42 Lowcountry Leaders Selected to Become Riley Fellows
FOR INFORMATION:
Claudia Winkler
Director of Marketing and Communications
The Riley Institute at Furman University
864.294.3368; [email protected]
AUGUST 29, 2024 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
42 LOWCOUNTRY LEADERS SELECTED TO BECOME RILEY FELLOWS
Participants will take part in the Riley Institute’s award-winning Diversity Leaders Initiative before joining a network of more than 2,800 graduates across the state.
GREENVILLE, S.C. — Forty-two leaders from across the Lowcountry will participate in the Riley Institute’s intensive 5-month Diversity Leaders Initiative (DLI) program, learning the skills and perspectives necessary to leverage diversity in their organizations in ways that drive social and economic progress in South Carolina.
Participants of DLI’s 18th Lowcountry class were selected through a rigorous application and interview process after being nominated by DLI alumni. They are accepted based on a variety of factors, including their interest in and commitment to the program and their capacity to create impact within their organizations and communities. Each class is crafted to reflect South Carolina’s demographic makeup.
DLI classes are facilitated by expert Juan Johnson, an independent consultant who was The Coca-Cola Company’s first-ever vice president for diversity strategy.
Throughout the fall, the class will engage in intensive discussions and scenario analyses that allow them to openly examine sensitive issues related to diversity and inclusion with fellow leaders, explore “blind spots,” and gain tools to develop strategies within their own organizations.
Class members also work together to develop capstone projects, partnering with nonprofit organizations to respond to real challenges and opportunities in their communities.
Graduates of DLI become Riley Fellows, members of a powerful cross-sector network of over 2,800 South Carolinians that includes corporate CEOs, legislators, superintendents, religious and nonprofit heads, and business and community leaders.
Listed below are the participants of the fall 2024 Lowcountry DLI class.
Natassia Allen
Chief Operations Officer
Beaufort Jasper Hampton
Comprehensive Health Services, Inc.
Ridgeland
Amy Barch
Executive Director
Turn90
North Charleston
Peter Barton
Director
Elliott Davis
Charleston
Russell Baxley
President and CEO
Beaufort Memorial Hospital
Beaufort
Brett Bennett
President
Coastal Hydraulics, Inc.
Charleston
Djuanna Brockington
Interim Executive Director
Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor
Beaufort
Heather Bruemmer
Arts Administrator
Hampton Friends of the Arts
Hampton
Dyrell Clark
Executive Director
Reading Partners South Carolina
North Charleston
Michelle Crawford
General Counsel, Compliance Officer and Board Secretary
Advanced Technology International (ATI)
Summerville
Ashley Demosthenes
President and CEO
Lowcountry Land Trust
Charleston
Vanessa Denney
Interim Executive Director of Communications
Charleston County School District
Charleston
Joseph Dukes
Chief Solutions Officer
Palmetto Community Developers
Charleston
Lynne Ford
Associate Director
Helping Hands of Georgetown
Georgetown
Lissa Frenkel
President and CEO
Gaillard Center Charleston
Charleston
Cokeitha Gaddist
Administrator
Medical University of South Carolina
Mount Pleasant
Elizabeth Gibbes
Partner, International Business Team Chair
Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP
Charleston
Allison Green
Senior Vice President of Strategic Partnerships
Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce
North Charleston
Tamara Greene
Regional Executive Director
Freedom Readers, Inc.
Surfside Beach
Natalie Hauff
Deputy Director
Charleston County Public Library
North Charleston
Kevin Horton
Attorney
Shumaker Loop & Kendrick
Charleston
Brian Itzkowitz
President and CEO
Palmetto Goodwill
North Charleston
Katrina Kenny
Senior Vice President, Contracts and Procurement
Advanced Technology International (ATI)
Summerville
Felice Knight
Director of Education
International African American Museum
Charleston
Richardson LaBruce
Attorney
Finger, Melnick, Brooks & LaBruce, P.A.
Hilton Head Island
John LaVerne
Founder & Operator (Chair – Explore Charleston Board)
Bulldog Tours
Charleston
Elizabeth Mack
Pediatric
Critical Care Physician Vizient
Charleston
Greg McCormack
Senior Manager Financial Forecast
Santee Cooper
Moncks Corner
James McQuilla
President
Orangeburg County Chamber of Commerce
Orangeburg
Julie Moore
Trial Lawyer
Duffy & Young, LLC
Charleston
Paul Nunez
Director of Team Development and Culture
South Carolina Aquarium
Charleston
Laura Pelzer
Executive Director
Charleston Library Society
Charleston
Tony Pope
Agent
State Farm Insurance
Summerville
Dan Ray
Board of Directors
Santee Cooper
Pawleys Island
Blakely Roof
President and CEO
United Way of Horry County
Conway
Sam Skardon
Development Director
MDC
Charleston
Deon Tedder
Attorney and State Senator
Rogers, Patrick, Westbrook and Brickman, LLC- and State of South Carolina
Mount Pleasant
Lindsey Vance
CEO
Mpowrd Analytics
Charleston
Kelvin Waites
Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
City of Myrtle Beach
Myrtle Beach
John Williams
County Attorney / Economic Development Director
Berkeley County
Moncks Corner
Shawn Willis
Attorney
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP
Charleston
Nickisha Woodward
Attorney
Turner Padget
Charleston
Ellen Zisholtz
President/CEO
Center for Creative Partnerships
Orangeburg
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About the Riley Institute at Furman University
The Riley Institute empowers emerging and established leaders—across sectors and throughout society—with the knowledge and tools to advance equity and drive social and economic progress in South Carolina and beyond. We work to strengthen public education; promote the power of diversity to help teams, organizations, and communities thrive; and elevate informed, evidence-based approaches to critical public issues. In all it does, the institute is committed to nonpartisanship and a bias-free path to change.