Blair Belk has worked on the Public Affairs, Communications and Sustainability Team at Coca-Cola Consolidated since 2017. During this time, she has worked primarily as the Community Engagement Manager covering the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, now she is the government relations manager covering South Carolina. Educated at the University of South Carolina, and the University of North Florida, Belk resides in Charlotte, NC.

Jennifer Calabria is the Director of Land Development for Pacolet Milliken. She joined Pacolet Milliken in May 2018 to master plan the Drayton Mills community. Since then, her responsibilities continue to include managing Pacolet Milliken’s land portfolio, determining highest and best uses for each of the land holdings, positioning the assets for development or sale, and executing those plans, as appropriate.

Jennifer serves as the primary liaison between Pacolet and various state and local economic organizations in areas where Pacolet has land holdings. Jennifer also spearheads the community impact and environmental sustainability efforts for the Pacolet Milliken family of companies.

Prior to joining Pacolet Milliken, Jennifer worked in business development in various real estate development-related fields in the southeast. With an undergraduate degree form Furman University and graduate degrees in landscape architecture and city/regional planning, both from Clemson University, Jennifer also has experience working in municipal planning departments. Jennifer has spent her entire career contributing to the creation of well-designed, functional, and memorable places for people to live, work and play.

As President and CEO, Thurston (Trip) L. Chavis, III is responsible for running all facets of Milliken Forestry Company. Trip has over 27 years of experience in the industry focusing early on technology advancements and innovative timber inventory solutions for Milliken. Recently Trip has led Milliken to broaden the scope of services at Milliken to include Nature-Based solutions to corporate sustainability and a comprehensive portfolio approach to land management to include complimentary efforts like carbon, solar and others. In 2010 Trip was promoted to VP of Operations and was responsible for business development and field operations. In 2014, Trip was selected to lead Milliken as the Chief Executive Officer. Residing in Chapin, SC, Trip is married to Melissa and together have a son, Wrye, born in 2003. Trip and his family are members of Lake Murray Presbyterian Church where Trip is an Elder. Trip is current Chairman of the South Carolina Association of Consulting Foresters, current VP of the Congaree Land Trust, member of the Forestry Association of South Carolina and is a representative on the South Carolina Foresters Council. Trip earned a B.S., Forest Resource Management from Clemson University in 1994.

Ashley Demosthenes, President and CEO, and lifelong resident of Charleston, began her formal conservation career in 1998 with The Nature Conservancy in South Carolina. She worked for sixteen years negotiating local, state and federal land acquisition projects and conservation easements across the state. Ashley became Lowcountry Land Trust’s first Director of Conservation in 2013, managing the conservation and land stewardship program for the Trust. In March of 2015, Ashley was promoted to President & CEO. Ashley oversees the entire operation of the Trust with a special emphasis on strategic conservation leadership, fundraising and public policy. Ashley graduated with a B.A. in Environmental Studies from the University of Vermont. She is a Liberty Fellow from the class of 2019, serves on the Land Trust Alliance Leadership Council, and leads the South Carolina Land Trust Network as a Board member. She is deeply rooted in the Lowcountry where she and her husband and three children live, work, and play.

Julia is currently the Policy Director for Audubon South Carolina, advancing pragmatic, bipartisan conservation policy, with a focus on mitigating the impacts of climate change. She recently completed Leadership Greenville and volunteers in the community with the Junior League. Prior to working in South Carolina, she was Acting Director of the newly created Office of Environmental Accountability and Transparency at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and worked with Florida’s first Chief Science Officer. Before that, she served under two Florida Governors as Environmental Policy Coordinator and Deputy Chief of Staff, leading conservation, energy and other environmentalrelated policy and budget initiatives. She got her start at Conservation International and the Sea Turtle Conservancy. She holds a graduate degree in Forest Resources and Conservation with a concentration in Ecological Restoration and an undergraduate degree in Environmental Science, both from University of Florida.

Stinson Woodward Ferguson returned to Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A. (HSB) in January 2020 as Special Counsel, practicing in the areas of environmental law, corporate sustainability, and utility litigation. Additionally, she is an Assistant Presiding Municipal Judge for the City of Greenville. Prior to returning to HSB, she was the South Carolina Energy Staff Attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) in Charleston. Before being promoted to Staff Attorney, she served as an Associate Attorney for SELC, focusing on both energy and water law and policy issues. She is a licensed funeral director (previously Director of Organizational Development and Treasurer) for the J.W. Woodward Funeral Home, Inc. Founded by Stinson’s great-grandfather in 1916, it is the oldest, black, family-owned business in Spartanburg.

She previously served as Director of the Pro Bono Program for the South Carolina Bar. Prior to her leadership at the Bar, she worked as an Associate Attorney at HSB. Her practice focused on environmental matters, construction and utility litigation, commercial dispute litigation, and collections management, advising and representing construction and utility companies, lending institutions, and healthcare providers. Prior to joining HSB, she clerked for the Honorable Kristi L. Harrington, South Carolina Circuit Court, Ninth Judicial Circuit. She also worked for the SC Environmental Law Project in Pawleys Island as a Public Interest Fellow.

In 2021, she earned her Certificate in Sustainable Management from Duke University. In 2020, she earned her Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification from Purdue University. In 2012, she received her Masters of Environmental Law (LL.M.), summa cum laude, from Vermont Law School, with a concentration in Energy Law and Policy. She earned her J.D. from the University of Georgia in 2010, where she was the recipient of the School of Law’s Public Interest Fellowship. She received her B.A. in French, magna cum laude, from Converse College in 2007. Greenville Business Magazine recognized her in 2020 and 2021 as a Legal Elite Honoree in the area of Environmental Law. She is a 2017 graduate of the Greenville Health System (now Prisma) Medical Scholars Program. In 2016, she was named Rotarian of the Year by the Rotary Club of Greenville. In 2015, she graduated from both the Furman University Women’s Leadership Institute and the SC Bar Leadership Academy. In 2014, she was named one of Converse College’s 125 Outstanding Alumnae; Lawyers of Color, Inc. recognized her as one of their “Hot List” of 100 outstanding minority attorneys under 40-years-old; and she became a Riley Fellow of the Diversity Leaders Institute at Furman University.

She currently serves on the Board for Ten at The Top (“TATT”), which seeks to foster trust and collaboration through partnerships and cooperation that impacts economic vitality and quality of life across Upstate South Carolina. In 2020, she was appointed by Greenville City Council to serve on the Green Ribbon Advisory Committee, which advises City Council on ways to develop and improve sustainability throughout Greenville.

She has previously served full terms on numerous Boards of Directors, including the Converse College Alumnae Association; the Rotary Club of Greenville; Upstate Mediation Center (Vice Chair), Warehouse Theatre; and the Greenville Housing Authority (Vice Chair). She previously served as both a 13th and 7th Judicial Circuit Representative in the SC Bar House of Delegates; and as the inaugural Chair of the SC Bar Diversity Committee. She is a skilled and accomplished author – having been published both internationally and nationally by the American Bar Association; South Carolina Lawyer Magazine; the McGill International Journal of Sustainable Development Law and Policy; the Upstate Business Journal; and the Seattle Environmental Law Journal.

Chantal Fryer serves as Deputy Director of Business Services with the SC Department of Commerce. Business Services is the “service after the sale” division for Commerce and in her roles, she helps oversee existing industry, recycling, supplier outreach, small business and disaster preparedness resources for companies across the state. Known for S.C.’s recycling industry intel, authentic leadership, and being a dot-connector, Chantal has over 20 years state government experience. Chantal’s prior experience includes working for the South Carolina Energy Office focusing on alternative fuels and energy efficiency, the Governor’s Office working in the Executive Office and Cabinet Affairs programs and the Budget and Control Board’s Executive Director’s office assisting with the Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany sister-state relationship as well as the Board’s mentoring program. Chantal received her Master’s in Public Administration from the University of South Carolina. She holds the Certified Public Manager and Certified Recycling Professional credentials. Chantal hails from the coast, and any long weekend, you can find her enjoying a day at a Carolina’s beach.

Lilyn Hester is Google’s Head of Southeast External Affairs and Government Relations, leading the public policy, government and community relations efforts in the region. Lilyn is a proud Army brat who has North Carolina and South Carolina ties. She has lived in Columbia (home of her mother), Beaufort and Charleston, SC. Lilyn is a former journalist and communications professional. She is also an avid gardener and writer of black Southern folklore. In SC, Lilyn is a member of the Charleston Regional Development Alliance Board of Directors and the Charleston Digital Corridor’s Board of Directors. She is the Chairwoman for NC Business Committee for Education and is a board member for the Triangle Community Foundation and the Durham Chamber of Commerce. She’s a graduate of Jordan High School in Durham and UNC-Charlotte.

Based in Greenville, Rob is an Sr. VP with Avison Young, a full service commercial real estate services firm with 124 offices globally. Rob’s professional focus is industrial real estate brokerage he has a passions for adaptive-reuse redevelopment of historic industrial buildings. He has spent time working to preserve near-urban wilderness tracts in the upstate of South Carolina. He is proud to serve on the board of Sustain SC, is a Liberty Fellow and has served on boards relating to sustainability and conservation.

Rob grew up in Caracas, Venezuela and Nashville, TN and he went to The University of the South: Sewanee for undergrad, and Emory Goizueta Business School for his MBA. Outside of work and parenting his and Katie’s 3 kids, Rob has a hard time sitting still. His primary hobbies are trail running, mountain biking, whitewater kayaking, surfing, sailing, traveling with family and friends, and getting his family into (and out of) the woods as often as possible.

Rob is over-the-moon excited and grateful at the opportunity to make an impact in SC as part of the SLI class of ’21.

Tom Hutto is a Principal and Professional Geologist at GEL Engineering, LLC with over 34 years of experience leading complex environmental and industrial projects. Typical projects include due diligence investigations, industrial site development, soil and groundwater assessment and remediation, dredge and waterfront permitting and management, brownfield redevelopments, and wetlands mitigation. Tom focuses on bringing private and government stakeholders together to achieve positive outcomes. Tom also serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Lowcountry Land Trust, Mayor Pro Tem of the Town of Meggett, and Vice-Chairman of the Board of Sustain SC.

Susan Johnson, Ph.D. is the Director of Health Promotion at the Medical University of South Carolina. She received her undergraduate degree from UNC Charlotte, master’s degree from The Citadel and Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina. She is also founder and CEO of Vimcity, LLC, a worksite wellness firm, and co-founder and director of the Charleston Healthy Business Challenge. Prior to joining MUSC, Dr. Johnson held faculty appointments at Duke University and Charleston Southern, and served as an adjunct professor at the Citadel. In her current position, she provides leadership in the development of a comprehensive and collaborative approach to promoting health to students, employees, patients, and the external community and holds a faculty appointment in the College of Health Professions.

Dr. Johnson has conducted numerous presentations and speaking engagements at the local, state and national level and is active in supporting health-promoting and environmentally focused organizations. She currently serves as board member for the Bee Cause, the MUSC Arboretum and the Lowcountry Land Trust. She also serves as an appointed member of Trident Technical College Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts Advisory Committee, Citadel School of Science and Mathematics Advisory Council, Lowcountry Land Trust Business Leadership Council, Carolinas Heat Health Coalition, Sustain SC Corporate Membership Network, City of Charleston Wellness Advisory Committee, PowerPlant SC and SC7 planning committees, and the SC Department of Veterans Affairs Stakeholder Committee. Her work at MUSC has also been recognized through multiple prevention awards and publications, both locally and nationally.

Susan currently resides in Mount Pleasant with her two daughters and in her spare time she enjoys running, hiking, and camping in the beautiful South Carolina Lowcountry.

Danny Kassis is the General Manager of Strategic Partnerships and Renewable Energy for Dominion Energy South Carolina. His leadership and oversight includes customer sited and utility scale renewable energy strategy, customer service engineering, lighting, right-of-way, demand side management, and large customer accounts. Kassis has worked in the utility business for almost 35 years, and has held the top operating position in both the gas and electric businesses in the Charleston area during his career.

Kassis graduated from Clemson University in 1986 with a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, and is a registered professional engineer in the state of South Carolina. He currently serves as a member of Clemson’s Board of Visitors, and served as the Chairman for the 2018- 2019 term. Kassis also currently serves on the Economic Leadership Council for the Charleston Regional Development Alliance and as a Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond Charleston Industry Roundtable member. Kassis previously served on the board of the Clemson University Foundation.

Kassis has served on boards of various nonprofit and business boards including the Executive Association of Greater Charleston, the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, Bon Secours Saint Francis Hospital, MUSC Hollings Cancer Center Advisory Board, and Communities and Schools. Kassis became a Riley Fellow in 2020 when he graduated from Furman University’s Riley Institute Diversity Leaders Program.

Maurie Lawrence currently serves as Sustainability Director, Associate General Counsel of Milliken & Company, headquartered in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Milliken is one of only seven companies to earn World’s Most Ethical Companies designation every year since the honor’s inception.

Prior to joining Milliken, Ms. Lawrence assisted clients with regulatory and transactional matters in private practice as a shareholder with Wyche, P.A. Her responsibilities increased at Wyche to include service as Chairperson.

Ms. Lawrence received her undergraduate degree from Smith College with high honors and her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center. She currently serves on the boards of Piedmont Health Foundation, Public Education Partners, Clement’s Kindness, the Greenville Housing Fund and the City of Greenville’s Public Facilities Corporation.

She has been recognized for achievements by Chambers USA, Best & Brightest Under 35 by Greenville Magazine, South Carolina Super Lawyers, South Carolina Lawyers Weekly, YWCA, CREW Upstate and Who’s Who in the Upstate of South Carolina.

I am Jennifer Mapes and have worked for Milliken & Co. and Sage Automotive Interiors for over 24 years. I graduated from Clemson University with a B.S. in chemical engineering in 1997. Over the years, I have worked in multiple roles in manufacturing including production manager, process improvement manager and quality support leader. Nearly 17 years ago, I was placed in the role of environmental engineer at the Abbeville facility and found my calling in the environmental field. Currently, I have international responsibility for our locations as Global Corporate Environmental Engineer overseeing ISO 14001 certification, regulatory compliance, and sustainability initiatives.

I was born and raised in St. Matthews, South Carolina and have resided in the Upstate of South Carolina since graduating college. I am blessed to be the mother of three daughters and a son. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family, weight training, hiking, running and cheering on the South Carolina Gamecocks.

Being a native South Carolinian and raising my children here gives me ultimate motivation for conservation and sustainable solutions for our state. I want South Carolina to continue to provide future generations with what makes our state so unique from the mountains to the beautiful beaches.

Mark Messersmith is the environmental manager for the South Carolina Ports Authority. He is a biologist with about 20 years of experience in environmental management, environmental impact assessments for largescale projects, and project management. He is a Certified Environmental Manager and is responsible for environmental permitting aspects related to large scale construction projects, as well as operational aspects for all facilities operated by SC Ports Authority. He has secured numerous grants for equipment upgrades and infrastructure improvement projects. He earned his bachelor’s degree in 2001 from Old Dominion University and his master’s degree in 2007 from College of Charleston. Mr. Messersmith was named one of the 2016 “40 Under 40” honorees by the Charleston Regional Business Journal and is a graduate of the Charleston Chamber of Commerce’s 2016 Leadership Charleston program.

Anne-Marie is an experienced leader who is devoted to helping organizations and those around her grow. Passionate about writing and storytelling, she earned a BA in Communications and Creative Writing from Vanderbilt. After a stint in brand management, Anne-Marie received her Master’s in Social Work, focusing on organizational administration. Seeking to use her experience to serve her community, she has held leadership and volunteer roles in non-profits across the Southeast, including the Junior League and CREW. Anne-Marie currently oversees the Communications, Contracts, and Administration departments for the largest division of Harper General Contractors, an ENR Top 200 Environmental Firm. In this role, she develops the strategic plan for her departments and is actively engaged in the corporate sustainability initiative. Anne-Marie lives in Davidson, NC, with her husband, Mark, and their daughters, Addy (4yo) and Josie Grace (1yo).

Cassidy Evans Murphy has been advocating for farmers with the Government Relations team at South Carolina Farm Bureau since 2017. Cassidy moved to Columbia, SC from Wenham, MA to attend the University of South Carolina where she graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in International Studies. Forgetting how much she hated snow, Cassidy returned to New England to earn her Masters in Conflict Resolution. Remembering there are places in the US where winters are actually pleasant, Cassidy finished her academic career at the University of South Carolina School of Law. Cassidy is married to Donald Joseph Murphy III, an officer in the Air National Guard at McEntire Joint National Guard Base. Cassidy enjoys yoga, cooking with a good glass of wine in her hand, and not having to shovel snow in the winter.

Jim Posda is the Director of Business Development and Principal at GEL Engineering, LLC., (GEL). GEL is an environmental, engineering, and surveying firm headquartered in South Carolina serving the Southeast. With over 35-years of experience providing environmental and engineering solutions, Jim links clients to GEL’s unique set of consulting service offerings.

Jim has a degree from the University of Georgia, College of Environment + Design, in Landscape Architecture and is a South Carolina Licensed Landscape Architect. Jim served publicly in various manners with the Town of Mount Pleasant, serving on Planning Commission, Town Appearance Committee, Board of Zoning Appeals, and others. He is also past president of the Coastal Crisis Chaplaincy and Past Commodore of Hobcaw Yacht Club, as well as other, private and NFP organizations.

Jim has lived in Mount Pleasant for 37-years. He is married, has three daughters, and two adorable grandchildren.

Elizabeth Rhue, Staff VP of Global Sustainability, is responsible for leading Sonoco’s global sustainability programs for all of the Company’s Consumer- and Industrial-related packaging businesses, including working directly with Sonoco’s key customers to achieve improved product sustainability. Elizabeth started her career at Sonoco as a Research and Development Engineer with Sonoco’s Rigid Paper Container business and has held several technical and commercial roles, including Sustainability and National Accounts Manager for Sonoco Recycling, focused on delivering landfill diversion solutions for major CPG accounts, and Director of Marketing for Sonoco’s Flexible Packaging division, working directly with large consumer product goods customers. Elizabeth holds a B.S. in Packaging Science from Clemson University

Sue-Ann (“Susie”) Gerald Shannon serves as President & CEO of the South Carolina Council on Competitiveness, a business-led nonprofit that drives South Carolina’s long-term economic growth through managing select industry clusters – like Aerospace, Technology/Cybersecurity, and Logistics – and providing actionable research and resources to enhance competitiveness. Since joining SC Competes, Susie has been consecutively recognized as being one of Columbia Business Monthly’s 50 Most Influential People in Business (2017-2020). For more than 15 years, she has been involved in leading innovative, forward-looking organizations and initiatives throughout South Carolina. Susie also practiced law for many years with McNair Law Firm, P.A., in Columbia, S.C. (now Burr Forman). In addition to community-based nonprofits, her service has included an appointment by then-Governor Haley to a state agency board, the Strategic Partners advisory group for SC Department of Commerce, Program Committee Chair of SC Research Authority Board of Trustees, Riley Institute-Diversity Leaders Initiative, Francis Marion University-Nonprofit Leadership Institute, and Liberty Fellowship. Susie also proudly served in the US Army Reserves and is a Veteran of the Gulf War.

Travis Tarbet is the environmental manager for BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC, where he is responsible for environmental compliance and environmental management activities for Plant Spartanburg and regional non-manufacturing facilities. Travis has a Bachelor of Science degree from Clemson University in Biosystems Engineering, a Master of Engineering degree from North Carolina State University in Civil Engineering, and is a licensed Professional Engineer in South Carolina. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his wife and two children, golfing, and fishing.

Dale Threatt-Taylor is the Executive Director of The Nature Conservancy South Carolina Chapter. She received a Bachelor of Science in Conservation from North Carolina State University and a Master of Environmental Management from Duke University in 2011. In 2012, she was selected as one of 30 agriculturalists in North Carolina identified to participate in the Agricultural Leadership Development Program at North Carolina State University.

Her career began as a Soil Conservationist with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and later joined the Wake Soil and Water Conservation District. In 2008 she was selected as District Director of Wake SWCD and Wake County Soil and Water Conservation Department. Her role as Executive Director for TNC SC has provided the opportunity to build new relationships between natural resource conservationists and environmentalists across the nation.

Dale’s conservation and environmental leadership includes service on many national, state, and local boards and committees. On August 1, 2020, Dale made history when elected to serve as Chair of the Soil and Water Conservation Society’s national Board of Directors. She also serves on TNC’s North American Agriculture Committee and on the Executive Board of Sustain SC. On April 22, 2021, Dale was invited to join the Board of Visitors of the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University.

Having received many awards throughout her career, one caught her by surprise, The Order of the Long Leaf Pine from North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper for her dedicated work in conservation. Dale wants everyone to understand that locally led conservation begins with an individual, and together, our conservation work is so important in protecting the lands and waters on which all life depends.

Pamela is the Environmental and Regulatory Compliance Manager at FUJIFILM Manufacturing U.S.A., Inc. This is a key position within the organization because she is responsible for the site’s environmental and regulatory compliance, preservation and stewardship. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Tennessee Technological University. Co-op positions at Georgia Gulf Chemicals, LLC. and Fuji Hunt Chemicals, Inc. jump-started her love of all things environmental.

Pamela joined Fujifilm in 2006 and has continuously assumed greater responsibilities in the areas of environmental protection and becoming an environmental ambassador within South Carolina on Fujifilm’s behalf. She is certified as a LEED Green Associate and is honored to be a Rotarian and Immediate Past President, Leadership Greenwood and Leadership South Carolina graduate, Upstate Forever Board Member, Greenwood Chamber of Commerce Board Member, and Manufacturing Representative for the Solid Waste Advisory Council of South Carolina.

Pamela delights in travel, watching her child play sports, and volunteerism. She is a proud South Carolinian who treasures her Tennessee roots. Pamela resides in the pines of Hodges, SC with her husband Mike and their son Camden.