S.C. Centers of Economic Excellence Review Board Welcomes New Member
November 12, 2007
COLUMBIA, SC – November 12, 2007 — At its recent meeting, the S.C. Centers of Economic Excellence (CoEE) Review Board welcomed a new member. Pamela Pace Lackey, president of AT&T South Carolina, was recently appointed to the CoEE Review Board by President Pro Tempore of the S.C. Senate Glenn McConnell.
The nine members of the CoEE Review Board oversee the operation of the CoEE program. The main responsibilities of the Review Board include determining whether applicants for endowment funds have met all proposal requirements, appointing expert panels to evaluate specific elements of applications for funds, and awarding endowment funds to applicants.
Prior to her role as president of AT&T South Carolina, Lackey served as director of government relations at AT&T South Carolina and was responsible for the company’s public policy initiatives in regulatory, legislative, and community affairs. She has been involved in leadership roles in numerous community and civic organizations, including the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, Palmetto Center for Women Business Advisory Committee, Junior League of Greenville and Columbia, and the SCETV Midlands Citizen’s Advisory Committee.
About the Program
The S.C. Centers of Economic Excellence Program was established by the South Carolina General Assembly in 2002, with $200 million appropriated from the South Carolina Education Lottery Account to fund the program through 2010.
The legislation authorizes the state’s three public research institutions, MUSC, Clemson, and USC, to use state funds to create Centers of Economic Excellence in research areas that will advance South Carolina’s economy.
Each Center of Economic Excellence is awarded from $2 million to $5 million in state funds, which must be matched on a dollar-for-dollar basis with non-state funds. The program also supports CoEE endowed chairs, world-renowned scientists who lead the Centers of Economic Excellence.
By investing in talent and technology, the CoEE Program is designed to fuel the state’s knowledge economy, resulting in higher-paying jobs and an improved standard of living in South Carolina.
About the CoEE Review Board
The CoEE Review Board consists of nine appointed members: three appointed by the Governor, three by the President Pro Tempore of the State Senate, and three by the Speaker of the State House of Representatives. The presidents of the state’s three research universities (Clemson University, the Medical University of South Carolina, and the University of South Carolina) also serve as ex-officio (non-voting) members of the Board. In addition to Lackey, appointed Board members include Paula Harper-Bethea (chair) of Bluffton, Donald Babb (vice-chair) of Ridgeway, Robert W. Pearce Jr.
(secretary) of Charleston, Ed McMullen of Columbia, Melvin Williams of Charleston, Patricia Wilson of Columbia, Keith Munson of Greenville, and J.
Lyles Glenn of Columbia.
For more information on the CoEE Program, visit www.sccoee.org.
