Speaker Bios

Gregory Torrales President SC Hispanic Leadership Council

Gregory Torrales has been serving the community for over 17 years in various forms of leadership. He played an instrumental role in changing an English Only local government law in Pennsylvania. He has a degree in Counseling and is the owner of LaTorr Consulting Services. Gregory believes that everyone should be afforded the same opportunities and has fought diligently to ensure equal access for all. He is currently the President of the Board of Directors for the SC Hispanic Leadership Council.

Lee McElveen Hispanic/Latino Coordinator SC Commission for Minority Affairs

Lee S. McElveen was born in Mexico City to a Puerto Rican father and a South Carolinian mother. She was raised in Puerto Rico and had the benefit of experiencing childhood in a bicultural and bilingual home. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Southern Wesleyan University and has had a rich background in her professional life, having worked at the South Carolina Department of Social Services, USC Center for Developmental Disabilities at the School of Medicine, The ALPHA Center-Kershaw County

Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services serving as the Region II Hispanic/Latino Program Coordinator for a 9 county area (Kershaw, Lee, Chesterfield, Lancaster, York, Fairfield, Richland Lexington, Chester) and is currently employed with the South Carolina Commission for Minority Affairs as the Hispanic/Latino Coordinator for the State of South Carolina. Ms. McElveen has also taught conversational Spanish at ATEC in Kershaw County and taught at a private school in Puerto Rico. Ms. McElveen is fluent in both Spanish and English and has been certified as a South Carolina qualified interpreter and translator through the South Carolina Department of Social Services and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. She has also spent many hours as a volunteer, assisting as a Board Member of the Mental Health Association, offering her services to the Kershaw County Medical Clinic, the Kershaw County Police Department, the Kershaw County Sheriffs Department and many more in her community and throughout the state. She has served as a board member to the National Latino Peace Officers Association, Chairman of the Good Samaritan Medical Clinic, Columbia, SC, Board Member of the Cross Cultural Council, She is a current member of the Lieutenants Governors Office on Aging-Respite Coalition, Governors Council on Substance Abuse and Prevention, board member of Latino Communications- CDC and current Board member of United Way of the Midlands and the SC Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Ms. McElveen has dedicated her professional and personal life to the betterment of people cross-culturally. She has worked in the Human Service field for the past 13 years, and has been actively involved with the Hispanic community for many years, strengthening her role as advocate for the Hispanic/Latino population. She has found commonality among people of all races and cultures, bringing her unique perspective to the world around her. She has spent a great deal of personal time assisting state agencies, organizations and individuals in identifying ways to lend a helping hand to Hispanic/Latino people as they work toward improving their lives and that of their families, assisting people with insurmountable task of starting a new business in a totally new language, culture and political system. Ms. McElveen is happily married and the proud mother of two wonderful sons. She resides in Kershaw County, South Carolina, and commutes all over the State to lend a helping hand.

Ivan Segura President Council of Mexicans in the Carolinas

Ivan Segura is a Workforce Development Consultant for the Connecting People to Jobs/WIA Program, a workforce development initiative aimed to move out low-income of poverty Hispanic/Latino Midlands residents

and into living wage jobs by connecting them with job training, education, and support services. Mr. Segura was born in Mexico and has a solid background in business administration and financial planning. A devoted advocate for the Hispanic community, he serves on the Board of Directors of the SC ACLU and the SC Hispanic Leadership Council. He is also serves on the Advisory Committee to the Mexican Secretary of Foreign Relations Institute of Mexicans Abroad and is the President of the Council of Mexicans in the Carolinas. An ardent advocate for Latino arts, he is the Executive Director of Palmetto Luna Arts, a non-profit organization with the mission to foster an understanding of the Hispanic/Latino culture by promoting artistic creation and providing opportunities for cultural expression for the community in South Carolina.

Dean Hybl Executive Director Ten at the Top

Dean Hybl was named Executive Director of Ten at the Top in January 2010. Since arriving in the Upstate, he has directed the effort to create a Shared Upstate Growth Vision for the 10-county Upstate South Carolina region. More than 10,000 people across the region were involved in developing the Our Upstate Vision, which was unveiled on April 27, 2011. Hybl is now coordinating the development of five new Our Upstate Vision Task Forces each focused on one of the areas addressed in the regional vision: Human Potential; Economic & Entrepreneurial Vitality; Sustainable Growth; Natural Beauty & Resources and Community Vibrancy.

TATT was recognized by the Alliance for Regional Stewardship as a finalist for their prestigious 2011 Organizational Champions Award. The award winner will be announced in August. Hybl was also recognized by Greenville Business Magazine as one of Greenvilles 50 Most Influential for 2010. Prior to joining Ten at the Top, Dean spent five years promoting regional collaboration in the Central Florida area. While with myregion.org, which promotes regional development and collaboration in the Orlando area, he served as the primary Program Manager for the How Shall We Grow? initiative, which engaged more than 20,000 residents in an 18-month conversation about growth in the region. The project culminated with the unveiling of the Central Florida Regional Growth Vision in August 2007. Dean also coordinated initiatives focused on environmental preservation, improvement in science and math education, arts and culture, economic development and social services. Prior to joining myregion.org, Dean spent 15 years as a Sports Information Director and Assistant Director of Athletics in college athletics. He received eight national publication awards during six years at Hampden-Sydney College and then directed marketing and communications efforts for 21 varsity sports during nine years at Rollins College. He has also worked for a private public relations firm and is the founder of the web site Sports Then and Now. Originally from Keysville, Virginia, Dean is a graduate of James Madison University. He and his wife, Suzy, have two children, Bethany and Nate, and currently reside in Greer.

Evelyn Lugo President SC Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

President/Founder, South Carolina Hispanic Chamber of Commerce As the President and founder of the first Hispanic chamber in South Carolina, Mrs. Lugo came from Puerto Rico after deciding, along with her husband, that Greenville, South Carolina would be the perfect place to continue raising their two sons, college and high school students at that time.

It was shortly after she started working for a local credit card processing company that she found many Hispanic business owners experiencing problems interacting and doing business with the rest of the business community. Looking for ways to help the business community, Mrs. Lugo found that there was no Hispanic Chamber in South Carolina. Her search put her in contact with the US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Washington where she was informed that there was no Hispanic chamber in SC. After explaining the purpose of the call, the USHCC asked her if she wanted to start a chamber in the area. With a background in business administration; experience in working with big corporations such as Eastman Kodak, Abbott Pharmaceutical, and 3M; and the experience of starting a campus bookstore of her Church ministry in Puerto Rico, Lugo knew that the task would not be an easy one. But the need was clear and the burden was increasing every time she would get in contact with local and statewide business owners. Six months later, in August 2007 the South Carolina Hispanic Chamber of Commerce was incorporated. The Chamber was designated a 501(c) 6 non-profit organization in June 2009 by the IRS. Boards: Michelin Development Advisory Board, Ten at the Top Board, Greer Chamber of Commerce Board, Childrens Hospital Council, South Carolina Cancer Alliance Council, First Choice Community Council, and former member of the Blue Ridge Boys Scout Board. Military Experience: Honorable discharge Puerto Rico National Guard Rank: SP4 Military Police

Lydia Cotton Hispanic Liaison City of North Charleston

In 2005 the Hispanic / Latino community was going through a large number of robbery, assault and murder. Others were losing their lives for just crossing the streets for being drunk. In a corner of a gas station in one of the most central areas of my community would gather more than 150 people to look for work every morning. I could see that even though the community only wanted a job, this was not the best strategy to win the hearts of the residents of North Charleston. The city of North Charleston already hired the first Hispanic Victim Advocate, Mrs. Miriam Walker. Ms. Walker was in talks with Councilwoman Jerome to see how they could communicate with the Hispanic / Latino community. When I meet Miriam and Rhonda, our first meeting was in Rhondas home dinner table. Rhonda Jerome, Miriam Walker, Tanya Driggers and I started the very first Hispanic community meetings. For this effort, We were able to improve the chains of communication, and help the police lower the crime rate by 54% and bring light to many families in my city, but most important build a long lasting relationship with the Hispanic/Latino community. There are simple steps we follow to achieve success communicating with the Hispanic/Latin Community. 1. While Rhonda was opening doors for us in every department of City Hall, Miriam was solving victims issues, Tanya was helping organizing the monthly meetings and I was walking the street listening to the people. 2. We spent most of the time solving simple issues for the residents. One example of this is that if a trashcan was stolen or broken, we helped the resident contact the city to get a new one. This helped us have a strong and lasting relationship. 3. We are always honest and speak the truth to each family, never making excuses when

a Hispanic/Latino resident commits a crime. This helps the Police and community come together and solve many crimes. 4. I became member of the Police and Community panel. This helped the community and Police build a strong relationship. 5. The community came together to volunteer in all the events of Police, Fire, Recreation Department. 6. I founded a group called Dame La Mano. The members of Dame La Mano are people who have never had the opportunity or experience in being a leader, but, have a lot of knowledge in the deep part of the Hispanic / Latino community. Today, they are our guides and the first people we talk to when issues arrive in our Hispanic/Latino community. 7. Thanks to the City of North Charleston we have a community center/computer lab/police station, in the heart of the Hispanic/Latino population and 90% of the volunteers are Hispanic/ Latinos. This gives the community lots of pride. Our vision is to have everybody involved, Hispanic/Latino, Black, White, Brown, Yellow and even green. Two things I always remember to win the hearts of my community. 1. Respect 2. Listen

Julie Smithwick Executive Director PASOs

Julie Smithwick graduated from the University of Georgia with Bachelor degrees in International Studies and Spanish. Upon graduation she joined the Peace Corps where she served as a Youth and Families At-Risk volunteer in Ecuador, South America for almost 5 years. She has a Masters Degree in Social Work from the University of South Carolina, with a concentration in Social Work with Communities and Organizations. In 2012, Julie was awarded the 20 Under 40 award given to the top 20 leaders under age 40 working in the Midlands. Julie has over fifteen years of experience working in Latino communities, both in Latin America and the Southeastern states of the US. She is the founder and Executive Director of PASOs, which means steps in Spanish. This community-based organization hosted by the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina is present in 15 counties of South Carolina and advocates for the Latino population across the state. PASOs mission is to help Latino families and service organizations work together for strong and healthy families through education, support and grassroots leadership development. Under Julies leadership, PASOs received the Promising Practice of the Year award from the Association for Maternal and Child Health Programs in 2012. Julie is a board member of the Good Samaritan Free Clinic and the Fund for Southern Communities and lives in West Columbia, SC with her two children: Elias, who is 9 and Bella whos 7.

Jaime Harrison Chairman South Carolina Democratic Party

Jaime currently serves as Chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party. Upon his election, Jaime became the first African-American to serve in that role. He also serves as a Principal and democratic strategist at the Podesta Group, a full service Government and Public Relations firm. Prior to joining the Podesta Group, Jaime served as the Director of Floor Operations and Counsel for Majority Whip James E. Clyburn in the United States House of Representatives. He was responsible for running the whip operation for all legislative actions in the House of Representatives from 2007 to 2008. Harrison has also served as Executive Director of the House Democratic Caucus, where he broke two barriers, becoming one of the youngest individuals and the first African-American to hold the position. As Executive Director, Jaime oversaw the day-to-day operations of the House Democratic Caucus, and participated in the development of national strategy, message, and policy for the Democratic Party. In 2010, Harrison received two distinctive honors. First, he was named as one of the top 40 lawyers under 40 by the National Bar Association and IMPACT-DC. In addition, he was recognized by The Root, an online magazine, as one of 100 individuals, ages 25-45, who represent a new generation of emerging and established leaders in the African-American community. Jaime has appeared as a political strategist on CNN, MSNBC, and ATN. The consummate teacher, Jaime is a regular guest lecturer for the Brookings Institute and the Congressional Black Caucus Political Education Leadership Institutes Political Training Boot Camp. In 2009, Harrison served as a lecturer for Harvard Kennedy Schools Black Policy Conference. Jaime has also been featured in several Capitol Hill and South Carolina publications. He was selected by The Hill as one of the 35 Stellar Staffers Under 35; showcased as one of Roll Calls Fabulous 50 Staffers on Capitol Hill; highlighted in the National Journals The Hill People; and profiled in several articles including Orangeburg Native Rises Rapidly in DCThe State; A Long Way from Orangeburg Politico; and several articles in his hometown paper, the Times and Democrat.

In 1998, Jaime, a first generation college graduate, received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Yale University. After graduating from Yale, Jaime returned to his hometown of Orangeburg, SC and taught 9th grade social studies at his high school alma mater, Orangeburg-Wilkinson High. In 1999, Jaime became one of the youngest non-profit executives in the country when he served as Chief Operations Officer (COO) of College Summit, Inc., a national non-profit organization that works with communities to help students from low-income backgrounds successfully enroll into college. Jaime, a member of the College Summit National Board of Directors, was successful in helping College Summit grow into a nationally recognized organization with offices across the country. In 2004, Jaime graduated and obtained his Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center. Jaime is a native of Orangeburg, SC and a member of the SC Bar.

Ted Creech Director - External Affairs

AT&T South Carolina Ted Creech is Director of External Affairs for AT&T in South Carolina. Ted directs the local government, external and community relations, economic development and instate federal relations activities for the company in South Carolina. Ted previously served as AT&Ts Legislative Affairs director at the S.C. General Assembly, and before being promoted to that position, he was Regional Director for AT&T in the Lowcountry where he managed the companys external affairs and economic development in the Charleston-BerkeleyDorchester region. Ted graduated from the University of South Carolina with honors in 1981. He worked in television and radio news early in his career and won several state and national reporting awards. During his career with BellSouth before the company merged with AT&T, Ted gained a

thorough knowledge of telecommunications technology and regulation while working on several landmark regulatory initiatives in the 1990s. While in Atlanta, he directed the corporate-wide marketing communications for BellSouths then-emerging Internet business in the late 90s and helped lead the initial corporate launch of broadband DSL. Ted is a member of the Central SC Alliance Board, the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce Board, the Columbia Urban League Board, the Claflin University Board of Trustees, the New Carolina Board and the State Board of Communities in Schools. He is also former Chairman of the Charleston Regional Development Alliance and Summerville-Dorchester Chamber Boards. Ted and his wife, Rosa, live in Columbia and have three sons.

Stephen Gilchrist President

South Carolina African American Chamber of Commerce Stephen Gilchrist is considered to be an expert in the areas of Business, Administration, Political Strategy, Legislative Policy, Training and Grassroots Organizing. Mr. Gilchrists policy background began as the Former Executive Director of the South Carolina Legislative Black Caucus and Junior Research Analyst for the South Carolina Senate finance Committee. He was also a Government Relations Director in the Governors Office. Among Mr. Gilchrists many accomplishments, he has been President of several major nonprofit organizations in South Carolina including serving as the Vice President of Public Policy for the South Carolina United Way. He was also appointed Greenwood Countys first Assistant County Administrator and the first African American to join the leadership of the Greenwood Area Chamber of Commerce. Mr.Gilchrist is a partner in the firm of Palmetto Brokers in South Carolina and serves on numerous boards and commissions. He is the Chairman of the South Carolina African American Chamber of Commerce.

Alan Wilson South Carolina Attorney General

Alan Wilson was elected South Carolinas Fifty-First Attorney General on November 2, 2010, and took office on January 12, 2011, becoming the nations youngest Attorney General. This marks his third stint in the office. Previously, he served as a prosecution division intern under Charlie Condon and as an Assistant Attorney General under Henry McMaster. As South Carolinas Attorney General, Wilson is the states chief prosecutor, chief securities officer, and the states chief legal counsel. The office is comprised of more than two hundred employees and nearly seventy-five attorneys who manage nearly 8,000 active case files. Wilson has focused on keeping our families safe and defending the Constitution. He has assembled an unprecedented coalition consisting of the Attorney Generals office, the State Law Enforcement Division, every sheriff, the Police Chiefs Association, and all 16 solicitors. Together, they are actively advancing legislative priorities to ensure South Carolina is the safest place to live, work, and raise a family. As Attorney General, Wilson has defended the Constitution and the laws of this state even if it means challenging the federal government. He has protected South Carolinas right-towork; helped lead the 26-state challenge to the federal health care mandate; and successfully safeguarded South Carolinas voter identification and immigration laws in court. Today, he is actively engaged in state and federal litigation to provide safe harbor to South Carolinas ports, shield the states energy interests at Yucca Mountain, as well as a constitutional challenge of Dodd-Frank. Prior to his election, Wilson served as an Assistant Solicitor and as an Assistant Attorney General before entering private practice with the Columbia firm of Willoughby & Hoefer, P.A. He began his legal career working for the late Judge Marc H. Westbrook.

Growing up, public service was paramount in the Wilson house. Alan and his three brothers have all achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. All four presently serve our nation in uniform. Wilson joined the National Guard immediately after graduating from college. He was called to serve in Iraq where he led troops through enemy fire and earned the Combat Action Badge. Today, he continues his military service by providing legal support for soldiers and assisting in the prosecution of military crimes as a Lt. Colonel in the Judge Advocate General Corps. He is a graduate of Francis Marion University and the University of South Carolina School of Law. Wilson and his wife, Jennifer, have two young children, Michael and Anna Grace.

Thomas J. Smith Executive Director SC Commission for Minority Affairs

Thomas was born to Thomas Smith, Sr. and Mary Davis Smith on September 7, 1948 in Columbia, SC. Thomas graduated from C. A. Johnson High School in 1966. He continued his education at Benedict College where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in management. Thomas furthered his studies in accounting and taxation at Greenville Technical College. Thomas began his professional career in 1971 as a Junior Accountant with the Greenville Hospital System. After returning to Columbia in 1974, he accepted the position of Assistant Manager of Grants Administration, Grants Administration Division, Office of the Governor. During his professional career Thomas served in several capacities including Program Coordinator with the SC Institute on Poverty and Deprivation, Financial Consultant with DESA, Inc., and Budget Analyst with Research Associates, Inc. Currently, Thomas is employed at the SC Commission for Minority Affairs and serves as Executive Director where he is responsible for the overall supervision of the agency. Previous to his current position at the Commission, Thomas served as its Community Services Program Manager, and Research and data Manager.

During his professional career Thomas has had many professional development opportunities including being selected as the person in state government to be trained in the usage of HandsNet (a forerunner of the internet) in Cupertino, California. In 2001, Thomas completed the States Executive Institute, the State Budget and Control Boards professional management course. Thomas has been actively involved in community initiatives for a number of years and recently became past president of the SC Diabetes Today Advisory Council which convenes annually one of the largest African American Conferences on Diabetes in the country, with the number of attendees ranging from 800 to 1,000. Currently, Thomas serves as the chairperson of the Camille Graham Chapel Foundation, a non-profit, 501 (c) (3) organization that exists to support educational and religious programs for inmates at the SC Department of Corrections Camille Graham Womens Prison. Thomas is actively involved in his church, the Progressive Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Inc, where he serves as an Elder and as the Associate Pastor of the local assembly in Columbia.

Joshua Kimbrell President Palmetto Conservative Alliance Foundation

Josh was born and raised in the Upstate of South Carolina, a fact that adds to his passion to preserve South Carolinas history of faith, freedom and free markets. His love of the Palmetto State led him to pursue pro-growth and pro-family public policies, beginning his freshman year of undergrad at North Greenville University. Joshs fight for freedom has only grown from there. During his time as an undergraduate at North Greenville, where he studied economics, Josh began linking the state of the nations culture to the strength of its economy. His philosophy that a strong culture leads to a strong economy, and a strong economy strengthens a strong culture, is the foundation of Joshs public policy work, and is the basis of his daily radio program Common Cents on 92.9FM / 660AM and the corresponding public policy foundation, the Palmetto Conservative Alliance, which he chairs. Joshs conviction is that the culture and economy are linked, and that liberty and limited government are necessary to create an opportunity society for all South Carolina families. Through Common Cents and the Palmetto Conservative Alliance, Josh and his team are seeking to build a culture of life, liberty and economic opportunity for all South Carolinians. This commitment to shared prosperity for all citizens of our state led to the establishment of the Foundations Pluribus Project, which is an effort to achieve unparalleled diversity united in common values. Thus, the Pluribus Project boasts the most racially and age diverse committee of any policy initiative in the State, united in an effort to share a positive message of faith, family, freedom and free-markets with every single South Carolinian. Josh Kimbrells leadership of Common Cents and the Palmetto Conservative Alliance are all part of his dream to build a stronger South Carolina, and a more prosperous America, for future generations. Only by reapplying the principles of the American Founding can we reasonably expect to extend the blessings of liberty and the American Miracle to our children, their children and immigrants seeking a better life in the land of the free.