Women Vision SC

Tameika Isaac Devine was age 29 when she ran for office for the first time. She became the first African American female and the youngest person on the Columbia City Council. She recalls winning that election by less than 200 votes. “If those 200 people did not vote, I wouldn’t be here today.” Now some 18 years later, Tameika Isaac Devine continues in her 5th term on the Columbia City Council. She is the founding partner in her law firm, Jabber & Isaac, PA. She is also an author and public speaker. Isaac Devine launched The Possibilities Institute, a business through which she offers life coaching. She describes her personal passion as “helping working moms conquer overwhelm in order to perform their best at work and at home.” She also serves as Co-Chair of the National League of Cities’ Youth Education and Families Council, and as a board member for Women in Municipal Government and the national Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials.

When Darla Moore began business school at George Washington University, she said she “didn’t know what a balance sheet was.” After graduating with her MBA, she moved to New York City and began in banking. She became one of the nation’s most successful business leaders. She was the first woman on the cover of Fortune magazine and was listed as one of Fortune’s “50 Most Powerful Women in Business.” University of South Carolina’s Darla Moore School of Business was the first business school in the nation to be named after a woman. As part of what she calls a 30-year plan, Darla Moore is now helping to transform Lake City, her home town. Her latest investment is a regional education and training center through collaboration among The Darla Moore Foundation, Francis Marion University, Florence-Darlington Technical College and school districts. “It is a seamless, flexible doors-open to all high schools and adults to come in and not have to go to different places.”

Betty Jo Rhea served as Mayor of Rock Hill for 12 years and as a member of the City Council for 8 years. She was referred to as “the people’s mayor.” When she took over as mayor, unemployment stood at over 17% and textile mills had declined from 13 to only one. Under her leadership, the community started business parks and attracted several international companies to Rock Hill. She fostered a sports complex that has since paved the way for a city now known for being an amateur sports mecca. From baseball and softball, the city has added facilities including soccer, tennis, and cycling. After retiring as mayor, Betty Jo Rhea has hosted a local television show called “City Minutes” for nearly 20 years, interviewing a variety of individuals in the Rock Hill community. She remains a steadfast champion of the arts, historic preservation and beautification.

T. Lilly Little Water began her life's passion of advocating for Indigenous People at age seventeen. “It’s something intangible and inexplicable that drives me. It feels like there are also a 1000 ancestors in my heart that are constantly giving me a nudge in this way or that way. They always give me direction.” That direction has led T. Lilly Little Water to 30 years of conducting social justice campaigns for Native Americans. She is CEO of the SC Indian Affairs Commission, where she organized the Indigenous Women’s Alliance Committee. She has also supported veterans, families and children. She focuses on human rights and challenges arising from poverty. From organizing Pow Wows to preserving and strengthening the Native American culture to lobbying, her love of culture has developed into a keen sense of humanity. She did not receive her undergraduate degree until she was 32. Later she pursued a post-graduate degree in clinical psychology and entered a PhD program at the age of 60.

Malissa Burnette is an award-winning attorney and advocate for equal rights for all. She is co-founder of the Burnette Shutt & McDaniel law firm in Columbia. She waged a legal battle to change the rules and allow women to attend The Citadel. She successfully challenged a rule that barred young girls from playing football. More recently, she and Nekki Shutt, another of the firm’s founding partners, were lead counsel in the case that made same-sex marriage legal in South Carolina. Since 1993, she has been a South Carolina Supreme Court certified specialist in labor and employment law. Burnette learned about equality early on from her grandfather, as a child growing up in a small town in North Carolina. “We’d go to poor black families homes, and he would take clothing and so forth. Not everybody would do that in the 1950s. He treated everyone like family, and he was generous and kind to everyone,” she said. Burnette has served in a number of appointed positions, including the Governor

Fresh out of Newcomb College at Tulane, Ann Timberlake came back to South Carolina and instead of taking up civil rights or the war, she said she “wanted to save trees.” She became one of South Carolina’s leading conservation advocates. As a founding member of the Sierra Club in South Carolina, she helped lead campaigns to establish the Congaree National Park and the Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness. She also advocated for the Chattooga River as to be designated as a “Wild and Scenic River.” After working as a sales representative for the Pillsbury Company, Timberlake opened a full service, neighborhood grocery, The Purple Cow, in downtown Columbia. In 2003, she returned to conservation and political work as the founding executive director of the new Conservation Voters of South Carolina. She now consults and lobbies as the principal for Timberlake Communications, LLC.

Shortly after Cathy Hughes joined The Times and Democrat in Orangeburg in 1972, she got a call from the society editor who said, “Cathy, The Times and Democrat’s on fire.” Hughes and her husband rushed to the paper and along with staff members watched as smoke came out of the building. Undaunted, the staff published the paper the next morning. She learned early on the value of leadership and a committed staff. She has been with the newspaper for 48 years, becoming publisher in 1999, the first woman to lead the enterprise. In 2017, she was named Lee Enterprises Group Publisher, and her responsibility has grown to management of seven newspapers in seven states from her office in Orangeburg, South Carolina. Hughes is a summa cum laude graduate of University of South Carolina, with a BA in journalism. She has been active in many community and statewide organizations and was honored with the Order of the Silver Crescent for significant contributions, leadership volunteerism and lifelong

Dr. Shaniece Criss “The world will tell you what success looks like, but truly success looks differently for different people.” The words of Dr. Shaniece Criss. She has defined her own success by fulfilling purpose in three main areas: government, media, and academia. And she has succeeded in all three. She was the first African American female to be elected to the Travelers Rest City Council in the Upstate. She is an assistant professor of Health Science at Furman University. And as a public health practitioner, Dr. Criss served as producer and host for a national television show for the Ministry of Health in Guyana, South America, during her Peace Corps service. She received her Doctor of Science degree from Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. At the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, she was awarded a Presidential Public Service Fellowship. She serves on the board of directors for Prisma Health, Public Education Partners, Dining for Women and SC YMCA Youth in Government and

“Follow your passion. Don't ever forget to take care of yourself. That's critically important . I think as women, we don't always do that very well.” That’s the advice of Deborah Blalock, one of the state’s leading mental health administrators and advocates. She was the first woman appointed as deputy director of the Community Mental Health Services at the S.C. Department of Mental Health (SCDMH). She is responsible for statewide outpatient services provided by SCDMH, including those provided by 16 mental health centers. Earlier, she served as executive director of the Charleston Dorchester Mental Health Center for 14 years. She expanded use of a mobile unit that would became a model program for the state. During her tenure at the Charleston Mental Health Center, the community faced immense tragedy when nine lives were lost at the Mother Emanuel shooting. Responding with mental health services after that incident, “was probably the most profound experience of my career,” she said.

Keisha Hawes was age 31 when she had a heart attack. She was a wife and mother, who was holding down several part-time jobs in the Charleston area to help to make ends meet. She has taken the experience of her heart attack as a way to “serve another purpose.” She said, “when I was stuck on the fact of suffering a heart attack, I actually suffered. I continued my suffering. When I took a moment and I stopped and I said, ‘no, let's look at this from the lens of you survived a heart attack. So now, what is the purpose in your survival? How can you repurpose this to now be a benefit to people?’ " Hawes has been tireless in her work to benefit people . She was the first American Heart Association national spokesperson from the state of South Carolina, and she has lobbied for better health care overage, research and treatment of women’s issues. She is a PreK teacher, actor, voice-over artist and a youth pastor, as well as an active community volunteer.

As president, CEO and owner of Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Lou Kennedy runs a global company out of West Columbia, South Carolina. She and her husband helped establish the Kennedy Pharmacy Center Innovation Center in conjunction with the USC School of Pharmacy. She received South Carolina’s Order of the Palmetto in recognition of a lifetime of service. Kennedy said, “I turned 50 a couple of years back and since that big birthday milestone, I really have focused on what I could do, not only in job goals but also in the community and for other young ladies and children who may be don’t have as many opportunities that I had. I’m trying to make a difference. I’m way too involved in probably way too many things, but it’s good to give back and its especially good to give back in your hometown.”

Pastor, Maranatha Free Church of Jesus Christ Founder, Exec. Director, Angels Change Ministry Pastor Nannie Jefferies would often visit the jails to encourage and pray for her church’s members and their children. She is the Pastor of Maranatha Free Church of Jesus Christ. During her visits, she witnessed “a feeling of despair and a lack of hope” among the incarcerated women. Seeing this community need, Pastor Jefferies launched Angels Charge Ministry. The program offers transitional housing, case management and advocacy to deter recidivism. She is working to teach women work and life skills. Supported by donations and volunteers, the first two houses opened in 2014 and a third was under renovation in 2018. Pastor Jefferies is a life-long resident of Spartanburg, where she says, “we are a community offering a hand up not necessarily a hand out.” Her advice for young people: “Read. I want children to read. And to love reading and to explore reading. And to travel in reading. I just think

President & CEO, Central Carolina Community Foundation; Former Chair, Richland County Library JoAnn Turnquist has held leadership positions with the Clorox Company, Procter and Gamble and JohnsonDiversey. She moved from the corporate world to the world of philanthropy more than a decade ago. As the President & CEO of Central Carolina Community Foundation, she heads up a $140 million dollar charitable organization with donors throughout the Midlands. She said, “while it’s fabulous to have a great career and watch people around you succeed, the opportunity to give back to a community…. to see the impact on your work on communities was the driving reason for me to make the change.” When the thousand-year flood hit South Carolina in 2015, she helped Governor Haley establish the One SC Fund to provide grants to support disaster recovery projects across the state. Her advice for young people: “Trust yourself. Trust your instincts. Be as courageous as possible in tuning out both your

President, Micco, LLC; Chairman of the Greenville-Spartanburg Airport Commission Minor Mickel Shaw grew up talking about business at the dinner table with her family. She said her parents always had confidence in her and felt strongly about giving back to the community. Today she is president of Micco LLC, a private investment company based in Greenville. For decades she has been involved in numerous civic, educational philanthropic and business activities in her community and the region. She is chairman of the Greenville-Spartanburg Airport Commission, and her efforts, going back to the early 2000s, have helped transform the airport and the region as a whole. How she defines leadership: “ You need to be willing to step forward and to take a stand on issues. … it’s much better when you can develop a larger group of leaders around you and hopefully empower those people -- hopefully younger people -- to stand up and go forward and be the leaders for the next generation.”

District Director, Office of U.S. Representative William Timmons (SC-04) Former Spartanburg County Clerk of Court Hope Blackley defines leadership as “making other leaders.” “It’s really that simple. I’m only as good as my team. And if my team isn’t good, then I’m not good,” she said. Hope Blackley served as Spartanburg County Clerk of Court for almost nine years. At the outset, she inherited numerous issues including a building with mold issues. She successfully championed a new building, slated for completion in several years. She began her career as a preschool teacher before becoming a child victim advocate. In 2004 Governor Mark Sanford appointed her as the Crime Victims’ Ombudsman for the state. More recently she joined Congressman William Timmons’ office as District Director. Her advice to young people: “No matter the obstacles, work hard. Never let anyone put limitations on your life. … You are the determining factor on what you can do. And although efforts or initiatives may

President, The Maritime Association of South Carolina Heather Holmquest is not on social media. It’s a personal choice for her. Her style of management is to build relationships in-person. As president of the Maritime Association of South Carolina, she oversees an association that includes 240 member companies in Charleston and across South Carolina. “My way of disconnecting is to be in relationships, to be one-on-one with people, to be learning from them, to be listening and having a dialogue,” she said. As a champion for workforce development, she points out that many positions in her field pay 40 percent higher than entry-level wages out of college. Her advice to emerging leaders : “You have to be your biggest champion and your most vocal advocate. … Be loud and proud and talk about your accomplishments.”

Founder, ETV Endowment; Executive Producer, South Carolinians in WW II Elaine Freeman founded the ETV Endowment from her dining room table. For over 40 years, the member organization has funded and supported programming on SCETV and South Carolina Public Radio. Freeman retired In 2008, after 31 years as executive director, but still remains active in support of programs such as South Carolinians in World War II and the Man and Moment series. Freeman is also a major force in the Spartanburg community. She headed the fundraising campaign for the Charles Lea Center board. Her vision helped establish the Ellen Hines Smith Girls’ Home, later merged as part of the Hope Center for Children. She believes there is a plan for your life. “With a little help from your family and friends, and the stewards you know, you can try to make your life count for something. I’m an octogenarian now and I’ve had a whole lot of fun with a lot of friends.” Her advice to young people : “Watch the people around

President and CEO, Auntie Karen Foundation; Producer, songwriter, author As Karen Alexander approached her 40th birthday, she took a risk and “stepped out on faith,” mortgaging her house, spending her savings and investments to launch the Auntie Karen Foundation. Her love of arts inspired her to leave her position with Xerox Corp. to start the foundation, whose mission is to “empower, enlighten and educate through the arts.” Her creations include a young entrepreneur’s conference to foster economic empowerment, a concert series for young people and an online children’s series, carried on Knowitall.org. -- Auntie Karen’s Place. She is also the creator of 14 original characters and the author of two books. Her advice for young people : “Her advice for young people: “Find somebody who is doing what you want to do. And even if you can’t see them in person, they probably have a video or a book or some talk. And use them as a guide or model. Because success leaves clues. And if somebody has

Jennifer Gutierrez-Caldwell is the Director of Youth Services at Pendleton Place. Jennifer Gutierrez-Caldwell has been described as a “change-agent.” As director of Youth Services at Pendleton Place in Greenville, she works to keep children safe and support families in crisis. “Itruly believe that I was put on this earth to make change happen,” she said. “I believe in the rights of people, especially those communities that don’t have a voice or a seat at the table,” she added. Before her work at Pendleton Place she was Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Wofford College and earlier served as Coordinator for Multicultural Recruitment at Furman. As a daughter of immigrant parents, she grew up in Los Angeles, and she chose to live in South Carolina, where she believes she can make a difference. On the role of women: “I feel like the possibilities are endless. I really believe if you see it, you believe it and you can become it.”

Inez Tenenbaum practices law at Wyche, P.A. in Columbia and Greenville. She is the former Chairman of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, and the former Superintendent of Education for South Carolina. Inez Tenenbaum entered law school in her 30s. She cashed out her state retirement to pay for her first year of law school. That was a turning point in her life, and she credits that move for later success, including top positions at state and national levels. She was a two-term Superintendent of Education in South Carolina and served a four-year term as Chairman of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. She oversaw implementation of major legislation to protect children nationwide -- the 2008 Consumer Product Safety Act. She said her law degree gave her the tools to be a more effective advocate and to have more confidence. “Once I understood the law and how it could protect children and families, it took me to different venues,” she added. Her advice for young people: “… I

Also known as Aunt Pearlie Sue, Singleton-Prather is an educator, storyteller, and historian of the Gullah culture. Anita Singleton-Prather grew up thinking she would study law and become a civil rights attorney. Instead she became a master storyteller, author and educator. Her work has influenced civil rights and has preserved stories and history about the Gullah culture and South Carolina. Known as Aunt Pearlie Sue, she has performed at the World Bank and the White House, but her roots are in Beaufort. “As Aunt Pearlie Sue, I get to say things and address issues that maybe Anita Prather can’t say,” Prather said. She added, “There’s only one earth. We can decide to destroy it together or we can decide to try to preserve it together.” Her advice to young people : “You have to love yourself first, before you’re ready for someone else to love you. And there’s no such thing as my better half.

Who are some of South Carolina’s leading women in the fields of business, government, public service, and the arts? What was their personal journey to success and what common themes helped them develop a vision for achievement? South Carolina Public Radio and SCETV's Women Vision SC interview series spotlights these trailblazing women from across the Palmetto State. In this episode, host Linda O'Bryon speaks with former South Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Jean Hoefer Toal. Toal was the first woman to serve as a justice in the state and is one of the longest serving chief justices in South Carolina History.