Senator Katrina Shealy and Judge Merl Code to receive Riley Institute’s Statewide Leadership Awards
August 22, 2024
Honorees will be recognized at the Riley Institute at Furman’s eighteenth annual Riley-Wilkins OneSouthCarolina Legislative and Civic Leadership Awards Dinner
The Riley Institute at Furman University has announced that South Carolina Senator Katrina Shealy (R-Lexington Dist. 23) and Judge Merl Code will receive the 2025 Riley-Wilkins OneSouthCarolina Legislative and Civic Leadership Awards, respectively.
The awards recognize outstanding, principled leadership in South Carolina and honor the statesmanship of Dick Riley, former U.S. secretary of education and former two-term governor of South Carolina, and David Wilkins, former U.S. ambassador to Canada and former speaker of the South Carolina House.
Senator Katrina Shealy
“Governor Riley and Speaker Wilkins exemplified a commitment to working across the aisles to make our state a better place. These awards are given to move that spirit forward in the legislature and in the civic life of our state,” said Dr. Don Gordon, founding executive director of the Riley Institute. “Senator Shealy and Judge Code epitomize how leaders work cooperatively and collaboratively to make South Carolina a place where all South Carolinians, regardless of their background, can live and flourish.”
Senator Katrina Shealy has represented the 23rd District since 2013. When she was elected in 2012, she was the only woman in the South Carolina Senate. Throughout her tenure, Shealy has been an advocate for children and families, playing a leading role in juvenile justice reform and serving as the sponsor of legislation creating the Office of the Child Advocate in South Carolina. As chair of the Family and Veterans’ Services Committee; past chair of the Joint Citizens and Legislative Committee on Children; and member of the Finance, Corrections and Penology, Rules and Labor, Commerce and Industry committees, Senator Shealy has a proven record for working collaboratively to drive progress for South Carolinians.
Judge Merl Code
In addition to being Greenville’s first African American municipal court judge, Merl Code was the first African American to serve as chairman of the Greenville Chamber of Commerce. An entrepreneur and attorney, Judge Code has served on a number of community boards, including the Furman University Board of Trustees and BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Board of Directors, and he is a strong advocate for African American business development and social change. Judge Code has received many awards and honors, including the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina’s highest civilian award and the Compleat Lawyer Award by the South Carolina Bar Association.
The awards dinner honoring Shealy and Code will take place January 14, 2025, at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center. More details on the awards can be found at furman.edu/onesouthcarolina.
About the Riley Institute at Furman University
