Palmetto Place Kids Announces New Board Officers and Members

COLUMBIA, SC – Palmetto Place Children’s Shelter is pleased to announce the 2014 – 2015 Board Officers, and the new board members joining this year.

Marie Dieckmann of CBRE will serve as president; Allyson DeHart with The Hobbs Group will serve as treasurer and vice president; and Rodney McClure with AT&T will serve as secretary.  New board members are Trevor Knox, Billy McGee and Shawn Skillman.

Dieckmann has served on the Palmetto Place board for a number of years and is the past president of the Junior Woman’s Club of Columbia.

Knox, vice president of marketing and sales for Terminix, first became involved with Palmetto Place through the United Way Blueprint class. He began volunteering for Palmetto Place two years ago, through the Teen Life Skills Program, where he was able to teach teens about jobs with Terminix, interview skills and other professional skills.  Knox his F3 team were instrumental in promoting Palmetto Place on Midlands Gives Day.

McGee was born and raised in Columbia and enjoys working with organizations helping children who face challenges in their lives. In the past, McGee has served on the Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital Board and he continues to actively support its Camp Kemo program. McGee is a partner at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP, and has twice headed its annual United Way campaign. He has also provided support to local causes by providing pro bono legal services, such as preparing testamentary documents for first responders in Nelson Mullins’ Wills for Heroes Program, helping to establish a legal assistance clinic for homeless families, and serving as a Special Assistant Attorney General in the prosecution of criminal domestic violence cases.

Skillman, communications specialist with BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, has done a number of projects for Palmetto Place, including an article in their Giving Magazine, and planning for their spring 2013 employee campaign.

“One reason why Palmetto Place appealed to me was because of the short time I spent at the center while doing the article in Giving,” said Skillman.  “I understand that it’s a tough life for these kids and I appreciate the hard work that Palmetto Place is doing.”

Palmetto Place Children’s Shelter provides a safe and nurturing environment for abused and neglected children and unaccompanied youth, offering them a broad range of services concentrating on well-being, personal healing and development. The shelter is open 24 hours each day of the year with medical and mental health care, crisis adjustment/transitional counseling, after school tutoring and recreational and social activities in addition to food, clothing and shelter.

To learn more about Palmetto Place visit www.palmettoplaceshelter.org.  To request information on speakers, volunteer and donation needs, or to join our email/mailing list, please contact us at:

P.O. Box 3395, Columbia, SC 29230

(803) 786-6819

E-mail: [email protected]