Amanda Morgan is the community health promotion director at Abbeville Area Healthcare Center. She develops public health programs working with the medical staff, the community and agencies such as the state Office of Rural Programs. The nonprofit hospital provides primary care, surgery and other services in the rural Lakelands District, comprised of seven counties in western South Carolina with a population of roughly a quarter-million.

Amanda is currently developing a community health assessment to be used for a a strategic plan for the hospital and the Abbeville community.

She earned her bachelor’s in health promotion and master’s in public administration from Morehead State University in Kentucky. A member of the American Public Health Association, she previously worked for the Medical University of South Carolina’s Boeing Center for Children’s Wellness and at Self Regional Healthcare.

Amanda serves on the boards of the United Way of Abbeville and Greenwood Counties and the Palmetto Christian Academy. She chairs the “Be Well Abbeville” health coalition.

Jonathan Yarborough is the director of government affairs and economic development for Dominion Energy in South Carolina. He works with lawmakers, state agencies and the public on issues of importance to the utility and its 1 million electric and national gas customers in the state. Most recently he worked on issues stemming from the abandonment of the nuclear reactors at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station.

Johnathan has a bachelor’s degree from Clemson and a law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law. He previously worked for SCANA and the South Carolina Department of Commerce.

He serves on the Legislative Advocacy Committee of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce and is a board member of Katrina’s Kids, a nonprofit which provides resources for foster children and children living in group homes.

Mark Williamson is chief information officer for Anderson County.

He oversees a department that installs, maintains and upgrades the computer infrastructure for the county which has 200,000 residents and more than 1,000 full- and part-time employees. The department also develops software applications to meet federal, state and local requirements allowing efficient public access to services.

Mark also owns a private consulting company, Ethical Org. Insight, that works developing leaders and training salespeople in interacting with customers.

Mark has a degree in business administration from Erskine College, an MBA from Anderson University and a Ph.D. from Clemson in educational and organizational leadership development. He previously worked for the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office and for several other companies in financial roles.

He is an adjunct professor at Anderson University, where he serves on the school’s board of visitors and its MBA advisory board. He also serves on the board of the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Foundation

Brian Tucker is the Director of Economic Development for Georgetown County. In his role Brian focuses on several areas to boost the economy of the fast-growing coastal county of about 63,000 located midway between Myrtle Beach and Charleston.

He works with existing industries to fulfill their needs for infrastructure, transportation and workers to make them more profitable. He develops industrial parks and buildings for prospective companies and works to recruit companies to the county.

One new economic development initiative is working with an internet provider to bring broadband internet to rural areas of Georgetown County. That will help spur development and becomes increasingly important for online education in a world dealing with a pandemic.

Brian, a native of Lancaster, is a graduate of Clemson University with a degree in financial management. He previously as the president of the Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce and worked for the chamber in North Augusta, South Carolina. He also worked for Security Federal Bank. Brian serves on several local committees and non-profit boards in the Georgetown area.

Amy Tinsley is the executive director of the South Carolina Automotive Council. The council, part of the South Carolina Manufacturer’s Alliance, promotes continued growth of the state’s $27 billion automotive manufacturing industry.

The council serves as a network where manufacturers and suppliers can engage on issues affecting the industry and the group works with state and local organizations on workforce and economic development efforts for the industry. The council each year holds the state’s Automotive Summit.

Prior to working at the council, Amy was a strategy and planning manager at Duke Energy.

Amy, who lives in Greenville, is a graduate of Presbyterian College with a degree in political science. She has a Master of Public Administration and an MBA, both from the University of South Carolina.

Amy is active on the Presbyterian College Alumni Board, Serenity Place, a residential facility for pregnant women and young mothers, and in the Junior League of Greenville.

Jason Stapleton, who owns a property management and real estate development company, is mayor of Williston, a rural Barnwell County community of about 3,000 people. Mayor since 2013, Jason works with a town council and town administrator in overseeing municipal operations including police, fire, water and sewer and other services.

Jason previously owned a building supply business.

A graduate of the University of South Carolina Aiken with a degree in business administration, Jason also has an associate degree in civil engineering technology from Midlands Technical College.

He serves on the board of the South Carolina Association of Mayors and is a former chairman of the Barnwell School District 29 Board of Trustees.

He is a graduate of Barnwell County Leadership, Tri-County Leadership and Leadership Salkehatchie. He also graduated from the South Carolina Municipal Elected Officials Institute of Government and the Boardsmanship Institute of the South Carolina School Boards Association.

Dick Smith is business and community liaison for Anderson School District 5, working to promote adult education and job opportunities for students.

An educator for four decades, he has taught at all grade levels. Dick earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Erskine College and a master’s degree from the United States Sports Academy. He is credentialed by the College of Charleston as a Global Career Development Facilitator and a graduate of Leadership Anderson.

Dick is a former soccer coach at T.L. Hanna High School who won two state titles and became one of only a handful of state boy’s coaches to notch 400 victories. He is enshrined in three athletic halls of fame, including the South Carolina Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

His community involvement includes service on the boards of Good Neighbor Cupboard, Anderson Foster Care, Anderson School District 5, and SHARE, a community action agency serving northwest South Carolina. He has also served as soccer chairman of the South Carolina Athletic Coaches Association

Kelly Shockley is director of marketing and development for Welvista, a nonprofit providing access to health services for uninsured and underserved South Carolinians.

Based in Columbia, Welvista operates one of the nation’s largest mail-order pharmacies providing free medications and in 2019 filled more than 300,000 prescriptions for the needy in the state. Its pediatric dental program provided care for almost 17,000 students.

Kelly’s duties include generating financial support through grants, fundraisers and other sources as well as raising public awareness of Welvista’s mission.

She has a journalism degree from the University of Georgia and previously worked at EW Bullock Associates advertising and as an independent marketing consultant.

Kelly is a graduate of Leadership Pensacola in Florida and is on the board of the Skyhawk Club, the athletic booster organization at Hammond School in Columbia.

Kathleen Shealy is the director of information technology for the South Carolina Retirement System Investment Commission, which manages the assets of the pension plans for state employees. The plans have an estimated half-million participants and beneficiaries.

Kathleen oversees IT functions for the agency including infrastructure, business systems and applications and working with vendors.

Kathleen has a bachelor’s degree in music from Guilford College in North Carolina and is pursuing a master’s in public administration from the University of North Carolina. Before working for the investment commission, she worked in various IT roles for Best Buy.

Kathleen is a South Carolina Certified Public Manager.

She is active in South Carolina Women In Leadership, ISC2, an international professional cybersecurity association, and the South Carolina Cloud Computing Working Group.

John Sawyer is a vice president and senior financial advisor at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in Myrtle Beach. The national investment advisory firm has almost 20,000 advisors and has been in business more than a century.

John has a bachelor’s degree in finance and business from the University of South Carolina as well as an MBA from Winthrop University. He is also a Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor and is registered to do business in 19 states.

Prior to working for Merrill Lynch, John was vice president at the Conway National Bank.

His community involvement includes working with Grand Strand Sertoma, the Horry Georgetown Technical Foundation and the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.

Shawn Saulsberry is an advisor in finances and business transformation with Ernst and Young in Charleston. The company, which has about 270,000 employees, offers audit, tax, business advisory and other services to a wide range of customers and industries worldwide.

Shawn, a native of Charleston, has a degree in computer science from the University of South Carolina, and an MBA and a Ph.D. in management, both from the University of Phoenix.

Prior to his work for Ernst and Young, Shawn was owner of Star Solutions, a technology consulting firm in Charlotte. He previously worked for both First Guaranty Mortgage and Bank of America.

Shawn is a graduate of Leadership Charlotte and Dale Carnegie leadership training. He serves on the Board of Directors at Metanoia, a Community Development Corporation working in the Chicora-Cherokee neighborhood in North Charleston and has also volunteered coaching youth football.

Hope Rivers is executive vice president of the South Carolina Technical College System. She works with the presidents and other leaders of the state’s 16 technical and community colleges to promote collaboration in curriculum, student services, research and other areas. She is also the main liaison between the technical college system and outside groups working to meet the employment needs of South Carolina.

Hope, who lives in Lexington, has a bachelor’s in English, a master’s in education and a Ph.D. in higher education administration, all from the University of South Carolina. She also earned a certificate in higher education leadership from the university.

She is a graduate of the Diversity Leadership Institute at the Riley Institute, and a member of the National Visiting Committee of Clemson University’s Center for Workforce Development. She is a mentor in Columbia College’s Institute for Leadership and serves on the workforce advisory board of the South Carolina Hospital Association.