A native of Columbia, SC, Alex English played more minutes and hit more shots than anyone is South Carolina men's basketball history. The 6-foot-7, 190-pound was also the NBA's most prolific scorer during the 1980s, retiring as the games's seventh-leading scorer with 25,613 points. English played 16 seasons in the NBA for four different teams averaging 21.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game and was named to eight NBA All-Star teams. His #2 jersey was retired by the Denver Nuggets, and he was elected to the NBA Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1997. The NBA also presented with the 1988 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award for his dedication to community service. He has acted in movies and television, worked as an NBA assistant coach and broadcast analyst, and currently is the television analyst for South Carolina's home basketball games aired on SEC Network+. English is also a member of the U.S. Department of State's Sports Envoy program and travels overseas to hold sports clinics with U.S. Embassies.
Jennifer Harding is Vice President, Business Solutions for Leading Real Estate Companies of the World in Chicago. She is a licensed broker who started out as a sales associate and ultimately advanced to Vice President, Relocation of the largest real estate Columbia in Columbia. Prior to her real estate career, she served as Vice-President of Advertising for The State newspaper. Jennifer is a member of several community and professional organizations including the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce; the Committee of 100, Better Business Bureau; Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Greater Columbia and is currently serving as the President of the Building Industry Association of Columbia. Jennifer is a native of Georgia, but spent most of her life in Florida, holds a Bachelor of Marketing degree from Florida International University and lives in Columbia.
Born in A
iken, South Carolina, in 1953, Leon Lott attended the University of South Carolina - Aiken, earning an Associate Degree in Police Administration. He went on to attend the University of South Carolina, earning a Bachelor Degree in Sociology and continued with graduate study for a Masters in Criminal Justice. Later, Sheriff Lott graduated from the FBI National Academy, FBI National Executive Institute, Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, and Furman University's SC Diversity Leadership Academy. Sheriff Lott came to the Richland County Sheriff's Department in 1975 as a patrol officer. He advanced thereafter to various positions, including Criminal Investigator, Narcotics Agent, Lieutenant and Captain of Narcotics Division, Administrative Captain, Uniform Patrol Captain, and Watch Commander. In 1993, Sheriff Lott took the position of Chief of Police of St. Matthews, SC. In 1996, he was elected Sheriff of Richland County. Upon taking office, Sheriff Lott turned the direction of the department to Community Oriented Policing. The success that the department has had in the community since that time can be measured by the civic and community oriented boards and committees that have asked for Sheriff Lott’s participation. Sheriff Lott, a member of the First Baptist Church of Columbia, is married and has four daughters.
Joe Pinner has a long affiliation with Fort Jackson including serving there as a soldier assigned to the Armed Forces Radio station WFJX. After being honorably discharged, he returned to the area and joined WIS-TV in 1963, where he has remained to this day. Months after his arrival at WIS-TV as the weather anchor, he debuted as the host for a children's program, Mr. Knozit. Four years later, the series would receive a Peabody Award for excellence in public service by way of children's programming. The show ran for 37 years, airing its final episode in 2000. In 1997, he received the Humanitarian of the Year Award from the Palmetto Society of the United Way of the Midlands. In 1998, Pinner was inducted into the "Diamond Circle" of the USC School of Journalism and Mass Communications, then in 1998, he was inducted into the South Carolina Entertainment Hall of Fame. Pinner, the station's best-known on-air staff member, remains at the station today; now semi-retired, he provides weather reports and feature segments on the Friday edition of its noon newscast. Joe received from Governor Jim Hodges the Order of the Palmetto in 2000 and in 2001, he was made an honorary Colonel of Fort Jackson and Honorary Band Master of the 282nd Army "Victory" Band and in 2007, named an honorary drill sergeant.
Otis B. Rawl Jr., is the president and chief executive officer of the Greater Lexington Chamber & Visitors Center. Rawl, who was raised and lives in Lexington County, previously served as chief executive of the S.C. Chamber from October 2008 until the end of 2014. Before his career with the S.C. Chamber, Rawl worked with the S.C. Department of Revenue for more than 20 years. In addition to his work at the Revenue Department, Rawl served a six-month term with the S.C. State Treasurer’s Office performing legislative work on several major tax bills and local reporting of debt limits. Rawl is a USC graduate and he and his wife Melissa have two grown children and three grandchildren.
Sergeant Major of the Army (retired) Jack Tilley's first assignment was in the Republic of Vietnam with A Troop, 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment as a vehicle crewman. Upon completion of his 1-year deployment he was assigned as a drill instructor at Fort Benning, Georgia until his enlistment expired; Tilley left the active duty Army for two years and served in the Reserve Component before enlisting again in the Active Component in September 1971.Before being slected as the 12th Sergeant Major of the Army, he held the senior enlisted position as Senior Enlisted Leader of the United States Central Command. He was Command Sergeant Major of several units: 1st Battalion, 10th Cavalry; Fort Knox; 194th Armored Brigade; 1st Armored Division, Bad Kreuznach, Germany; and United States Army Space and Missile Defense Command, Arlington, Virginia. Tilley held every key leadership position including tank commander, section leader, drill sergeant, platoon sergeant, senior instructor, operations sergeant and first sergeant. His military education includes the First Sergeants Course and the Sergeants Major Academy. He is a graduate of the basic airborne course, drill sergeant school and the master gunner's course.
General (retired) Frederick F. Woerner, Jr. is a former Commander of United States Southern Command responsible for U.S. military activities in Latin America and forimplementing U.S. national security policy and strategy in that region. A graduate of West Point, he commanded infantry units at platoon, company, battalion, and brigade levels and served on staffs at every echelon up through the U.S. Army General Staff. From 1994 to 2001 he served pro bono as Chairman of the American Battle Monuments Commission responsible for the management of 24 military burial grounds and 28 monuments/markers located worldwide, In that position, he served as senior executive for the completion of the project to build the World War II Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, DC, including design, private fund raising, construction, and dedication. He is also a Professor emeritus of International Relations at Boston University where he taught for 13 years. General Woerner lives outside of Columbia, SC.
Kirkman Finlay III, was born and raised in Columbia and he represents District 75 in the South Carolina House of Representatives. He is on the Ways and Means Committee serving on the Transportation and Regulatory Subcommittee. Kirkman is a small b
usiness owner and entrepreneur, and employs over 65 people in our community. He has a variety of business interests, primarily farming and restaurants. He farms property in Richland, Kershaw and Charleston Counties, which are planted with soy beans, corn, wheat and peanuts. His restaurants include Pawleys Front Porch located in Five Points in Columbia and Doc’s Restaurant on Shop Road in Columbia. Kirkman has served on the board of Palmetto Health Foundation, Central Carolina Community Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, Heathwood Hall Episcopal School, the Boy Scouts of America, and The Free Medical Clinic. He is married with three daughters.
Phil Gardham is an insurance industry veteran of over 31 years and a recent retiree. He spent the last 13 years with Companion Life Insurance Company (Companion) located in Columbia, South Carolina. He joined Companion in 2006 and served in many different capacities including Executive Marketing Officer, Vice President of Specialty Markets, Chief Operating Officer and most recently President. During this time he played a key role in helping Companion expand their national footprint and increase their premium base.. Prior to joining Companion, Phil worked for Munich Re in Princeton, NJ for 6 years and was the Vice President of Underwriting with a focus on Employer Stop Loss. He started in the industry in 1988 when he accepted a position at Mercantile and General Reinsurance Companion (M&G) located in Toronto, Ontario in their claim and care management department. In 1995, Phil was transferred by M&G to Portland, ME, to work at their subsidiary company ecuCare which did claim and data management. Phil is a native of Toronto and graduated from McMaster University in nearby Hamilton, Ontario with a degree in Political Science. While attending McMaster Phil also played varsity basketball. Phil has been married for 25 years to his wife Marlene and has two children, Isaiah and Hallie. He enjoys golf and participates in a number of charities including Gateway to the Army Association where he is an Honorary Board Member.
Military analyst and military technical consultant W. Thomas Smith Jr. is a formerly deployed U.S. Marine Infantry leader, counterterrorism instructor, and SWAT Team officer in the nuclear industry. A retired colonel in the S.C. Military Department’s Joint Services Det., Smith was the founding director of the department’s Counterterrorism Task Force. He is today a military technical consultant for documentary films airing on E! Entertainment Television and The Military Channel. He is a former adjunct professor at the University of South Carolina, and a former advisor to the S.C. Governor’s Military Base Task Force. Smith is a New York Times bestselling editor and an internationally acclaimed writer-editor and editorial director whose work has appeared in countless newspapers and magazines around the world. A special deputy with the Richland County Sheriff’s Dept. (RCSD) and director of RCSD’s Elder Abuse Awareness Team, Smith is also a senior officer with the National Security Task Force of the S.C. Floodwater Commission. Among his awards, honors, and military decorations, Smith is RCSD’s 2018 Civilian of the Year and a 2019 recipient of the Order of the Palmetto, the state’s highest award. Smith also serves or has served on numerous boards and advisory councils, including the board of directors of the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame, the S.C. Military Support Foundation, and the S.C. Military Hall of Fame.