{"id":2799,"date":"2026-01-16T15:57:40","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T15:57:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/?post_type=furman-update&#038;p=2799"},"modified":"2026-02-24T14:57:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T14:57:08","slug":"upstate-leader-honored-among-2026-onesouthcarolina-award-recipients","status":"publish","type":"furman-update","link":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/news\/upstate-leader-honored-among-2026-onesouthcarolina-award-recipients\/","title":{"rendered":"Upstate Leader Honored Among 2026 OneSouthCarolina Award Recipients"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: right\"><strong>FOR INFORMATION:<\/strong><br \/>\nClaudia Winkler<br \/>\nDirector of Marketing &amp; Communications<br \/>\nThe Riley Institute at Furman University<br \/>\n864-294-3368 \u2022 claudia.winkler@furman.edu<\/p>\n<p><strong>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Upstate Leader Honored Among 2026 OneSouthCarolina Award Recipients<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>COLUMBIA, S.C. \u2014<\/strong> The Riley Institute at Furman University honored South Carolina Representative Neal Collins (R\u2013Pickens &amp; Greenville) with the Riley-Wilkins OneSouthCarolina Legislative Leadership Award at the annual Riley-Wilkins OneSouthCarolina Awards Dinner on January 13, 2026. Collins was recognized for his collaborative, bipartisan approach to policymaking and his commitment to advancing long-term solutions for South Carolina.<\/p>\n<p>An attorney and six-term member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, Collins has earned bipartisan respect for his independent thinking and evidence-based legislative approach. A graduate of Furman University, Collins has focused his legislative work on issues with lasting impact, particularly in education and child welfare, while championing transparency, accountability, and collaborative governance.<\/p>\n<p>Collins has served on several key committees, including the House Ways and Means Committee, the House Judiciary Committee, and the Legislative Oversight Committee, where he has played an influential role in shaping policy grounded in data and accountability.<\/p>\n<p>The awards dinner also recognized the Center for Heirs\u2019 Property with the 2026 OneSouthCarolina Partners in Progress Award for its work advancing economic opportunity and land retention across South Carolina, and William \u201cBill\u201d Finn of Charleston with the Riley-Wilkins OneSouthCarolina Civic Leadership Award.<\/p>\n<p>Reflecting on Collins\u2019s win, Executive Director of The Riley Institute Bryan Boroughs said, \u201cRepresentative Collins exemplifies the type of principled, thoughtful leadership that strengthens South Carolina\u2019s future. His commitment to doing the right thing and what\u2019s best for people, even when it\u2019s hard or isn\u2019t politically advantageous to him, reflects the core values of OneSouthCarolina.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>###<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>About the Riley Institute at Furman University<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Riley Institute equips current and emerging leaders with the tools and networks needed to address pressing social challenges and advance inclusive progress. Its OneSouthCarolina initiatives and awards celebrate leadership that strengthens communities and drives meaningful change across South Carolina.<\/p>\n<p><strong>About the OneSouthCarolina Awards &amp; Events<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Riley Institute\u2019s OneSC awards and events celebrate the vibrancy of South Carolina, derived from its many cultures, traditions, and perspectives; honor leadership that has provided vision for the state; and call participants to engage across differences to move South Carolina forward through collaborative action.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>FOR INFORMATION: Claudia Winkler Director of Marketing &amp; Communications The Riley Institute at Furman University 864-294-3368 \u2022 claudia.winkler@furman.edu FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Upstate Leader Honored Among 2026 OneSouthCarolina Award Recipients COLUMBIA, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":2802,"template":"","update-categories":[51,49,18,44,31],"class_list":["post-2799","furman-update","type-furman-update","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","furman-update-category-applied-public-policy","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\/2799","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\/2799\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2804,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/2799\/revisions\/2804"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2802"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2799"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"furman-update-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/update-categories?post=2799"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}