Kim Christ named Director of SC Tech and SC Cyber; SC Council on competitiveness taps former SC codes Director to lead initiative formerly known as TechSC
July 7, 2020
The South Carolina Council on Competitiveness today announced the rebrand of its technology initiative and named Kim Christ as its full-time initiative Director. Formerly TechSC and now SC Tech, the initiative is designed to accelerate the growth and innovation of technology and cybersecurity firms and to expand the talent pipeline in the sector.
During its first year, the initiative launched several working groups connecting partners across different technology sectors, hosted supply chain cybersecurity panels, and co-hosted a tech/cyber apprenticeship summit with Apprenticeship Carolina at SC Technical College System. The Council also launched the job portal, techscjobs.com, to help connect the state’s IT talent with tech firms who are actively recruiting for open positions during the COVID crisis.
“Thriving industries have one common denominator: They embrace technology,” said Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt. “The expansion of SC Tech and our cybersecurity and technology cluster is yet another way that South Carolina remains an attractive and competitive place to do business. We’re creating an environment where innovative tech businesses with talented workforces have the networks and resources needed to grow.”
Susie Shannon, President & CEO of the Council added, “Our new branding as SC Tech acknowledges the early successes of the Council’s Technology Initiative bringing together tech industry leaders in addition to building stronger connections between tech company leaders and their peers in logistics and aerospace. It also better matches the branding for our other initiatives (SC Aerospace and SC Logistics).
“We’re excited to have a tech leader of Kim’s caliber. Kim will lead the next phase of SC Tech that will showcase and quantify the contributions of one of the state’s fastest growing industries with a cybersecurity and technology-focused economic impact study in addition to publishing an asset map that catalogs the breadth of existing tech companies and educational assets in the state.”
Prior to joining the Council, Christ served as Program Director for SC Codes, a collaboration between the S.C. Department of Commerce’s Office of Innovation and Build Carolina, which provides a free learning platform teaching and promoting careers in technology. During her time at SC Codes, Christ regularly worked with the Council, among other partners, to increase tech apprenticeships in the state.
“I’ve worked alongside the Council and seen first-hand its commitment to accelerating tech growth in South Carolina,” said Christ. “I am excited to officially join the team and leverage that momentum as we continue to bring together partners from across the state, creating a united tech cluster.”
Tom Persons, an early champion of the technology cluster in the state said, “South Carolina’s tech sector has steadily grown over the past decade and will only increase in importance as more businesses rely on technology to power their operations. SC Tech and the Council’s continued work to connect and promote the cluster will help advance technology as one of our strongest engines of economic growth.”
About SCTech and SC Cyber
SC Tech and SC Cyber are initiatives of the South Carolina Council on Competitiveness in partnership with the SC Department of Commerce. SC Tech (formerly TechSC) was established with the mission to accelerate growth and innovation while providing a unified voice for the statewide technology community by developing a strong 21st Century workforce, supporting entrepreneurs, connecting peers and decision makers, and establishing South Carolina as a global hub for innovation. Learn more at https://sccompetes.org/sctech/.
About the South Carolina Council on Competitiveness
The South Carolina Council on Competitiveness is a nonpartisan, business-led, nonprofit organization that drives South Carolina’s long-term economic growth by supporting the state’s key industry clusters and providing the research, network, and resources that industry clusters require to thrive. Clusters include both competitors and collaborators, and the resulting inter-cluster business environment fosters innovation. Innovation, in turn, spurs new business ventures. Learn more at https://sccompetes.org/.
