Liberty Fellowship Announces 8th Class of Fellows

23 Leaders Chosen from throughout South Carolina

GREENVILLE, SC – June 15, 2011 –  There is a difference between successand significance. Liberty Fellowship’s newest class of Fellows,announced today, share a commitment to move beyond their individualsuccesses. On the cusp of significance, they are poised to takemeaningful action to make South Carolina a stronger state throughheightened leadership. 

Selected from over 300 nominations, the 23 Fellows cross a broad spectrum of careers, expertise and personal passions.

“Our eighth class is enormously impressive, reminding us of the qualityof leadership we have percolating in South Carolina,” commented HayneHipp, Liberty Fellowship Founder. “While they span a wide range ofthought and diversity of perspectives, these Fellows share a desire totake action to make South Carolina better.”

The Fellows will attend four rigorous seminars over a two-year periodwhere they will reflect on what they think makes a just society, therebydeepening knowledge, broadening perspectives and enhancing theircapacity to solve the problems leaders face. One of these seminars isthe Aspen Institute Globalization Seminar, where they will interact withother Fellows from around the world in locations such as South Africa,Costa Rica and India. Additionally, each Liberty Fellow commits to apersonal project that will have a positive impact at the state level.

“South Carolinians care deeply about this state,” commented ExecutiveDirector Jennie Johnson. “We saw that in the number and quality of ourFellow nominations this year, in the interest we have had in our Forumsand most markedly in the participation by 700 people at our Summit inColumbia last fall. Our newest class brings even more momentum to theseefforts to move South Carolina forward.”

These are the Fellows for the Class of 2013:

Forrest Alton is CEO of the South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy andleads a nationally recognized team of more than 35 people investing inour state’s most valuable resource – young people.

Forrest has been recognized as a state and national leader on theissue of adolescent sexual health and has authored or co-authorednumerous articles and publications on teen pregnancy prevention andrelated issues. He serves on the boards of the National Campaign toPrevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and the SC Association ofNon-Profit Organizations. He is a graduate of the Riley DiversityLeadership Institute and serves as a “big brother” in BBBS of GreaterColumbia.

Forrest earned his Master of Public Health from the University ofSouth Carolina – Arnold School of Public Health, where he was namedAlumni of the Year in 2011. He received his Bachelor of Science fromCoastal Carolina University where he also has been named a DistinguishedAlumnus. Forrest lives in Columbia.

Cameron Blazer is an Assistant Federal Public Defender for the District of SouthCarolina and an Adjunct Professor at the Charleston School of Law. Priorto law school, she was an Academic Advisor and Director of Publicationsfor the South Carolina Honors College.

Cameron also owns Cottage Industrialist, a company devoted to theintersection of the modern family with handmade food, craft and design.Through the company, she runs an interactive website and blog as well asmarkets sustainably produced textiles.

Cameron volunteers in voter protection legal services and is on theboard of PURE Theatre. She earned her Juris Doctor magna cum laude fromthe Charleston School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts and Sciences magnacum laude in Interdisciplinary Studies from the South Carolina HonorsCollege at the University of South Carolina, Phi Beta Kappa. Cameron’shome is on Johns Island.

Patrick (Pat) Cawley, M.D.,is Chief Medical Officer for the Medical University of South Carolina(MUSC) Medical Center. He also is an entrepreneur and hospitalconsultant. Prior to working at MUSC, Pat was Chief of Staff at ConwayMedical Center and co-founder of the first hospital medicine program atDuke University Medical Center.

Pat has served on multiple boards including the Institute forInteractive Patient Care, Society of Hospital Medicine and ScrantonPreparatory School. He also is a member of the Portfolio ProjectAdvisory Council for the National Center for Healthcare Leadership;Health Sciences of South Carolina, Quality Committee; and the DiabetesInitiative of South Carolina. He has served as a volunteer physician atnumerous sites.

Pat earned his Master of Business Administration from the Universityof Massachusetts, his M.D. from the Georgetown University School ofMedicine and his Bachelor of Science cum laude in Biology & Businessfrom the University of Scranton. He lives in Mt. Pleasant.

Scott Clark is Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for MichelinNorth America where he is responsible for their largest operating unit –the passenger and light truck business.

Scott has held several positions with Michelin, including VicePresident of Sales and Marketing (Europe) and Senior Vice President(Asia Pacific). Prior to joining Michelin, he was Group Director for allfamily cereal, snacks and new products for Ralston Purina. Scott is onthe board of the Greenville Symphony Orchestra. He previously served onthe Christ Church Episcopal Bishop’s Committee in France and was a youthathletic coach in Singapore. He earned his Master of Business from theJohn M. Olin School of Business, Washington University, and his Bachelorof Science in Accounting from Washington University. Scott resides inGreenville.

Scott Cochran is Dean of the Center for Professional Excellence at Wofford Collegewhere he directs programs in leadership, career passion discovery,consulting and entrepreneurship. Previously, Scott was Vice President ofMarketing, Technology, and Credit Card Services for UPS CapitalCorporation and worked with GMAC Financial Services in a variety ofsenior executive roles in the U.S. and Germany.

Scott has developed several programs for students that help themdiscover their strengths and design career strategies that aligniththeir passions. His expertise is in exploring the relationship betweenthe academic preparation students receive at the undergraduate andgraduate levels and the realities of the marketplace and the professionsfor which students are being prepared. Scott earned his Master ofBusiness Administration from Duke University’s Fuqua School ofBusiness,where he was a GM Fellow, and his Bachelor of Arts in Economicscum laude from Wofford College. He lives in Spartanburg.

Andrea Cooper is a community activist, concentrating in the areas of health and theenvironment. She serves on the Executive Board and is a Partner in ZiffProperties, Inc. where she previously was Director of Leasing, Directorof Acquisitions and Property Management Specialist.

Andrea served with the United States Agency for InternationalDevelopment in Sierra Leone, West Africa, assisting the Sierra Leoneangovernment with
a statistics project intended to decrease the number ofsoldiers participating in the civil war. She is on the Executive Boardof the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League and is activelyinvolved in developing wellness programs in public and private schoolsin Charleston.

Andrea earned her Bachelor of Arts in Art History from the Universityof Colorado and her CPM designation from the Institute of Real EstateManagement. She also attended the Parson’s School of Design and TheAmerican University of Paris. Her home is on Sullivan’s Island.

David Cote is Assistant Vice President and Assistant Treasurer with BlueCrossBlueShield of South Carolina where he has served in a variety offinancial roles over his 18-year career. His current responsibilitiesinclude managing cash and investments, bank relationships andoperational administration of the Corporate Treasury Department for theparent company and more than 40 subsidiaries.

David is president of the board of Senior Resources, Inc., anon-profit organization that provides services and resources to promotehealthy, independent living to senior citizens. He is a former boardmember of the Congaree Land Trust and the South Carolina TreasuryManagement Association and is a graduate of Leadership Columbia.

David earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from theUniversity of South Carolina. He holds the designations of CertifiedTreasury Professional, Professional – Academy of Healthcare Management,Health Insurance Associate, and Fellow — Life Management Institute. Helives in Columbia.

Tameika Isaac Devine is a Founding Partner in the law firm of Jabber & Isaac where shepractices in the areas of real estate, probate and businesstransactions. Prior to forming her own firm, she was Assistant AttorneyGeneral in the South Carolina Attorney General’s  Office.

Tameika serves on the Columbia City Council and was the firstAfrican-American female to serve and the first African-American to beelected At-Large. She participates on numerous boards and commissions,including the Executive Committee of EngenuitySC; board of the AmericanRed Cross; past member of the Board of Visitors for Columbia College andthe board of Junior Achievement. She also developed and spearheadsColumbia’s annual National Youth Violence Prevention Week activities andthe citywide wellness programs.

Tameika earned her Juris Doctor from the University of South CarolinaSchool of Law and her Bachelor of Science in Business Management fromHampton University. Her home is in Columbia.

Jermaine Husser is Executive Director of LowcountryFood Bank in Charleston, an organization that distributes close to 18million pounds of food to the disadvantaged in the ten-county Lowcountryarea. He began at the food bank as Agency Relations Coordinator.

Jermaine is heavily involved in the community and serves on theNational Action Committee for Feeding America; South Carolina Food BankAssociation (past chair); Crisis Ministries Board; Trident TechnicalCollege Foundation Board and Rotary Club of Charleston (past president).He is a graduate of Leadership Charleston and a mentor for NorthCharleston students. He recently served on Governor Nikki Haley’sTransition Team.

Jermaine earned a degree in General Management from Trident Technical College and lives in North Charleston.

Daniel (Dan) Johnson is Solicitor, Fifth Judicial Circuit, Richland and Kershaw Counties. Hepreviously served in the Richland County Sheriff’s Office as ChiefDeputy and General Counsel. Dan continues to serve in the United StatesArmy Reserves at Fort Jackson in the Judge Advocate General Corp, 12thLegal Support Organization, with whom he served in Iraqi Freedom.

Dan has been awarded The Order of the Palmetto and is on the boardsof the Citadel Brigadier Foundation, the Domestic Abuse Center and YouthCorps. He has coached youth recreational football for 17 years,incorporating weekly discussions on leadership and professionalstandards with the athletes.

Dan earned his Juris Doctor from the University of South CarolinaSchool of Law and his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from TheCitadel. He also earned 18 graduate hours towards his MAT in History atThe Citadel. A Columbia resident, he is a graduate of the South CarolinaCriminal Justice Academy and the Police Advisors Legal TrainingProgram.

Craig Kinley is CEO and Principal of WiProwess, a start-up company focusing on thefield of alternative energy, including the creation, transfer andmanagement of energy using conductive, inductive, direct RF, andnanotechnology. WiProwess is known for the recent introduction ofmultiple charging capabilities for electronic devices in one unit.

Craig’s prior experience includes Senior VP of Engineering andNetwork Operations as well as roles in research, development andimplementation for Sprint affiliates. He is active and/or on the boardof YEScarolina Upstate, Anderson Arts Council, the NEXT Monthly CEO BestPractices Program, Junior Achievement and Ten at the Top. Previously heparticipated in the DePaul University mentor program and the ReadingOne on One Program in Chicago. Craig earned his Master of Jurisprudencein Business Law from the Loyola School of Law and his Bachelor of Artsin Telecommunications Planning and Development from DePaul University.His home is in Anderson.

William (Bill) Logan, Jr. M.D.,is Medical Director, Clinical Integration for Geriatrics at PalmettoHealth. He also is Associate Professor of Clinical Internal Medicine andGeriatrics at the USC School of Medicine; Associate Medical Director,Greenville Hospital System; and Adjunct Professor of Public HealthSciences, Clemson University.

Bill is widely published and is a frequent speaker on the topic ofhealthcare for the aging population. He serves on the boards of VictoryHarvest Church Ministries and Mongolia Asia Reach. He also has served asthe director of Rivers Foundation, Inc.

Bill earned his M.D. from the University of North Carolina School ofMedicine; his Masters of Health Sciences in Clinical Research, DukeUniversity; and his Bachelor of Arts in Biology with honors from theUniversity of North Carolina. He completed an Internal MedicineResidency at University of North Carolina Hospitals and a GeriatricsFellowship at Duke VA Medical Center and Center for the Study of Aging.Bill lives in Greer.

Brian McSharry is COO and Founder of SAGE Automotive Interiors, which spun off fromMilliken in 2009 and has recently been acquired by Gores Group. Prior tofounding SAGE, Brian had a successful career with Milliken where hemost recently was Leader of the Corporate Strategy/Growth Team focusingon the global cost competitiveness initiative in North and SouthAmerica, Asia and Europe. His other previous positions with Millikeninclude Director of Global Manufacturing Strategy for North America;Director of Automotive Expansion; Director of Operations – MillikenAutomotive Europe and Director of Manufacturing in addition to severalother roles within the textile operations of the company.

Brian serves on the Advisory Coun
cil at Furman, working with them ontheir sustainability initiative. He is active in his church andvolunteers with Creating Artists for Tomorrow, an art studio forchildren started by his wife. Brian earned his Bachelor of Science inChemistry from Furman University and resides in Greenville.

Amy Picklesimer, M.D., is the Medical Director ofthe Greenville Hospital System Obstetric Center and a maternal-fetalmedicine specialist. She received her undergraduate degree fromPrinceton University and her obstetrical training from Baylor College ofMedicine in Houston, Texas. She completed a fellowship inmaternal-fetal medicine at the University of North Carolina School ofMedicine and received a MSPH from the UNC School of Public Health.

Amy has dedicated her career to providing vulnerable women with themedical and social support they need to have a healthy pregnancy. Inaddition to her role at the GHS OB Center, she serves as the medicaldirector of the Greenville County Nurse-Family Partnership program andthe medical director of the Greenville County Perinatal Awareness forSuccessful Outcomes Hispanic outreach and advocacy group. A Greerresident, Amy is actively engaged with community partners, including theSouth Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, UnitedWay and the March of Dimes.

Jason Premo is CEO and Co-owner of ADEX Machining Technologies, a Greenville-basedmanufacturer of ultra-high precision prototypes and productioncomponents for the aerospace, defense and energy industries. He startedhis career with Universal Studios as a process engineer and then movedto Avery Dennison where he was a project engineer on large capitalprojects all over the world.

Jason serves on the board of Greenville Technical College Foundationwhere he also has worked to implement one of South Carolina’s approvedapprenticeship programs for precision engineering. He is a past chair ofthe Georgia Tech Alumni Association. Jason is on the board ofGreenville County Museum of Art (vice president) and The Commerce Club,is an executive committee member for the American Heart AssociationHeart Ball and is a senior examiner for the Presidential MalcolmBaldridge National Quality Award. He earned his Bachelor of Science inIndustrial Systems Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technologyand resides in Greenville.

Sue-Ann (Susie) Gerald Shannon is Director of Research for the Palmetto Institute and an attorney withthe McNair Law Firm in Columbia. She has taught law-related classes atMidlands Technical College and the University of South Carolina Schoolof Law as well as presented at continuing legal education seminars.Susie served in the U.S. Army Reserves and participated in the Gulf War.Her community activities include Young Leaders Society and the PublicPolicy Committee of the United Way of the Midlands. She is a boardmember of SCANPO and has served on the SC Workforce Innovation Team andon the board of Prevent Child Abuse. Additionally,

Susie was instrumental in bringing to South Carolina The Benefit BankProgram and Teach for America. Susie earned her Juris Doctor cum laudefrom the University of South Carolina School of Law and her Bachelor ofScience in Criminal Justice from the University of South Carolina. Shelives in Columbia.

Windsor Westbrook Sherrill is Associate Professor inthe Department of Public Health Sciences, College of Health Educationand Human Development at Clemson University. She teaches in the areas ofhealth services administration and finance. In her healthadministration career, she has served as Assistant Hospital Director andAdministrative Fellow at the Medical College of Georgia and has been ahealth management consultant with numerous healthcare organizations.

Windsor’s research areas are health systems delivery and evaluation,medical education and cancer education. Her work has been focused onimproving health education and services to underserved populations,particularly Latinos and women. She serves as the Faculty Representativeto the Clemson University Board of Trustees.

Windsor earned her doctorate in Health Policy from the FlorenceHeller School of Brandeis University. Shehas a Master of Health Administration and Master of BusinessAdministration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and anundergraduate degree from Wake Forest University. She lives in Clemson.

James Simmons, M.D.,started his private practice, All Children’s Pediatrics, in 2004.Previously he was Chief of Pediatrics of Beaufort Jasper HamptonComprehensive Health Services and Chair of the Department of Pediatricsat Beaufort Memorial Hospital. James serves as a physician member of theBeaufort Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees and is the Chairman of itsQuality Assurance Committee as well as a member of the Board GovernanceCommittee. He also is Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at theMedical University of South Carolina.

James is the Founder and Medical Director of Reach Back and ReadLiteracy Program, which partners with elementary schools to bringprofessionals to schools weekly to read to students. He has completedmedical missionary work in Kenya and was named the South CarolinaPrimary Health Care Association Provider of the Year. He also receivedthe Benedict College Club Award of Excellence for Community Service.James earned his M.D. from the University of Pittsburgh and his Bachelorof Science in Biology from Morehouse College. His home is in Beaufort.

Tiffany Spann-Wilder is Sole Proprietor, Spann-Wilder Law Firm, LLC, and TV Host of the“Judge T Show” on Comcast. Previously she was Law Clerk to The Hon.Matthew J. Perry, Jr.; Associate Judge, North Charleston MunicipalCourt; and Honors Attorney – Advisor, U.S. Department of Justice –Federal Bureau of Prisons Division. Additionally, she was Captain withthe Judge Advocate General’s Corp, U.S. Army Reserves.

Tiffany has been awarded the USC School of Law Compleat Lawyer SilverAward and is a Lawyers Weekly Magazine Leadership in Law Recipient. Sheis on the boards of South Carolina Legal Services, Chicora ElementaryEagles Foundation Board (chair), Owens Christian Academy PTA (executiveboard), Charleston Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. and DeltaSigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Tiffany earned her Juris Doctor from the University of South CarolinaSchool of Law and her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology cum laude fromWinthrop University Honors Program. She is an Honors Graduate of theFederal Law Enforcement Training Center and lives in North Charleston.

Benjamin Wall is Managing Partner, President andCo-founder of WJ Partners, LLC, a private investment firm focused onlower middle-market companies in the Southeast. His prior experienceincludes Director of Sales with OTO Development, a national hoteldeveloper and operator; Associate with Endurance Capital Management, aprivate equity investment firm focused on the financial services sector;and Financial Analyst with Goldman Sachs in the Investment BankingDivision and the GS Strategy Group in the Office of the Chairman.

Benjamin serves on the Board of Trustees for Converse College (vicechairman), the board of Spartanburg Regional Health System Foundationand the board of Glenn Springs Academy (chairman). A resident ofSpartanburg, he earned his Master of Business Administration fromHarvard Business School and his Bachelor of Arts in History fromDavidson
College.

Walt Wilkins is Solicitor, Thirteenth JudicialCircuit, Greenville and Pickens Counties. His prior legal experienceincludes United States Attorney, District of South Carolina; AssistantUnited States Attorney; Associate, Leatherwood, Walker, Todd & Mannlaw firm; and Staff Attorney, Lockheed Martin Aircraft – Argentina.

Walt’s community activities include The Downtown Symphony Club, YoungPhilanthropists of United Way and teaching Spanish to law enforcementofficers as Adjunct Professor at Greenville Technical College. Hereceived the United States Secret Service Award for OutstandingProsecution and the United States Attorney’s Awards for OutstandingProsecution and Contribution to the Asset Forfeiture Program. He wasnamed Young Lawyer of the Year by the American Board of Trial Advocates.

Walt earned his Juris Doctor from the University of South CarolinaSchool of Law and his Bachelor of Arts with a double major in Spanishand Government from Wofford College. His home is in Greenville.

Vicki Young, Ph.D.,is Department Head for Clinical Quality Improvement with the SouthCarolina Primary Care Association  (SCPHCA). Prior to joining theSCPHCA, she served as Assistant Dean for Student Affairs at the SouthCarolina College of Pharmacy – USC Campus and provided consultingservices to various entities including the Institute for Partnerships toEliminate Health Disparities, Baptist Educational and MissionaryConvention of South Carolina, Columbia Urban League, Applied HealthOutcomes, and National Direct Diabetic Supply Company.

Vicki is an active supporter of the Columbia Urban League and NAACP.She also is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority – Columbia AlumnaeChapter and serves on various advisory committees for other communityorganizations. Vicki earned her Doctor of Philosophy in PharmaceuticalSciences and Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from the University ofSouth Carolina and her Bachelor of Science in Mathematics cum laude fromWofford College. She completed additional studies for Doctor ofMedicine at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine andlives in Columbia.

Mindelle Ziff is Founder and President of Kaleidoscope Marketing Group and recognizedas a national leader in marketing for youth and family audiences.Specializing in education, cause, and lifestyle marketing, she has builtan agency that powers corporate social responsibility for Fortune 500companies, government agencies and non-profits. Her clients include Bic,CDC, Coca-Cola, Johnson & Johnson, McDonald’s, Mattel, Nissan, SeaWorld, Shutterfly, Unilever and Universal. In 2006, Omnicom Worldwideacquired a majority interest in Kaleidoscope.

Prior to launching the agency, Mindelle worked in New York City forinternational advertising agencies DDB Needham, D’Arcy Masius Benton& Bowles, and Lowe and Partners/SMS.

A Charleston native, Mindelle has been an active board member of theChildren’s Museum of the Lowcountry and the Sullivan’s Island ElementarySchool Wellness Committee. She is a graduate of the University of NorthCarolina at Chapel Hill.

While Liberty Fellowship accepts nominations year-round, February 1is the deadline for nominations for the next class. For moreinformation, to nominate someone or to join a Forum, go to www.libertyfellowshipsc.org.