Rep. James Smith, Ed Sellers to be Honored at Riley Institute Event
December 11, 2011
Awards for legislative leadership, civic leadership to be presented at annual David H. Wilkins awards dinner
GREENVILLE, SC – December 9, 2011 – The Riley Institute at FurmanUniversity has announced that South Carolina Representative James Smithand BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina board chair Ed Sellers arethe recipients of the 2011 David Wilkins Awards for Excellence inLegislative and Civic Leadership.
Smith and Sellers will be honored in Columbia Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012at the seventh annual David H. Wilkins awards dinner, which takes placeat the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center. The evening begins witha reception at 6 p.m. followed by the dinner and awards presentationat 7:30 p.m
Tickets are $150 each and can be purchased by calling 864-235-8330 orvisiting the Riley Institute website. Table sponsorships are alsoavailable
Pictured: SC Representative James Smith and BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina board chair Ed Sellers
Smith is the winner of the Wilkins Award for Excellence inLegislative Leadership, which recognizes a state legislator who embodiesthe highest principles of leadership
A Democrat representing Richland County District 72, Smith waselected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 1996, where hehas served as Assistant Minority Leader, Chief Minority Whip and HouseMinority Leader. He spent a year in Afghanistan serving as an ArmyNational Guard captain, and has received the Combat Infantryman’s Badge,The Bronze Star and The Purple Heart. He graduated from the Universityof South Carolina in 1990 and earned his J.D. degree from theUniversity of South Carolina School of Law
Sellers is the recipient of the David H. Wilkins Excellence in CivicLeadership Award, which honors a community leader whose work hasimproved the lives of South Carolinians
Sellers is chair of the board of BlueCross BlueShield of SouthCarolina, and served as its chief executive officer for 18 years beforeretiring from that position in 2010. He serves as a director ofPalmetto Conservation Foundation, American Red Cross, and ETV Endowmentof South Carolina, as well as chairman of the board of the SouthCarolina State Chamber of Commerce and Columbia College. He is agraduate of Vanderbilt University and earned a MBA from Harvard BusinessSchool
Previous winners of the Wilkins Award for Excellence in LegislativeLeadership are Wes Hayes (2010), Dan Cooper (2009), Gilda Cobb-Hunter(2008), Hugh K. Leatherman (2007), Bobby Harrell (2006) and JohnDrummond (2005).Minor Mickel Shaw of Greenville won the inauguralExcellence in Civic Leadership Award in 2010.
The Riley Institute is named for Furman graduate and former SouthCarolina governor and U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley. Itoffers a broad array of programs designed to engage students andcitizens across South Carolina in the various arenas of politics, publicpolicy and public leadership
The institute created the David H. Wilkins Legislative LeadershipProgram in honor of the South Carolina politician who served as Speakerof the South Carolina House of Representatives and U.S. ambassador toCanada.
For more information, contact the Riley Institute at 864-294-3546 or e-mail [email protected].
