Statewide Recipients

50 Most Influential People

Integrated Media Publishing is pleased to present our inaugural list of the Statewide 50 Most Influential People. While all of these individuals have made an impact in their home regions, their work also is felt in myriad ways throughout the rapidly growing Palmetto State. These 50 men and women were chosen through extensive staff research as well as community nominations. You have seen some of them on regional lists in years past, but we’re happy to honor them this year for their work all around South Carolina.  Many of them work in state government, but this list also includes people in the energy, finance, nonprofit, aeronautics, and retail arenas.

50 Most Influential People of 2025
Audrey Frey
Audrey Frey Senior Managing Director and Market Leader, South Carolina CBRE Audrey Frey serves as senior managing director and market leader for CBRE’s South Carolina business, overseeing operations and driving strategic growth across...
Claire Gibbons
Claire Gibbons Executive Director Power:Ed Claire Gibbons has been executive director of Power:Ed, the philanthropy arm of South Carolina Student Loan, since 2022. She oversees all outreach, grant, and partnership operations and says that her...
Todd Glover
Todd GloverExecutive Director Municipal Association of South Carolina Todd Glover joined the Municipal Association of South Carolina as executive director in 2019. Prior to joining the association, Glover served in local government for 25 years...
Tim Pearson
Tim PearsonPresident Duke Energy South Carolina Tim Pearson is president of Duke Energy’s utility operations in South Carolina, which serves approximately 855,600 electric retail customers and 168,800 natural gas customers. He is responsible for...
Thornton Kirby
Thornton Kirby President and CEO South Carolina Hospital Association Before joining SCHA, Thornton Kirby practiced law as a health care attorney and worked as a hospital executive. He also served as executive secretary to the board of trustees...
Thomas Rhodes
Thomas Rhodes Partner Rhodes Companies Thomas Rhodes is a fourth-generation South Carolina entrepreneur and partner at Rhodes Companies, a diversified holding company with operations across the United States. He serves as a commissioner of the...
Tally Parham Casey
Tally Parham Casey Chair and CEO Wyche, P.A. Tally Parham Casey is chair of Wyche’s Executive Committee and a litigator with 25 years of experience. A former F-16 fighter pilot, Tally serves her clients with a blend of tenacity, shrewdness, and...
Scott Woods
Scott WoodsPresident and CEO South Carolina Federal Credit Union Scott Woods is president and CEO of South Carolina Federal Credit Union, a role he has held for more than 20 years. Before joining South Carolina Federal, he was a senior financial...
Sarah Lyles
Sarah LylesExecutive DirectorPalmettoPrideSince 2006, PalmettoPride has helped more than 797,404 volunteers remove 91,846,724 pounds of litter from South Carolina roads and natural areas. Sarah Lyles, who has served as executive director since...
Sara Hazzard
Sara Hazzard President and CEO South Carolina Manufacturers and Commerce Sara Hazzard is president and chief executive officer of the South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance (SCMA). She will serve as the president and CEO of the South Carolina...
Rich Heimann
Rich HeimannState Director of AI State of South Carolina Rich Heimann is the inaugural director of artificial intelligence for the State of South Carolina and the author of several books, including “AI Revealed,” “Doing AI,” and the forthcoming...
Nick Nicholson
Nick NicholsonManaging Director and Shareholder Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A. Nick Nicholson has served as the managing director of Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A. since 2013. He practices in the areas of procurement and government contracts,...
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Nick Kremydas
Nick Kremydas Chief Executive Officer South Carolina Association of REALTORS Nick Kremydas is chief executive officer of the South Carolina REALTORS (SCR), the state’s largest professional trade association, representing almost 30,000 real...
Mike Baumbach
Mike BaumbachExecutive Vice President | South Carolina Business Unit LeaderBE&K Building GroupMike Baumbach brings more than 40 years of construction industry experience to his leadership role at BE&K Building Group. He first joined the...
Micah Mallace
Micah MallacePresident and CEO South Carolina Ports Authority Micah Mallace became president and CEO of SC Ports on Oct. 6, 2025, and is the seventh leader in the history of the organization. He returns to SC Ports after serving as president of...
Leslie Skardon
Leslie SkardonCEO Sustain SC Leslie Skardon is CEO of Sustain SC, a nonprofit organization connecting sectors across South Carolina to optimize the use of our natural resources in a way that is sustainable for both the economy and the...
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L. Jeffrey Perez, Ph.D.
L. Jeffrey Perez, Ph.D. President and Executive Director South Carolina Commission on Higher Education L. Jeffrey Perez, Ph.D., joined the Commission on Higher Education as president and executive director in July 2024. Perez has 25 years of...
Krista Hinson
Krista Hinson Executive Director South Carolina Retail Association As executive director of the South Carolina Retail Association, Krista Hinson is a leading voice for South Carolina’s business community and a driving force behind policies that...
Jesse Smith
Jesse SmithExecutive Director S.C. Jobs-Economic Development Authority Jesse Smith leads the Jobs & Economic Development Authority as it promotes and develops the business and economic welfare of South Carolina by assisting in financing...
James Chappell
James ChappellPresident and CEO SCbio Since becoming president and CEO of SCbio in 2021, James Chappell has built a statewide coalition of partners united in elevating South Carolina as a premier hub for scientific research, advanced...
South Carolina Secretary of Commerce Harry Lightsey III. (Travis Bell Photography)
Harry M. Lightsey III
Harry M. Lightsey IIISecretary of Commerce South Carolina Department of Commerce Harry M. Lightsey III was appointed by Gov. Henry McMaster to serve as Secretary of Commerce in June 2021. Since his confirmation, Lightsey has led the agency’s...
Grant Burns
Grant BurnsEVP and General Counsel AFL Grant Burns serves on the board of directors of America Fujikura Ltd. (AFL) and is the company’s executive vice president and general counsel. In this capacity, Burns oversees all legal matters including...
Gary Siegfried
Gary SiegfriedExecutive Director South Carolina Aeronautics Commission Gary Siegfried serves as executive director of the South Carolina Aeronautics Commission (SCAC), where he leads statewide efforts to enhance airport safety, strengthen airport...
Ethel Bunch
Ethel BunchFounder and CEO Global to Local LLC Ethel Bunch is founder and CEO of Global to Local, LLC, a strategic advisory firm working with private-sector, utility, state, and federal leaders to position South Carolina as the national proving...
Erinn Rowe
Erinn Rowe CEO Harvest Hope Food Bank Erinn Rowe has been CEO of Harvest Hope Food Bank since 2021. She joined Harvest Hope’s board of directors in 2015, and was board chair when the sitting CEO died in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. Under...
Douglas Kim
Douglas KimIntellectual Property Attorney Kim and Lahey Law Firm, LLC Douglas Kim began his career as a software engineer before attending law school and entering intellectual property. Combining technical fluency with legal experience, Kim...
Dolly Garfield
Dolly GarfieldChief Executive Officer South Carolina Education Lottery Dolly Garfield has been with the South Carolina Education Lottery for nine years and serves as the chief executive officer. Previously, Garfield was the agency’s general...
David Torris
David TorrisMarket President Fifth Third Bank, National Association David Torris serves as market president for Western North Carolina, South Carolina, and Coastal Georgia at Fifth Third Bank, National Association. In this role, he leads...
David Tigges
David Tigges Partner Strategic Growth Burr Forman David Tigges is Burr Forman’s partner in charge of strategic growth and sits in the firm's Administrative, Government, and Regulatory practice group. Tigges previously was the CEO of McNair Law...
David Summer
David SummerPartner Parker Poe David Summer has devoted his career to helping health care clients solve problems and seize opportunities. He is proud of the relationships he has built with hospital executives and other providers in South Carolina...
Cristina Paredes
Cristina Paredes Executive Director SC NEXUS Cristina Paredes is executive director of SC Nexus, South Carolina’s TechHub for Advanced Resilient Energy. SC Nexus leads technology-driven economic development, advancing energy innovation to build...
Ashely Teasdel
Ashely Teasdel Deputy Secretary of Commerce South Carolina Department of Commerce Ashely Teasdel has served as Deputy Secretary of Commerce since November 2021, working alongside Secretary Harry Lightsey to steer South Carolina’s globally...
Adrienne Fairwell
Adrienne Fairwell President and CEO South Carolina Educational Television and SC Public Radio With more than two decades of leadership in public media, fundraising, and statewide communications, Adrienne Fairwell has built a career focused on...
Alan Wilson
Alan Wilson Attorney General State of South Carolina Alan Wilson was elected to the post of South Carolina’s 51st attorney general in 2010 and is now serving his fourth term in the position. He oversees an office of almost 300 employees and about...
Hugh Weathers
Hugh Weathers Commissioner of Agriculture State of South Carolina Hugh Weathers has served as South Carolina’s agriculture commissioner since 2004. Weathers, a native of Bowman, is a fourth-generation farmer and a partner in his family’s farming...
Jeff Uphues
Jeff Uphues Chief Executive Officer DC BLOX Jeff Uphues is CEO of DC BLOX, which designs, builds, and operates secure, interconnected data centers throughout the Southeast, including centers in Greenville and Myrtle Beach. Uphues has been with DC...
J. Richards “Rick” Todd
J. Richards “Rick” Todd President and CEO South Carolina Trucking Association J. Richards “Rick” Todd has spent the past 46 years with the South Carolina Trucking Association. He began his career as assistant general manager and was named CEO in...
William H. "Bill" Stern
William H. "Bill" Stern Chair of SC Ports, CEO Stern Development Board of Directors, Ameris Bank South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) Board Chairman William H. "Bill" Stern is president and CEO of Stern Development, a commercial real estate and...
Mark Nix
Mark Nix Executive Director South Carolina Home Builder’s Association As executive director of the SC Homebuilder’s Association, Mark Nix has made advocacy of property rights and home attainability the hallmarks of his calling. In the face of...
Michael Mizeur
Michael Mizeur President/CEO BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Michael Mizeur serves as the president and CEO of BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina. Mizeur began his career at BlueCross in 1998 after seven years with Ernst & Young....
Bill Medich
Bill Medich President SouthState Bank Bill Medich, Banking Group president at SouthState Bank, is responsible for the bank’s operations in South Carolina. A graduate of the Graduate School of Banking at LSU and the University of South Carolina,...
Curtis Loftis
Curtis Loftis State Treasurer State of South Carolina Curtis Loftis is now in his fourth term as state treasurer for South Carolina. He was first elected in 2010, and in his role, he is responsible for managing, investing, and retaining custody...
John W. Kittredge
John W. Kittredge Chief Justice South Carolina Supreme Court John W. Kittredge was elected to the South Carolina Supreme Court in 2008, ascending to chief justice in 2024. A native of Greenville, Kittredge began his legal career as a law clerk to...
Bill Kirkland
Bill Kirkland Interim President/CEO SCRA Appointed by Gov. Henry McMaster in February 2025 as chair of the South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) board of trustees, Bill Kirkland also serves as SCRA's interim president and CEO. Kirkland...
Mark Hammond
Mark Hammond Secretary of State State of South Carolina Mark Hammond was elected to the post of South Carolina secretary of state in 2002, and he has won re-election five times since then. Prior to his election, Hammond worked as a criminal...
Carlos Evans
Carlos Evans Chairman Salem Capital Carlos Evans serves as the co-managing partner, president, and CEO of the family investment holding company Salem Capital LLC. Evans joined First Union National Bank in 2000 as the wholesale banking executive...
Rich Bradshaw
Rich Bradshaw President and Chief Banking Officer United Community Richard Bradshaw is the president and chief banking officer for United Community, holding more than 35 years of experience in the banking industry. Prior to this position, he...
Jason Bernd
Jason Bernd Senior Vice President and President of the South Carolina Region Novant Health Jason Bernd serves as senior vice president and president of the South Carolina region for Novant Health. Bernd, who joined Novant Health in 2006, has most...
Cynthia M. Bennett
Cynthia M. Bennett Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer South Carolina Chamber of Commerce Cynthia M. Bennett serves as executive vice president and COO of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce. Bennett has over 25 years of...
Sara Ballard
Sara Ballard Executive Director South Carolina Women in Leadership Sara Ballard is a founder of South Carolina Women in Leadership and, before being appointed executive director of the statewide multi-partisan nonprofit, she served as COO since...