan, Office Managing Partner, Grant Thornton, LLP
Jay Schwedler, President and CEO, TheLink and Sumter Economic Development
Brian Tucker, Director Economic Develpoment for Georgetown County
John Winarchick, Retired CFO, Zeus Industries
*Positions reflect Ambassadors’ company and title at the time of program graduation
Questions?
Jordi R. Yarborough | Vice President, Statewide Stakeholder and Local Government Engagement
Telephone: (843) 579-4468 | JYarborough@scspa.com