Sustain SC and The Shi Institute at Furman University welcome the third class of SLI Fellows
September 18, 2023
Sustain SC and The Shi Institute for Sustainable Communities at Furman University are proud to announce the 2023-2024 class of Sustainability Leadership Initiative (SLI) fellows. It’s the third SLI class since the program’s 2021 launch in partnership between Sustain SC and the Furman University Shi Institute for Sustainable Communities. The new class of 26 participants will meet for the first time next month, marking the beginning of this program cycle, which spans eight months from October to April.
“This is our largest class of Fellows to date. The pool of applicants was amazing and signifies the importance sustainability is playing in the state of South Carolina,” said Ethel Bunch, Founder and CEO of Sustain SC. “This program has grown in so many ways and we’re thrilled to welcome this group of incredible talent who will pave the way for sustainability leadership in our state.”
The SLI focuses on developing the qualities leaders need to steer South Carolina through unprecedented changes in human and natural communities. Those selected to be part of the exclusive program make up a robust cross-boundary stakeholder network of state leaders with the knowledge, skills, and desire to collaborate and support each other in identifying pathways and executing solutions for a sustainable future.
“We are ecstatic this program has received such great interest by so many great candidates,” said Andrew Predmore, Executive Director of The Shi Institute for Sustainable Communities at Furman University. “We cannot wait to welcome this class of participants for this immersive experience and deep dive into sustainability and look forward to all the ways they’ll advance sustainability in our state.”
Upon completion of the SLI program, successful participants are certified as Sustainability Leadership Fellows for the next three years and remain part of an active and tight-knit network of sustainability leaders.
The 2023-2024 class included the following SLI Fellows:
• Joe Bailey, Schaeffler
• Gervais Baker, Lumenant, LLC.
• Brianna Bateman, U.S. Senator Tim Scott’s Office
• Megan Chase-Muller, Upstate Forever
• Eddie Cogdill, SC Department of Commerce
• Rick Crawford, Emerger Strategies
• Hunter Davis, Davis & Floyd
• Dr. Zenobia Edwards, I Am B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L., Inc.
• Erin Fisher, Boeing
• Tory Grayson, Water & Land Solutions
• Amanda Green, Colite
• Tyson Grinstead, Duke Energy
• Steve Harrison, Coastal Carolina University
• Rebecca Haynes, Audubon South Carolina
• Scott Hicks, Mark Anthony Brewing Company
• Elena Kenski, Hollingsworth, LLC.
• Nikki McDill, Mercedes Benz
• Nick Murray, First Tuesday Strategies
• Halle Price, BMW
• Kaitlyn Sagan, GEL Engineering
• Emily Skaggs, Milliken & Company
• Robert Strange, Greentree Land Management, LLC.
• John Tynan, Conservation Voters of South Carolina
• Geoff VanderVeen, AFL
• Stuart White, Congaree Land Trust
• Daryl Whitt, All4
About Sustain SC
Sustain SC is an economic development-driven organization that connects the sustainability goals of business in South Carolina with local solutions for the benefit of our economy, environment, and people.
About The Shi Institute for Sustainable Communities:
The Shi Institute for Sustainable Communities works at the intersection of socio-economic and ecological systems to tackle our most pressing sustainability challenges. The Institute places students and faculty at the heart of the work, making positive impacts through applied research, hands-on learning, and sustainability leadership training. The Institute builds on over a decade of proven success and national renown of the David E. Shi Center for Sustainability to envision a world that meets the needs of all people within the means of the living planet.
