{"id":2398,"date":"2024-08-22T04:39:16","date_gmt":"2024-08-22T04:39:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/?post_type=furman-update&p=2398"},"modified":"2024-08-22T04:39:31","modified_gmt":"2024-08-22T04:39:31","slug":"senator-katrina-shealy-and-judge-merl-code-to-receive-riley-institutes-statewide-leadership-awards","status":"publish","type":"furman-update","link":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/news\/senator-katrina-shealy-and-judge-merl-code-to-receive-riley-institutes-statewide-leadership-awards\/","title":{"rendered":"Senator Katrina Shealy and Judge Merl Code to receive Riley Institute’s statewide leadership awards"},"content":{"rendered":"

FOR INFORMATION:
\n<\/strong>Claudia Winkler
\nDirector, Marketing and Communications
\nThe Riley Institute at Furman University
\n864.294.3368;\u00a0claudia.winkler@furman.edu<\/a><\/p>\n

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:<\/p>\n

Honorees will be recognized at the Riley Institute at Furman\u2019s eighteenth annual Riley-Wilkins OneSouthCarolina Legislative and Civic Leadership Awards Dinner.<\/em><\/p>\n

GREENVILLE, S.C. \u2014 The Riley Institute at Furman University has announced that South Carolina Senator Katrina Shealy (R-Lexington Dist. 23) and Judge Merl Code will receive the 2025 Riley-Wilkins OneSouthCarolina Legislative and Civic Leadership Awards, respectively.<\/p>\n

The awards recognize outstanding, principled leadership in South Carolina and honor the statesmanship of Dick Riley, former U.S. secretary of education and former two-term governor of South Carolina, and David Wilkins, former U.S. ambassador to Canada and former speaker of the South Carolina House.<\/p>\n

\u201cGovernor Riley and Speaker Wilkins exemplified a commitment to working across the aisles to make our state a better place. These awards are given to move that spirit forward in the legislature and in the civic life of our state,\u201d said Dr. Don Gordon, founding executive director of the Riley Institute. \u201cSenator Shealy and Judge Code epitomize how leaders work cooperatively and collaboratively to make South Carolina a place where all South Carolinians, regardless of their background, can live and flourish.\u201d<\/p>\n

Senator Katrina Shealy has represented the 23rd<\/sup> District since 2013. When she was elected in 2012, she was the only woman in the South Carolina Senate. Throughout her tenure, Shealy has been an advocate for children and families, playing a leading role in juvenile justice reform and serving as the sponsor of legislation creating the Office of the Child Advocate in South Carolina. As chair of the Family and Veterans\u2019 Services Committee; past chair of the Joint Citizens and Legislative Committee on Children; and member of the Finance, Corrections and Penology, Rules and Labor, Commerce and Industry committees, Senator Shealy has a proven record for working collaboratively to drive progress for South Carolinians.<\/p>\n

In addition to being Greenville\u2019s first African American municipal court judge, Merl Code was the first African American to serve as chairman of the Greenville Chamber of Commerce. An entrepreneur and attorney, Judge Code has served on a number of community boards, including the Furman University Board of Trustees and BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Board of Directors, and he is a strong advocate for African American business development and social change. Judge Code has received many awards and honors, including the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina\u2019s highest civilian award and the Compleat Lawyer Award by the South Carolina Bar Association.<\/p>\n

The awards dinner honoring Shealy and Code will take place January 14, 2025, at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center. More details on the awards can be found at furman.edu\/onesouthcarolina<\/a>.<\/p>\n

###<\/p>\n

About the Riley Institute at Furman University<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Riley Institute empowers emerging and established leaders\u2014across sectors and throughout society\u2014with 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. Learn more at furman.edu\/riley.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Riley Institute at Furman University is proud to announce South Carolina Senator Katrina Shealy and Judge Merl Code as the recipients of the 2025 Riley-Wilkins OneSouthCarolina Legislative and Civic Leadership Awards. The awards, honoring the legacy of Dick Riley and David Wilkins, recognize exemplary leadership and dedication to public service. Senator Shealy, known for her work in juvenile justice reform, and Judge Code, a pioneer in African American leadership and community advocacy, will be celebrated at a special dinner on January 14, 2025, at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":1857,"template":"","update-categories":[31],"class_list":["post-2398","furman-update","type-furman-update","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","furman-update-category-riley-wilkins-onesouthcarolina-legislative-and-civic-leadership-awards"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/2398","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/furman-update"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/2398\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2422,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/2398\/revisions\/2422"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1857"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2398"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"furman-update-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/update-categories?post=2398"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}