New Leadership at the Municipal Association of South Carolina

COLUMBIA, SC – September 27, 2008 –  A two-year leadership transition at the Municipal Association of SC winds up October 1 when Deputy Executive Director Miriam Hair takes over the top position as executive director at the statewide organization. The Association represents the state’s 270 cities and towns with a staff of 50 based in Columbia and field representatives covering the state.

Hair takes over leadership of the organization from Howard Duvall who retires October 1 after 21 years. Reba Campbell, the Association’s director of advocacy and communications, moves into the position of deputy executive director.

Rick Danner, mayor of Greer and president of the Municipal Association, said, “Miriam brings vision, talent and technical skill to this position. For the past two years, the Association has been through a deliberate transition process with Miriam and the staff. She and her team are well-positioned to lead the Association in its role of providing services to members as well as focusing on a shared agenda for the state’s competitiveness supported by cities and towns as the economic engines of our state.”

Hair came to the Association in 1985 after working in economic development for two years with the Upper Savannah Council of Governments. She became deputy executive director in 1998 and led the development of every major Association program and service during her tenure.

Hair started the institute that trains local elected officials and the Association’s ten affiliate organizations that train municipal staff. She has made the Association a national leader in technology development for the organization and its member cities. Hair’s responsibilities have also included oversight and development of the Association’s three insurance pools and its collection programs. Through these collection programs, the Association collects three types of business license taxes owed to cities and towns.

A native of Greenwood, Hair earned a bachelor’s degree in recreation and parks administration and a master’s in agricultural economics from Clemson University.

Reba Campbell, a native of Columbia and graduate of the University of South Carolina, will assume Hair’s position as deputy executive director.  Campbell joined the Association in 2005 with more than 20 years of experience in government relations, communications, management and policy development in South Carolina and Washington, DC. For the past three years, she has been responsible for the Association’s government relations, communications, interactive training, research and technical assistance programs.

The Municipal Association of South Carolina is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit Association of incorporated cities and towns dedicated to raising the standards of municipal government through a broad range of services.

For more information, go to http://www.masc.sc/.