{"id":2768,"date":"2025-09-17T19:44:21","date_gmt":"2025-09-17T19:44:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/?post_type=furman-update&p=2768"},"modified":"2025-10-09T15:26:57","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T15:26:57","slug":"2026-onesouthcarolina-award-winners-announced-by-the-riley-institute-at-furman-university","status":"publish","type":"furman-update","link":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/news\/2026-onesouthcarolina-award-winners-announced-by-the-riley-institute-at-furman-university\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 OneSouthCarolina Award Winners Announced by The Riley Institute at Furman University"},"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

2026 OneSouthCarolina Award Winners Announced by The Riley Institute at Furman University<\/h3>\n

GREENVILLE, S.C.\u2014The Riley Institute at Furman University has announced the recipients of the 2026 OneSouthCarolina (OneSC) Awards, which honor transformative leadership and collaborative achievements advancing social and economic progress in South Carolina.<\/p>\n

Representative Neal Collins (R\u2013Pickens County, Dist. 5) and William \u201cBill\u201d Finn will receive the 2026 Riley-Wilkins OneSouthCarolina Legislative and Civic Leadership Awards, respectively. Center for Heirs\u2019 Property, a Charleston-based nonprofit, will be recognized with the OneSouthCarolina Partners in Progress Award for its groundbreaking work preserving land ownership and protecting historically significant communities across South Carolina.<\/p>\n

The awards will be presented at the OneSouthCarolina Dinner on January 13, 2026, at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center; the presenting sponsor of the event is BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina. The dinner will be preceded by the Building OneSouthCarolina Forum, which will feature representatives and partners of Center for Heirs\u2019 Property for an in-depth discussion of what led to their success, what challenges they have encountered, and key takeaways on how their work is promoting progress in South Carolina and beyond.<\/p>\n

Honoring Compassionate Leadership<\/strong><\/h5>\n

The Riley-Wilkins Legislative and Civic Leadership Awards are named in honor of former South Carolina Governor and U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley and former U.S. Ambassador to Canada David Wilkins, recognizing individuals who exemplify statesmanship and a steadfast commitment to inclusive progress.<\/p>\n

\u201cSecretary Riley and Ambassador Wilkins were model public servants\u2014always guided by purpose, humility, and a commitment to the common good,\u201d said Bryan Boroughs, executive director of The Riley Institute. \u201cRepresentative Collins and Mr. Finn have carried that spirit forward, building coalitions and working thoughtfully toward a better South Carolina for all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rep. Collins, an attorney and six-term member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, has earned bipartisan respect for his independent thinking and collaborative approach to policymaking. His legislative work reflects a focus on long-term impact, particularly in education and child welfare. Collins has served on several key committees, including the House Ways and Means, House Judiciary, and Legislative Oversight Committees, where he has championed legislation grounded in transparency, accountability, and evidence.<\/p>\n

Finn is a longtime South Carolina business and civic leader whose decades of executive experience and board leadership have helped shape both the state\u2019s economy and its nonprofit landscape. He spent more than 50 years at AstenJohnson, a global manufacturer of specialty fabrics, serving as CEO and later chairman. Today, he chairs the board of Turn90, a nonprofit supporting formerly incarcerated men and the 2024 OneSC Partners In Progress Award winner, and serves in leadership roles with the SCETV Endowment, the College of Charleston School of Business, and other statewide organizations.<\/p>\n

Celebrating Collaborative Achievement<\/strong><\/h5>\n

The Center for Heirs\u2019 Property is the recipient of the 2026 OneSouthCarolina Partners in Progress Award. This honor recognizes a landmark collaborative achievement contributing significantly to statewide progress.<\/p>\n

Founded to help historically underserved families secure legal title to inherited land, the center\u2019s work today extends far beyond legal assistance. Through a combination of financial education, legal support, and sustainable forestry initiatives, the organization supports economic self-sufficiency while preserving the cultural and environmental integrity of communities across the state and nation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe center\u2019s work is both restorative and forward-looking,\u201d said Boroughs. \u201cBy helping families resolve land title issues and steward their property, they\u2019re not only building generational wealth\u2014they\u2019re preserving the character, history, and environmental sustainability of communities that have shaped South Carolina\u2019s story for centuries.\u201d<\/p>\n

To learn more about the Center for Heirs\u2019 Property and celebrate the OneSC Award winners, attend the Building OneSC Forum and Riley-Wilkins Awards Dinner. More details and tickets can be found at furman.edu\/onesouthcarolina<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u00a0###<\/span><\/p>\n

About the Riley Institute at Furman University<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/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<\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

FOR INFORMATION: Claudia Winkler Director, Marketing and Communications The Riley Institute at Furman University 864.294.3368;\u00a0claudia.winkler@furman.edu FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 2026 OneSouthCarolina Award Winners Announced by The Riley Institute at Furman University […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":2770,"template":"","update-categories":[49,18,44,31],"class_list":["post-2768","furman-update","type-furman-update","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","furman-update-category-furman-innovation-lab","furman-update-category-news-release","furman-update-category-onesouthcarolina-partners-in-progress-award","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\/2768","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":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/2768\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2772,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/2768\/revisions\/2772"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2770"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2768"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"furman-update-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/update-categories?post=2768"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}