Lou Kennedy is President, Chief Executive Officer and Owner of Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corporation. She joined Nephron Pharmaceuticals in 2001, and accepted the position of President and Chief Executive Officer in September 2007. Having held a variety of marketing and operational roles during her career; one notable achievement at Nephron was creating a national sales force, a rarity in the pharmaceutical industry. In the years following, this helped Nephron Pharmaceuticals grow by 300% and increased shipped product to one billion doses each of the last seven years.

Nephron recently built a state of the art manufacturing facility in West Columbia, South Carolina. Mrs. Kennedy was at the forefront of this expansion, which opened in June 2014. Lou is always seeking to enhance and grow her business. She started a 503B Outsourcing division of Nephron in 2016. Production for that division began in January 2017 and is rapidly increasing.

Along with her husband Bill, Mrs. Kennedy helped establish the Kennedy Pharmacy Innovation Center in conjunction with the USC School of Pharmacy. She serves on a variety of business and civic boards, including but not limited to, the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, the National Bank of South Carolina Board, a division of Synovus, Columbia College Board of Trustees, South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance as well as the USC Athletic Department Board. Lou and Bill Kennedy were named Ambassadors of the Year by the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce in 2013. They also received the Lexington County Ambassador for Economic Development award in 2014. A graduate of the University of South Carolina’s College of Journalism with a Bachelor of Arts degree, Mrs. Kennedy never shies from the opportunity to cheer on the Gamecocks!

As head of Nexsen Pruet’s economic development group and a key member of the its public finance group, Tushar works to negotiate and implement financial transactions aimed at sparking new success, or bolstering established success, for his clients. Tushar has represented a diverse group of companies, both domestic and international, in industries including heavy and light manufacturing, pharmaceutical and life sciences, warehouse and distribution, research and development, alternative energy, and real estate development.  He is highly active in numerous community and business organizations.  Tushar is a Member of the Bar in North Carolina and South Carolina.  He holds his J.D. from the Wake Forest University School of Law, and his B.A. in History and Political Science from the University of South Carolina. 

Thornton Kirby is President and CEO of the South Carolina Hospital Association, a role he has held since 2005.

Under Thornton’s leadership SCHA has been an advocate for patients as well as hospitals, earning a national reputation for statewide improvements in quality and safety. South Carolina was the first state to establish “Certified Zero Harm Awards,” which are given annually to hospitals that can demonstrate at least 12 consecutive months without certain types of harm.

Thornton attended the University of Virginia, where he studied government and interned for Senator Strom Thurmond.  He studied law at the University of South Carolina and began his professional career as a healthcare attorney with the Nexsen Pruet law firm. After advising hospitals for several years, Thornton served as a hospital executive and later as a senior executive for Clemson University.

Dan serves as Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives & Business Technology for Charles River Laboratories.  

In that role, he is responsible for working closely across the Microbial Solutions leadership to shape global business growth strategies, evaluate and support the prioritization of critical business initiatives, and oversee and manage a portfolio of growth projects key to achieving the business’s 5-year plan. He also continues to serve as the Business Technology Partner for IT and act as the primary liaison between IT and Microbial business leadership on strategic initiatives. 

Caroline Brown is the director of the Office of External Affairs for the Medical University of South Carolina and MUSC Health. Before that, she oversaw external affairs and strategic engagement for MUSC’s Office of the President. In that capacity, she assisted MUSC President David Cole, M.D., and MUSC leadership in crafting a corporate engagement strategy which led to community support for MUSC as well as commercial partnerships.

In her expanded role, Brown’s responsibilities encompass both the academic and clinical operations of the MUSC enterprise, working to establish new strategic partnerships and overseeing the organization’s corporate affairs and economic development work.  She continues to serve in an advisory role as a special assistant to President Cole.

Prior to joining MUSC, Brown was a campaign and financial strategist for federal political candidates. She also served as U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham’s national deputy finance director and state deputy finance director and spent time in Washington working on Capitol Hill. During her time in politics and government, she successfully built relationships with business and industry leaders across the country and led record breaking fundraising strategies and campaigns, garnering the skills necessary for navigating complex environments and solving problems.

Brown, a Charleston native, earned her undergraduate degree in public relations from the University of South Carolina and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in business administration.

Dr. Cull is VP of Academic Development for Prisma Health and Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education for the University of South Carolina School of Medicine - Greenville.  He serves as senior advisor to the Prisma Health Chief Executive Academic Officer and USC Schools of Medicine Deans, among others, and oversees all Upstate graduate medical education programs.  Dr. Cull is a professor in the Department of Surgery and an adjunct professor at the Clemson University School of Health Research.  He holds numerous patents for vascular access and wound management devices and has launched two start-up companies.  He received his B.S. in biology from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine, and his MBA from University of Massachusetts.  He also served 12 years in the Air Force Medical Corps.

Michael J. Graney leads the CRDA's comprehensive, strategic global business development efforts focused on five industry clusters - Aerospace, Automotive, Information Technology, Life Sciences and Advanced Logistics. Mike joined the CRDA after successfully managing the Business Development program at the Economic Development Council of Western Massachusetts for more than eight years. Mike’s focus is on inward investment to Charleston, with a particular emphasis on European FDI. Mike is active with our Investor Relations program, engaging public and private sector investors and allies to support our business attraction strategy.

Mike has had an eclectic career, working in industries as varied as economic development, commercial development, and sports and entertainment. Mike has spent his entire career on the East Coast, primarily in New England.

Mike was born in upstate New York and received his B.A. in Economics from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. He currently resides in Charleston and enjoys living 5 minutes from the beach.

Shea Harrelson is an experienced clinician and entrepreneur with a demonstrated history of working in the medical and biotech industry. After graduating from the Medical University of South Carolina with her Physician Assistant degree, she practiced in the field of Cardiology for nine years. She then joined St. Jude Medical where she specialized in the Cardiac Rhythm Management Division.

Shea began her entrepreneurial career in 2013 with building a national sales commercialization and worked with several start-up companies to bring new diagnostic products to market. While always passionate about the medical field, Shea is specifically driven to develop modalities to help combat the global epidemic of antibiotic resistance, which led her to Vikor Scientific.

Shea manages the internal operations, employees and resources of Vikor. She is responsible for the initial and ongoing development of the diagnostic panels and testing algorithms and the overall planning, implementation, and integration of the company’s strategies.

Dr. Stephen J. Cutler serves as the dean of the University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy.  He has been a pharmacy educator for more than 25 years.  In addition, he is a broadly trained medicinal chemist and behavioral pharmacologist whose research focuses on the design, synthesis, discovery and development of drugs to treat various disorders, including those of the central nervous system (CNS).  During his career, Dr. Cutler has received more than $30,000,000 from various federal agencies including the NIH, NSF, DoD, CDC, NASA, and the USDA.  He is the author or co-author of more than 45 patents (US and international), 120 peer-reviewed publications, 3 books, 20 book chapters, 39 published abstracts, and 62 invited presentations.

Jeff Stover’s practice covers the spectrum of intellectual property rights, including patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret, unfair competition and related matters for clients operating in a wide range of technologies, including manufacturers, technology companies and startups. He is registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and helps his clients secure, protect and defend their intellectual property rights. 

Jeff represents clients in litigated matters involving the assertion of intellectual property rights, including patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret litigation.  As part of that representation, Jeff handles post-grant patentability matters in front of the United States Patent Trial and Appeal Board, such as inter partes review proceedings. Outside of litigation, Jeff assists his clients in securing intellectual property rights, including the preparation and prosecution of patent applications, trademarks and copyrights in a wide range of business areas.

In addition to intellectual property matters, Jeff has litigation experience in a wide range of substantive areas, including general business disputes, shareholder disputes, fraud and misrepresentation claims, fiduciary duty claims, insurance coverage and bad faith disputes and other types of disputes, on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants, and draws upon this experience when counseling his clients. Jeff provides counsel in association with the protection of trade secrets and negotiates licenses, assignments and related documents associated with intellectual property rights.

Before beginning his legal career, Jeff worked as an engineer on the development of projects including the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Jeff brings the attention to detail needed to succeed as an engineer to the practice of law.

John is the Founder & CEO of ZVerse, which helps helps digital manufacturing and supply chain teams solve their greatest 3D content creation & scale challenges. Before starting ZVerse in March 2013, John served as Executive Vice President of Business Development at Reachsmart Interactive, a 50 person digital marketing company, where he led the company’s sales efforts resulting in more than $20 million in annual sales online.

Anthony loves promoting innovative cultures, believing that to grow innovative cultures there must be innovative leaders. As the founding executive director for Furman Innovation and Entrepreneurship, he champions development of innovative and entrepreneurially-minded leaders, growing the entrepreneurial ecosystem at Furman, and contributing to the local and national entrepreneurial ecosystem.  Rated by U.S. News & World Reports as the #5 Most Innovative College, Furman Innovation and Entrepreneurship exists to develop innovative and entrepreneurially-minded leaders who are equipped to transform our communities and the world through social and entrepreneurial ventures. Past roles include time in executive development and leadership succession with Toyota and SMU.  

Rich joined the leadership team at Medpoint following a distinguished and varied 23-year career with a Fortune 100 multinational medical device and pharmaceutical company. Rich brings executive-level leadership experience and technical knowledge in Operations, Quality Assurance, Compliance, and Regulatory Affairs. As Chief Operating Officer of Medpoint, Rich has direct responsibility for all aspects of day-to-day operations and quality assurance.

Scotty Branch has been an executive, entrepreneur and founder for multiple organizations from the corporate pharmaceutical world to the diagnostics and lab industry. Before becoming an entrepreneur, he held multiple positions with large pharmaceutical companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Novartis and Roche. These positions ranged from sales representation to corporate management.

As a Co-Founder of Vikor Scientific, he manages the business relations of Vikor, which includes the management of the Sales Division and Area Vice Presidents, C-Suite relationships with healthcare institutions and commercial partners, payor relations, and other facets of the business growth, including the new WestEdge project.

Mandy Brawley serves as Deputy Director of Global Business Development division for the South Carolina Department of Commerce. She is active in the recruitment of new business and the expansion of existing businesses in the state. In Mrs. Brawley’s time at the Department of Commerce, she has managed projects that produced over 11,000 jobs and more than $2 billion dollars in capital investments in our state.

Prior to this position, she was a pharmaceutical representative covering South Carolina and parts of Georgia. Mrs. Brawley moved to South Carolina from her hometown of Biloxi, Mississippi, where she began her economic development career at the Biloxi Bay Chamber of Commerce. She is married to William Brawley, II, a native of Irmo, South Carolina. They have two daughters, Stella and Bette.

Mrs. Brawley has earned the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administration from the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi. She has also attended the Basic Economic Development course from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. 

Jeff Cain is a Director at AVX based in Fountain Inn, South Carolina. Previously, Jeff was a Technical Director at Artesyn Embedded Power and also held positions at Cisco.. Jeff has a PhD in electrical engineering from the University of South Carolina.

From the instant South Carolina Power Team was introduced to James he knew his career path had prepared him to lead the organization as President and CEO. His ability to develop and maintain relationships and his track-record of success of maximizing opportunities for developing rural areas and mid-sized communities, were necessities for moving this organization forward.

A native of Albuquerque, New Mexico, James graduated from the University of New Mexico with a Bachelor of Science. Having received his college degree in Childhood Development, James began his career at a local children’s hospital. Call it chance or fate, when a friend presented an opportunity for him to work in economic development with the Chamber of Commerce in Leadville, Colorado, it changed his course and began his 20-year career in economic development. Following, James worked in various executive leadership capacities for economic development organizations in both Georgia and Tennessee.

Upon joining the South Carolina Power Team in the fall of 2013, James ventured out to personally meet with over 130 stakeholders within his first six months. From his one-on-one conversations emerged the framework for a new strategy that enables South Carolina Power Team to become a leading economic development resource in South Carolina. With James at the helm, backed by a fully supportive board, a Strategic Blueprint was adopted in January 2014. Essential to the overall growth and future of the organization, James is charged with the strategy’s implementation.

“The establishment of a new industry that brings better job opportunities, for many, may mean a family member having their first well-paying job.”

 While James may not be a South Carolina native, in his new role he has absorbed and traveled the 46-county state becoming a quick-study. James’ hands-on approach has enabled him to become fully entrenched in what the electric cooperatives offer for local economic development organizations, their stakeholders and South Carolina. “Changing family trees” is what the Power Team system does as a whole.

James, an avid fisherman of both fresh and saltwater, lives on Lake Murray with his wife, Stevie. Together, they have two adolescent children, two adult children, and two grandchildren. He and his wife love International food and travel.

Experienced executive in all aspects of the clinical trial space. Co-founded multiple research entities ultimately managing all clinical operations within VitaLink Research, a wholly owned, private equity backed network of clinical trial sites. VitaLink Research is the growth platform (through tuck-in acquisition and de novo) headquartered out of Greenville, SC. Clinically trained as a board certified Family Nurse Practitioner and having spent 20 years owning/operating clinical trial sites Steve is helping to create one of the largest network of privately held clinical trial sites in the United States.

Matthew Couvillion focuses his practice on transactional matters, with an emphasis on corporate law, tax, and non-profit organizations.  He has experience advising clients on mergers and acquisitions, tax matters, and corporate governance. 

Matthew received an LL.M. in Taxation from Georgetown University Law Center.  He earned his law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law where he was the Managing Editor of the South Carolina Journal of International Law and Business. He is a graduate of Auburn University with a B.A. in History.

J.J. currently serves as Director State Government Affairs for Johnson & Johnson, which he joined in 2011.  Previously he served as President at Tallon Darby Communications and as a registered lobbyist with The Palmetto Policy Group.  He holds a B.S. in International Studies and Economics from the University of South Carolina.

Deepal is the President of Alliance Consulting Engineers, Inc. He is active on numerous civic boards including the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce. He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and was named a fellow of the society in 2007. The Fellow designation is considered one of the most esteemed honors that Civil Engineers can receive from their peers. Fewer than 6% of ASCE members hold the title of Fellow.He earned a B.S. and M.E. in Civil Engineering from the University of South Carolina. 

Alissa advises national, regional and local healthcare providers on a broad range of legal issues. As both an attorney and a registered nurse, she uses her first-hand experience to understand and strategically address some of her clients’ biggest industry challenges.

Alissa’s clients include large hospital systems as well as long term care facilities, home health agencies, pharmacies, and healthcare professionals. Her counsel touches on almost every aspect of health care operations including regulatory compliance; operations and risk management; certification; reimbursement and Medicare and Medicaid repayment audits and voluntary repayments; investigations and disclosures under the CMS and OIG self-disclosure protocols involving potential violations of the Fraud and Abuse Anti-kickback Statute; confidentiality of medical information and HIPAA; facility licensing; certification of need; scope of practice and other healthcare issues involving both the state and federal law.

On the healthcare litigation side, Alissa handles litigation at the trial and appellate levels, including jury and non-jury trials and hearings on behalf of hospitals, physicians, long term care facilities, home health and hospice providers, pharmacies, and other healthcare professionals in claims ranging from medical malpractice, disciplinary proceedings, repayment, and qui tam whistleblower actions.

In addition to her healthcare practice, Alissa counsels and represents public and private employers on employment issues. She concentrates her employment practice on healthcare providers and represents clients in all aspects of employment litigation, including matters involving discrimination and retaliation in violation of Title VII, ADEA, FMLA, ADA and state employment laws.

Chad Hardaway is Associate Director of the University of South Carolina (USC) Office of Economic Engagement and the Director of the Technology Commercialization Office.  As Associate Director of the USC Office of Economic Engagement, Chad works to align USC assets with outside corporate and government partners.  As Director of the USC Office of Technology Commercialization, Chad oversees a portfolio of over 500 university technologies and is responsible for moving those technologies out of the laboratory and into the marketplace. 

Chad also works with University Technology Startups and South Carolina Technology Companies to form partnerships, find capital, explore research opportunities, develop new markets, and ultimately move products into the hands of consumers.  Prior to joining the University of South Carolina in 2005, Chad was a Process Engineer with Eastman Chemical Company.  These past positions and experiences provide a broad understanding of the early stage technology development cycle and how it can connect with existing corporate market and technology development.  Chad has a BS in Chemical Engineering, MBA, and a Juris Doctor all from the University of South Carolina.

Dr. Harms is Vice President for Medical Affairs at Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina (BCBSSC), responsible for the assessment of new and evolving technology for the purpose of determining coverage.  Prior to joining BCBSSC five years ago, Dr. Harms had a similar role with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois.  Dr. Harms currently serves on both the Medical Policy Panel and the Executive Committee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA), and previously served on the Technology Evaluation Center Medical Advisory Panel of BCBSA.  He has experience consulting with venture capital organizations regarding new technology and currently frequently consults with evolving technology vendors regarding evidence gaps in their clinical trials.  Dr. Harms represents BCBSSC on the Board of Directors of the South Carolina Telehealth Alliance, the South Carolina Cancer Alliance, and Palmetto Care Connection.

Founder and CEO of EDTS (1999) and EDTS Cyber (2017) - both companies were acquired (March 2019) by private equity firm Inverness Graham and are now part of their national technology platform - Corsica Technologies.

25 years working with businesses and organizations of all sizes - securing their networks, defending their operations, and protecting their data from outside and insider threats. 

David is the VP of Global Business Recruitment for Central SC Alliance. Previously, he was the Director of Economic Development Marketing for the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce. He earned his B.S. in Econimics and Political Science from Francis Marion University.

Ms. Leidinger, who earned her bachelor’s degree from Clemson, joined the university as executive director of governmental affairs in 2002 and assumed additional duties as executive secretary to the Clemson board of trustees in 2008.  She has primary responsibility for directing Clemson’s government relations activity at both the state and federal levels, and works with industry and developing strategic partnerships to strengthen the university’s economic and industry engagement. In addition, she serves as executive secretary to the board of trustees. In that role, she serves as the liaison between the university and its board of trustees, facilitating relationships and information sharing between the board and university administration, faculty, staff and students.

Direct comprehensive state government affairs strategies to advance the company’s public policy priorities to ensure an optimal business environment and patient access and reimbursement to innovative therapies.
* Cultivate and maintain strong working relationships with bipartisan state legislators and regulators, patient and provider organizations, third-party organizations, think tanks and other health care stakeholders across the assigned states.
* Identify legislative and regulatory priorities to develop and recommend strategic and tactical courses of action to address threats and opportunities for state government and public affairs engagement.
* Meaningfully lead and/or participate in coalitions and build comprehensive public affairs campaigns to advance proactive public policy agenda.
* Collaborate cross-functionally across Corporate Affairs to advance the company’s business interests and policy priorities, including Federal Government Affairs, Public Policy, Patient Advocacy, Communications and other key functions.
* Effectively partner and represent BMS' perspective with trade associations, including PhRMA’s state task-forces, state biotechnology organizations and key third-party groups.
* Work with state legislative and campaign committee organizations to identify opportunities for strategic support and partnership on opportunities for engagement.
* Manage external consultants and operating budget in assigned states

Marc Metcalf is a Business Recruitment Officer for the Upstate SC Alliance, providing support to companies that are considering expansion of their business in the U.S.  In his role, Marc works with the Alliance’s public and private sector investors in executing recruitment strategies focused on making the Upstate an ideal location for business expansion opportunities.

Prior to joining the Upstate SC Alliance, Marc was a business developer with a manufacturing focused credit union and was responsible for relationship development and company growth while serving hundreds of South Carolina manufacturers and their employees.  Most recently, Marc was the Employer Services Manager with Greenville Technical College, serving as the college’s liaison to the business community and implementing customized training and workforce development solutions for area manufacturers.  Marc has a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Carolina and an MBA from North Greenville University.  Marc currently represents the Alliance on the boards of SCBIO and the SC Automotive Council and is a board member of the City of Greer Recreation Association. 

Bob serves as the Executive Director at the South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA). Previously, he served in roles at Battelle and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He earned his M.A. in Science and Technology Management from George Washington University and completed the Executive Management Program at Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

Josh is the Global Business Manager at Zeus Industrial Products, where he has been for over 20 years. He earned his B.S. in Biological and Biomedical Sciences from Clemson University.

Robert is the CEO and Founding Member of Innova Therapeutics, which is a dedicated biotech developing innovative therapies for people living with cancer. Their lead program is a novel targeted anti-cancer therapy directed against a protein (SFRP2) which is expressed across multiple tumor types. SFRP2 regulates the non-canonical Wnt-signaling cascade in tumor cells (primary and metastatic), endothelial cells, and T-cells, affecting tumor growth, apoptosis, angiogenesis, and T-Cell proliferation. This target has been validated in human cancers where increased expression of this protein (SFRP2) was found to correlate with tumor progression and poor prognosis.

He earned his Master's degree in Genetics and Pharmacokinetics from North Dakota State University and his PhD in Toxicology from the University of North Carolina.

.A higher education professional with more than 20 years’ experience focused on enrollment management and advancement at small private and mid-size public institutions. I work with colleagues to provide an exceptional education to students who seek to be well-rounded and prepared for their career and community. I also have the great fortune of working with generous individuals who invest in our students. 

Kay is an Executive Director at VisionGreenwood in Greenwood, SC. Previously, she served in roles at the Greenwood Partnership Alliance and the Foundation for a Greater Greenwood County. She earned her B.A. in Language and International Trade from Clemson University.

In 2010, Dave Shalaby took on the role of president after having served on the board of directors for eight years. Under Dave’s leadership, the company has grown into a vertically integrated design, development, and custom manufacturer of bioresorbable medical device and pharmaceutical products. Before stepping into his role at Poly-Med, Inc., Dave was founder and president of InSource Consulting, providing strategic consulting services to financial service companies to improve process and business efficiencies through the use of process analysis methodologies.

During his tenure, Dave personally led major merger and acquisition integrations for two Fortune 100 insurance companies and has overseen countless key strategic efforts in support of his clients.

He grew InSource Consulting into a multi-million dollar specialty management consulting firm aimed at providing strategic support services to large companies within the healthcare, financial service, and federal government sectors. InSource Consulting was acquired by Virtusa, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTU) in 2009.

This unique mix of strategic and business acumen has led to significant growth at Poly-Med, Inc. Several key initiatives encouraging the team to achieve elegant solutions are advancing the company to the next level, while staying true to the legacy of Dave’s father, Dr. Shalaby W. Shalaby.

David holds a B.S. in Aeronautical Technology from Purdue University (1992) and an MBA from Loyola University of Chicago (1994).

Dr. Skinner is the Director of the Greenwood Genetic Center. He is a clinical geneticist involved in the evaluation and treatment of children and adults
with birth defects, intellectual disabilities, and other genetic disorders. His areas of interest include Rett syndrome, Angelman syndrome, autism,
and intellectual disabilities. Dr. Skinner has been actively involved in the treatment initiative of the Center and was instrumental in the development
of the South Carolina Center for the Treatment of Genetic Disorders. He is a principal investigator on the NIH/Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network’s
Rett Syndrome Natural History Study and is involved in numerous clinical trials for patients with this neurodevelopmental disorder.

Dr. Skinner is certified by the American Board of Medical Genetics (1990) and by the American Board of Pediatrics (1985). He is a Founding Fellow of the
American College of Medical Genetics and a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He is also a member of the American Society of Human Genetics,
the South Carolina Medical Association, the South Carolina Pediatric Society, and the Greenwood County Medical Society.

David Stefanich is co-founder and CEO of Rymedi, a cloud-based disease testing and vaccine administration workflow management solution.  A former CIO and CTO for global Fortune 500 companies, he specializes in technology architectures and software applications for highly-regulated industries. He has employed data-driven methodologies to improve compliance and operations in pharmaceutical manufacturing and supply chain management. An inorganic chemist by training, he combines his Masters’ degrees in Chemistry, Computer Science, and Global Finance to improve healthcare technology workflows. He is a founding member of the Blockchain in Healthcare Global IEEE ISTO. 

Brandon is a Certified Public Accountant and is the Senior Manager at Elliott Davis, LLC located in Charleston, SC.

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Jonathan Yarborough is the director of government affairs and economic development for Dominion Energy in South Carolina. He works with lawmakers, state agencies and the public on issues of importance to the utility and its 1 million electric and national gas customers in the state. Most recently he worked on issues stemming from the abandonment of the nuclear reactors at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station.

Johnathan has a bachelor’s degree from Clemson and a law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law. He previously worked for SCANA and the South Carolina Department of Commerce.

He serves on the Legislative Advocacy Committee of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce and is a board member of Katrina’s Kids, a nonprofit which provides resources for foster children and children living in group homes.

Dr. Cynthia Young joined Clemson University in August 2017 as the Founding Dean for the College of Science.  Through her leadership over the past year, the College has made great progress including building an innovative leadership structure and diverse team, developing an ambitious strategic plan called SciForward, engaging in strategic outreach opportunities to increase awareness of SCIENCE throughout South Carolina, creating a new hiring process that elevates “T” shaped researchers who can integrate across many disciplines and industries, engaging with new global partners that are at the forefront of scientific research, and converging the collective power of the life, physical and mathematical sciences to tackle tomorrow’s scientific challenges and prepare the next generation of scientist.  Prior to joining Clemson, Dr. Young spent 20 years at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. During that time, she was a nationally recognized scholar, co-founded UCF’s EXCEL program that raised STEM graduation rates by 40%, and served in many leadership roles including associate dean of the College of Science and Vice Provost for faculty excellence and UCF Global. 

Erin Ford is the current Interim CEO of SCBIO, recently transitioning from Executive Vice President and COO. Ms. Ford works on corporate strategies emanating from the organization’s three statewide offices, its Board, and hundreds of supporting Members and Investors.  Her comprehensive responsibilities include serving as primary lead for SCBIO’s business operations and finances, championing investor relations and existing industry strategies, and spearheading integrated marketing initiatives. She previously served as sales and marketing executive at Poly-Med, a global innovation company that is developing absorbable polymers and constructs for the medical device industry, during which she served on the SCBIO Board of Directors. Before her role at Poly-Med, Inc., Erin was a business recruitment officer at the Upstate SC Alliance.  She served as the main point of contact for life sciences companies interested in expanding or locating in South Carolina. While at the Upstate Alliance, Ms. Ford served as an ex-officio SCBIO board member from 2013-2015 and led a regional biosciences task force comprised of industry executives from across the region. Erin also has extensive television experience as a documentary producer and sportscaster.

She received her B.A. in Communication from La Salle University in Philadelphia.