DHEC Director to return to private sector
July 13, 2017
Catherine Heigel, Director of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), will rejoin Elliott Davis, a rapidly growing Southeast accounting and business advisory firm, as its Chief Operating Officer in August 2017.
“Catherine was instrumental in our strategic growth and we are thrilled to welcome her back to Elliott Davis,” said Rick Davis, Elliott Davis Managing Shareholder.
Heigel took over the helm of DHEC in June 2015 and has earned accolades for her transformational leadership of the agency. During her tenure, Heigel successfully led the agency in adopting its first strategic plan since 2005; she initiated major modernizations of critical systems and processes and worked to promote transparency in the agency’s operations. Under her direction, DHEC privatized its home health business, which resulted in continued employment for affected agency employees, uninterrupted care for its clients, and a financial gain for the state of South Carolina of $17.5 million. She promoted the recently-launched SC Adopt-a-Stream program with Clemson University to empower citizen volunteers to help monitor water quality in the state’s lakes, rivers and streams. Heigel also successfully managed major public health and environmental emergencies for the agency, including the October 2015 Flood and Hurricane Matthew in 2016.
“Catherine has been an exceptional leader for DHEC and we are grateful for the time she has taken to serve our state. She set a clear vision for the agency, built a talented executive leadership team, and instituted key fiscal, operational and governance protocols that will ensure the agency’s continued success into the future,” said Allen Amsler, DHEC Board Chairman.
Effective August 5, 2017, David E. Wilson, will serve as DHEC’s Acting Director until the Board can complete interviews for a permanent replacement. David has been with DHEC for 34 years serving in various roles, including most recently as a member of the executive leadership team in the role of Senior Director of Legislative Affairs.
ABOUT DHEC
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control is a state agency charged with promoting and protecting the health of the environment and the public in South Carolina. The agency has approximately 3,400 employees who work across the state to support a vision of healthy people living in healthy communities.
ABOUT ELLIOTT DAVIS
Headquartered in Greenville, SC, Elliott Davis Decosimo LLC/PLLC ranks among the top 30 accounting firms in the United States providing comprehensive assurance, tax and business consulting solutions to diverse businesses, organizations and individuals.
