SC Ports announces its 2025-2026 Port Ambassador class
August 29, 2025
Welcoming 30 South Carolina professionals to join the program for its ninth year
The group of community and business leaders will meet monthly September through May to get a firsthand look at how SC Ports’ operations spur economic growth in the entire state and support the broader Southeast supply chain. Participants will engage directly with Port leadership, tour inland and ocean terminals, and meet with port-dependent business owners who rely on SC Ports to connect them to markets around the world.
“The Port Ambassador program is a unique opportunity to connect leaders from across the state with the operations that keep South Carolina’s economy moving,” said Ashley Iseman, SC Ports’ director of executive office operations, who co-leads the program. “Our ambassadors will see how port infrastructure and innovation directly support business, jobs, and communities in every corner of the state.”
Other program highlights include attendance to the annual State of the Port address, and discussions on global trade, economic competitiveness, and infrastructure investment in South Carolina.
This year’s program kicks off in September with a tour of the Wando Welch Terminal and a deep dive into the inner workings of the Port of Charleston.
2025-2026 Ambassadors:
Brenton Brown, South Carolina Commission for Community Advancement and Engagement
C. David Chinnis, Dorchester County Council
Rob Godfrey, Godfrey Communications and Public Affairs
John Gregory, NAI Columbia
Matthew Hamrick, Mercedes-Benz Vans, LLC
Joseph Maybank Howell, Sopris Capital Private Equity
Toni Rice Huston, Macatuck
Thomas J. Johnson, Conway Ford, Inc.
Michael Kearney, Jr., Charleston Promise Neighborhood
Payton Lang, City of Columbia
Dylon Ligon, South Carolina Department of Commerce
William McCall, Santee Cooper
Peden Brown McLeod, Jr., Bank of the Lowcountry
Carter McMillan, Charleston County Government
Brooks A. Melton, Beacon Community Bank
Campbell Mims, Tompkins Thompson & Brown Government Affairs
Christopher Austin Murphy, Samet Corporation
Jennifer Necker, South Carolina Department of Transportation
AJ Newton, South Carolina Technical College System
Trey Pennington, CBRE, Inc.
Sigrid Phinney, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division
Derrek Pugh, Richland County Council and United Cerebral Palsy of South Carolina
Edward Rawl, The Boeing Company
Mary Sale, Dominion Energy South Carolina
Richard Sturm, Ameris Bank
Chase Talbert, Bank of the Lowcountry
Erika D. Williams, The LINK Economic Development Alliance
John O. Williams II, Berkeley County Government
Erica Wright, Municipal Association of South Carolina
Saluda Zemp, South Carolina Governor’s Office
About South Carolina Ports
South Carolina Ports owns and operates marine terminals at the Port of Charleston and two rail-served inland ports in Greer and Dillon. As the 8th largest U.S. container port, SC Ports connects port-dependent businesses throughout the Southeast and beyond to global markets. SC Ports proactively invests in infrastructure ahead of demand to provide reliable service, efficient operations, cargo capacity, an expansive rail network and the deepest harbor on the East Coast at 52 feet. SC Ports is a vital economic engine for South Carolina, with port operations supporting 1 in 9 jobs statewide. Learn more: scspa.com.
