Sydney Gardner joins SC Bar Foundation as director of finance & development

The South Carolina Bar Foundation welcomed Sydney Gardner as its new director of finance & development.

It’s a new position at the Foundation, combining responsibility for both raising funds and managing them, according to Executive Director Olivia S. Jones.

“I’m excited about this dual role,” she said. “The most important thing that we do is manage funds and award grants to organizations making a difference in the lives of South Carolinians.” Both that and development are “very critical to our purpose and our mission.”

Gardner, who started with the foundation on Feb. 1, grew up in South Carolina, and graduated from Presbyterian College with a bachelor’s degree in political science and a minor in history in 2017. In 2021, she earned a master’s degree in public service and administration, graduating summa cum laude from the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University.

She has worked since 2021 with the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust, rising through the ranks to serve as both event manager and office manager. Before graduating from the Bush School, she was a summer volunteer recruitment and training intern with Richland County CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates).

“We’re really fortunate that we found her, because she has the background in finance, in addition to development, and has worked at nonprofits,” said Jones. “We want everyone to know what the Foundation is, and why it matters for people who are marginalized, forgotten – people who are outsiders. Sydney is the right person to help us make that happen.”

About the SC Bar Foundation

The South Carolina Bar Foundation promotes justice by funding legal access and education. It is the only statewide funding source contributing to those purposes. Since 1987, the Foundation has awarded more than $60 million to various law-related organizations and programs throughout South Carolina. Learn more: https://scbarfoundation.org/