Sam joined SCBIO in Spring 2017 as its President/CEO, focused on aggressively scaling-up and leading the innovative statewide economic development organization and industry association in its mission to build, advance, innovate and grow South Carolina’s $11.4 billion life sciences industry which is comprised of over 600 companies. 

Prior to his role with SCBIO, Sam served as Executive Director of the Greenville Health Research Development Corporation as part of a 12-year affiliation with the Greenville Health System in various strategic roles, and was the founding President/CEO of Upstate SC Alliance along with other leadership positions with the SC Department of Commerce and Germany-based Alfmeier Corporation. He is also the founder and principal of SK Strategies, LLC - a consulting firm specializing in economic development, innovation, public-private partnerships, integrated marketing and business development strategies.

A licensed attorney since 1989, he is a member of numerous business and industry boards, including current roles serving on the SC Chamber of Commerce Executive Committee & Board, Southeast Life Sciences Association Board of Directors, SCRA Business & Science Advisory Board, SCBIO Board of Directors, South State Bank Greenville Advisory Board, and Palmetto Conservation Foundation Board.  He is the past board chair of the Cancer Society of Greenville County, past board vice chair of the Upstate SC Red Cross, has been designated as a Knowledge Economist by SCRA, and was awarded The Order of the Palmetto in 2018 – SC’s highest civilian award.

Erin Ford is Vice President of SCBIO.  Previously, she was director of sales at Poly-Med, Inc., a global innovation company developing leading edge bioresorbable polymers and constructs for the medical device industry.   Prior to 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. 

She formerly served as an ex-officio SCBIO board member from 2013 to 2015 and led a regional biosciences task force comprised of industry executives from the Upstate region of South Carolina. 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.

Morgan is the Investor Relations Manager of SCBIO where she manages existing and future relationships with SCBIO's various life sciences stakeholders.

She also helps spearhead SCBIO's life sciences workforce initiative and digital content/programming. 

Before SCBIO, Morgan was employed with Nephron Pharmaceuticals as Lead Quality and Corporate Affairs Intern.

Morgan is a summa-cum laude graduate of Clemson University with a degree in Genetics and minor in business administration.  She is also Miss South Carolina where she travels across the state promoting her initiative of Stronger With STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math): developing a 21^st century STEM workforce by further connecting academia and industry, inspiring students into the field, and instilling professional development. 

Experienced senior bioengineering student at Clemson University and Senior Intern at SCBIO. Current work at Clemson includes development of a personal isolation unit to combat COVID-19, creation of children's STEM outreach activities, development of an umbilical cord care kit, and medical device reprocessing research. 

Joey helps provide legislative support to assist in the advocacy efforts to further promote South Carolina’s life science industry through research, education, talent development and innovation. He also assists in the recruitment and retention of life science companies through diligent investor relations management. 

He most recently worked in Washington, D.C. in various capacities including at a strategic marketing firm as well as on Capitol Hill for U.S. Senator David Perdue. 

Joey is a graduate of Clemson University, where he holds a B.S. degree in Marketing with minors in both Political Science and Management. His involvement at Clemson included Student Government, iLEAD, Spiro Entrepreneurial and Marketing Student Advisory Boards, and an internship with the Office of Corporate Partnerships and Strategic Initiatives. 

Ashlea is an intern for SCBIO. She is a senior Microbiology major with a Biomedicine concentration and double minoring in Biology and Psychology at Clemson University. Before SCBIO, Ashlea interned with the Greenwood Genetic Center in the Summer of 2019.