It’s hard to imagine that less than a century ago the phrase, “A woman’s place is in the home,” was the standard in American society. But today’s women can choose to also pursue a career. Many of them take on leadership positions such as CEOs, entrepreneurs, board presidents and other top roles. In the Tri-County area, we are fortunate to have some of the best and brightest women around to lead our community to even greater heights. In honor of Women’s History Month, here is a list of several women that fit the bill.
Helen Hill
Helen Hill, the CEO of Explore Charleston (aka the Charleston Area Convention and Visitors Bureau), an alliance of 849 businesses and 10 municipal governments, oversees the promotion of tourism while working to keep our area a great place to live, work and do business. The hospitality and tourism industry now employs over 40,000 people in the Charleston area, and much of the role it plays in the local economy has been impacted by Hill’s efforts. Her contributions to the community have not gone unnoticed, as she has been the recipient of the Order of the Palmetto, the state’s highest civilian honor, for her commitment to tourism and economic development.
She’s also received the Joseph P. Riley Leadership Award for a lifetime devoted to making the community a better place. Hill was the first woman to receive the Brinkman Award for Outstanding Tourism Leadership, and she was recognized as a Travel Vanguard by Afar Magazine. But never one to rest on her laurels, Hill looks to the future to ensure that the tourism industry adapts to meet current challenges and remains sustainable. One example of that was her effort to spur several airlines to add service at Charleston International Airport. Five years ago, she became the first woman to head the Charleston County Aviation Authority.
Allison Hunt
As visitors to our area can attest, Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum is usually on their list of favorite tourist stops. Allison Hunt, the executive director of the Patriots Point Development Authority Board which manages the enterprise, is the first woman to serve at the helm of the state agency. Before being selected for the job two years ago, she had already made history by becoming the first woman to head the USS Yorktown Foundation, the nonprofit charged with providing support and fundraising for exhibits, scholarships and programs. Now she oversees the operations of all of Patriots Point which includes not only the museums but also the management of 465 acres of land that’s home to a golf course, athletic fields, restaurants, a resort hotel and a marina. So, there is a business side of her job since the Development Authority is landlord to those entities.
The varied facets of Patriots Point contribute over $200 million annually to the Charleston area’s economy and support 1,700 jobs. Now a new project, Patriots Annex, a mixed-use development, is planned and will include office and retail space as well as vacation and residential units. When completed, Patriots Point will have an even larger economic impact, supporting 3,000 jobs and contributing $393 million to the local economy, with Hunt steering the ship.
Natalie Wright
It’s no surprise that many tourists who visit the Charleston area decide to stay and make it their new home. That’s where real estate agent Natalie Wright comes in. But for Wright, the real estate business is more than just selling houses. The vision of Real Estate House International (REHI), the company she co-founded, is to help clients not only find the right home but to launch them on their journey toward financial security. Home ownership is the number one path to creating personal wealth, yet it’s a dream that many people of color and those in marginalized communities consider out of reach. Since Wright’s background is in finance, she can help her clients evaluate their buying power and build wealth through owning their own home. But she doesn’t stop there. Since young people often leave high school without a clue about managing personal finance in the real world, Wright created Youth Financial, a workshop for teenagers and young adults to learn necessary financial skills. As a member of the Realtors Political Action Committee (RPAC), she and her fellow members work at all levels of government to protect business interests of the real estate industry and enable clients to achieve their goal of home ownership.
Pamela Browning
How does the public follow everything that’s happening in our community? It’s up to news outlets to give us the information we need and to report the truth. The Post and Courier has always been a trusted source of journalism in Charleston, and Pamela (PJ) Browning, its president and publisher, has the responsibility of continuing that legacy of trust. She also heads the Journalism Preservation Society, whose goal is public service through investigative journalism while also safeguarding the First Amendment. Two years ago, she was named Executive of the Year by the Inter American Press Association, an international group devoted to defending freedom of the press.
Browning has been with the Post and Courier for more than a decade, formerly as senior vice president of Evening Post Industries, the paper’s parent company, as well as VP of its Newspaper Division. Under her leadership, the newspaper has won a Pulitzer Prize for Public Service and was named a finalist three other times. Browning has also guided her team at the Post and Courier into the age of social media, utilizing platforms like Instagram and digital newsletters.
Mary Margaret Nelms
It also falls to television broadcasting to cover what’s making news. With the challenges of cable TV biases and internet falsehoods often hindering that effort, Mary Margaret Nelms is confident that those whom she leads as general manager of WCIV Channel 4 are willing and able to pursue the facts. Nelms has been GM at Channel 4 since 2014 and was named General Manager of the Year in 2015 by parent company the Sinclair Media Group, which praised her professionalism and dedication to public service. That was the year that the Charleston area witnessed three tragic news events: the Mother Emanuel AME Church mass shooting, the shooting of Walter Scott by a police officer and the 1,000-year flood. Through it all, Nelms led her news team, reminding them to stay focused but compassionate and sensitive to the needs of the community. Nelms knows the TV business inside and out, having once worked in sales and management positions at other local television stations. But as a Lowcountry resident, she also considers herself a part of the broader Charleston community, dedicating her time and effort to causes such as the American Lung Association and the Cooper River Bridge Run.
Anita Huggins
Keeping the public informed includes educating our children. Schools must make sure that students acquire the skills they need to become engaged citizens. Anita Huggins spearheads that effort as superintendent of the Charleston County School District, the second largest public school district in the state. The position has long weathered the troubled waters of leadership challenges, but the appointment of Huggins last year prompted an endorsement by three area mayors who recognized her promise of collaboration and transparency.
An employee of the CCSD for over 25 years serving as a teacher, principal and in other administrative positions, her leadership skills have also been sharpened through her participation in programs that aim to improve students’ reading and math skills. She has promised an equitable distribution of resources to continue and build on the successes of those programs. Huggins was the district’s executive director of Educator Effectiveness for 12 years, and her initiatives to help educators develop proven teaching techniques as well as to pursue the goal of closing the achievement gap for students of color give hope to many.
Tonya Matthews
As a region rich in history, our community teems with many other important educational resources. Exploring the African American experience is crucial for learners of any age and is a compelling story that’s told at the International African American Museum. Located at the site of the original port of entry for enslaved Africans arriving in America, its mission is to challenge, illuminate, inspire and move people to action. Dr. Tonya Matthews, president and CEO, brings a plethora of qualifications and personal experiences to the table, ranging from leadership positions at the Michigan Science Center to serving on the National Assessment Governing Board.
Matthews holds degrees in biomedical engineering and is a member of the Board on Science Education at the National Academy of Sciences. Her passion for education runs deep. She created the STEMinista Project at the Michigan Science Center, giving young women a pathway to explore careers in science, technology, engineering and math. She is also an advocate for professional women, particularly those of color, to pursue STEM education, calling her efforts the “pre-K through gray initiative.” Her current position at IAAM is grounded by her expertise in nonprofit management and fundraising. Matthews was named a trailblazer by Career Mastered Magazine and Charleston Business Magazine named her one of the area’s most influential women.
Anita Zucker
If there is one person whose name always comes up when discussing education, it’s Anita Zucker. She’s a former teacher herself but is also a successful business owner and philanthropist, having donated millions of dollars to The Citadel, the College of Charleston and many other institutions and causes, particularly those with an emphasis on education and health. Zucker is one of the founders of the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce’s Education Foundation and was formerly appointed by the governor to the state’s Education and Economic Development Coordinating Council. She’s been the president or a board member of far too many organizations to list and has received numerous awards for her efforts targeting education, including the Order of the Palmetto and an honorary doctorate in education from The Citadel.
But Zucker is also a businesswoman. She’s the CEO of the InterTech Group and owns the Carolina Ice Palace and the South Carolina Stingrays. Dozens of boards and committees that focus on economic development have benefited from Zucker’s involvement. She has been recognized for her business acumen, receiving numerous awards including the Joseph P. Riley Leadership Award. Zucker was named by the governor as one of South Carolina’s Economic Development Ambassadors for Charleston County and Charlestonian of the Year by Charleston Magazine.
Barbara Melvin
If there is one industry that springs to mind when talking about jobs, it’s shipping commerce, managed by the South Carolina Ports. Our thriving seaport is what makes the local economy tick, and it’s up to Barbara Melvin to keep it ticking. The SC Ports Authority has more than 800 employees but supports around 250,000 jobs statewide. That’s 1 in 9 jobs! In an industry that’s traditionally been dominated by men, Melvin is the first woman ever to lead a Top 10 container port in the U.S. She became the president of SC Ports after having been its chief operating officer for four years and has been in the business for more than two decades. Melvin has never considered her gender an obstacle, and to that end, she even mentors female supply chain students. She has always held — and met — high expectations for herself as well as for SC Ports, and the proof is in the numbers. Last year, the port handled more containers than the previous year, just as it did in the previous two years. Melvin has received the South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance Woman of the Year award and is the recipient of the College of Charleston’s Woman of Courage Award.
Kenya Dunn
But many women in business do experience gender or racial barriers. Kenya Dunn is here to help. With more than two decades of executive leadership experience at a Fortune 100 company, Dunn knows firsthand the challenges women of color face in corporate spaces. Rather than simply teaching women how to navigate these challenges, she emboldens them to break barriers, driving change and making their leadership undeniable. At the heart of her mission is the POWER Tribe, a community designed to provide the tools, strategies and support necessary for them to excel in leadership and business. And through her executive development firm PFW LLC, Dunn empowers high-visibility, high-impact leaders across industries with the strategies, vision and communication skills necessary to lead effectively. She’s also the managing partner of Equity Impact Partners, where she partners with businesses and organizations to develop and execute corporate social responsibility strategies that drive equitable outcomes and sustainable impact. Dunn has worked with leaders across multiple sectors, including government and municipalities, public education, business and community organizations, to foster environments where all leaders can succeed. Her work has earned her numerous accolades, including the YWCA’s What Women Bring award and SC Biz News’ Lowcountry Diversity Leadership Award.
Charleston-area women have myriad role models to look to for inspiration, including these 10 ladies who lead. During Women’s History Month, we have an opportunity to acknowledge and thank them not just for that inspiration but for their devotion and service to our community.
By Mary Coy
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