speaker bios

Sept. 13

Adam Hammons, Director of the Spartanburg County Election Commission: Adam Hammons has served in the voter registration and elections field since 2007, becoming director of Spartanburg County elections in June 2021. Adam began his career in the Greenville County Election Services Department, and has worked in Dorchester and Berkeley counties. Adam is a Certified Election Official and current Vice President of the SC Association of Registration and Election Officials.

Matt Moore, Managing Partner of First Tuesday Strategies: Matt served as Chairman of the SC Republican Party from 2013-2017, and was on the short-list to lead the Republican National Committee in 2016. Previously, Matt served as State Director for Sen. Tim Scott, Executive Director of the SC Republican Party, and worked on numerous other campaign and related efforts across SC and Georgia. In 2019, Matt was named one of the "40 Under 40" best campaign professionals in America by the American Association of Political Consultants.

Meghan Smith, Spartanburg City Council District 1 Representative: Meghan led City Council toward adoption of the "Healing, Reconciling, and Unity: A Pathway to a More Equitable Spartanburg" resolution, the only such municipal resolution in the state. She also serves as Director of College and Career Readiness with the Spartanburg Academic Movement.

Eddie Tallon, President of The Tallon Group, Inc.: Eddie is an expert in governmental affairs and consulting. He spent a decade in the SC House of Representatives and before that, he spent 25 years serving the state as a law enforcement officer and SLED agent.

sept. 27

Mark Knoop, Forward Communications & Strategies Founder: Mark is a Columbia-based communications and campaign management consultant, who currently serves as Campaign Manager for SC Gov. Henry McMaster. Mark led Sen. Lindsey Graham's on-the-ground efforts, and was Campaign Manager for SC Attorney General Alan Wilson in 2018. Mark has also worked closely with campaigns in Columbia, Charlotte, and with SC Sen. Scott Talley in Spartanburg County. Along with campaign work, Mark has a background in crisis management and advertising.

Scott Girouard, Director of Advertising for Gannett Media in Spartanburg: Scott has 20 years of experience in media. A Google trained and certified Trusted Digital Media Advisor, Scott began his career with the New York Times in Florida, having previously been Mayor of Winter Haven, Fl. Since leaving office he has consulted or managed 15 municipal or countywide campaigns.

OCT. 11

Suzy Cole, Attorney and Co-Founder of Legal Village Hub: Suzy represents nonprofits in all stages, from helping new organizations get off the ground to advising established nonprofits. Suzy spent a decade as a litigator with a statewide firm before becoming Executive Director of Children's Advocacy Center of Spartanburg, Cherokee, and Union Counties. 

Julie Nierstedt: Associate with Strategic Partners of SC: Julie has extensive experience on statewide campaigns, where she has worked closely on the reelection campaign of Gov. Henry McMaster and Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette. Since then, she has managed day-to-day donor relations efforts, fundraising database work, logistics for fundraisers, and more at several levels in South Carolina.

OCT. 25

SC Democratic Party Chair Trav Robertson: Trav is a seasoned and successful campaign organizer who has worked with local and statewide candidates across South Carolina, including directing President Obama's 2008 campaign across the state.

SC Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Bob Morgan: Bob joined the SC Chamber after a stint with the Charlotte Chamber, where he managed nearly 800 economic development projects, adding 69,000 new jobs and $6.7 billion in investment for the city.