Three new members seated on the SCDOT Commission

The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) Commission will have three new members seated in time for the next monthly meetings scheduled for May 16 and 17 in Columbia. These new Commissioners represent two at-large seats appointed by Governor Henry McMaster, and a new Commissioner representing the 6th Congressional District.

At-Large Commissioner James T. McLawhorn, Jr. has served as the President and CEO of the Columbia Urban League since 1979. In his many years of public service, he has served on numerous boards, including past chair of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs Advisory Committee for Minority Veterans and the Great Columbia Chamber of Commerce. McLawhorn is the receipt of many awards including the Order of the Palmetto, the highest award given to a citizen in the state of South Carolina. He earned a B.S. in Political Science from North Carolina A&T University, a Master’s degree in City & Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill, a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Miami and an Honorary Doctorate from the College of Charleston.

At-Large Commissioner Kristen Blanchard is the Vice President of External Corporate Affairs for Nutramax Laboratories in Lancaster, SC. She has worked for the company since 1997. Currently she serves as the executive point person on behalf of the company for all community relations on the local, state and federal levels. She received her B.A. degree from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Oswego in 1990 and conducted post-graduate work at the University of San Diego. Blanchard has served on several boards and executive committees during her tenure at Nutramax Laboratories. Her most recent service includes the Lancaster County Chamber of Commerce, the Lancaster County Economic Development Advisory Board among many others.

Commissioner J. Barnwell Fishburne represents the 6th Congressional District. He is the owner of Fishburne and Company Development Corporation in Walterboro, SC. Fishburne’s prior community service includes serving on the Colleton County Planning Commission for approximately 20 years. In addition, he served on the Colleton Resource and Development Board. He currently sits on the Board of Trustees of HCA affiliate Colleton Medical Center as Vice Chairman, as well as numerous memberships on the boards of financial institutions in Walterboro and Charleston. Fishburne is a graduate of Wofford College where he earned B.A. degree in Political Science.

All three new members of the SCDOT Commission have expressed a desire to serve the state by using their business and community leadership experience to further improve the state’s transportation system. This goal includes ensuring the maximizing of taxpayers’ dollars as the agency soon begins the second year of the “10-Year Plan to Rebuild SC’s Roads.”