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The Riley Institute at Furman presents The Seventh Annual Wilkins Leadership Awards Luncheon

Honoring award recipients Representative James E. Smith and M. Edward Sellers

Keynote speaker Director David H. Petraeus Central Intelligence Agency

Hosted by Ambassador David H. Wilkins Secretary Richard W. Riley Furman President Rodney A. Smolla

Tuesday, January 24, 2012 Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center Columbia, Program

Wilkins Legislative & Civic Leadership Awards Luncheon

“America the Beautiful” Bell Tower Boys

Welcome Rodney A. Smolla President, Furman University

Opening Remarks Richard W. Riley former U.S. Secretary of Education and Governor of South Carolina

National Anthem Jacob Will Assistant Professor, University of South Carolina School of Music

Invocation Beverly CroweTipton Pastor of Spiritual Formations, Advent

Lunch

Remarks David H. Wilkins former U.S. Ambassador to Canada and Speaker, South Carolina House of Representatives

Introduction of Keynote Speaker Senator

Keynote Address David H. Petraeus Director, Central Intelligence Agency

Awards Presentation Paula Harper Bethea Executive Director, South Carolina Education Lottery

Closing Rod Smolla

“God Bless America” Bell Tower Boys Award for Excellence in Legislative Leadership Award for Excellence in Civic Leadership

James E. Smith, Jr. M. Edward Sellers

ames Emerson Smith, Jr., first vice-chair of the House dward Sellers is chairman of the board of BlueCross JJudiciary Committee, has served in the South Carolina EBlueShield of South Carolina and served as its chief House of Representatives since 1997. In his first year executive officer for 18 years before retiring from that of service, he was elected to the position of assistant position in 2010. A lifelong servant of the public good, House minority leader. After three years, he became chief Sellers is currently chair of the South Carolina Coucil minority whip and from 2002–2005 served as House on Competitiveness and vice-chair of the Palmetto minority leader. Institute. He also serves on the boards of the Palmetto During his time in the South Carolina House of Business Forum, Spoleto Festival USA, the National Bank Representatives, Smith has championed quality education of South Carolina, SC Educational Communications, Inc., for all South Carolinians, environmental conservationism, and the Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics Foundation. and accountability in government. He has often collaborated with both Sellers has received numerous awards, including South Carolina’s parties in addressing these important issues. prestigious “Order of the Palmetto” award in 2011. In addition, he Smith is currently a captain and executive officer of1 -118th has received the Columbia World Affairs Council’s 2007 Global Vision Combined Arms Battalion. He served in support of Operation Enduring Award and was named the SC Chamber of Commerce’s 2002 Business Freedom Afghanistan with the 218th Infantry Brigade where he was Leader of the Year For his humanitarian efforts, he was chosen as awarded the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the Bronze Star and the Habitat for Humanity’s Corporate Citizen of the Year in 2005 and, along Purple Heart. with his spouse Suzan D. Boyd, Ph.D., as United Way of the Midlands’ Smith has served on several boards including SC First Steps and 2008 Humanitarians of the Year. Prevent Child Abuse South Carolina, and he has chaired the Public Sellers has previously served as chair of the Columbia College Policy Committee of the United Way’s Success by 6 initiative. Currently, Board of Trustees, the Palmetto Conservation Foundation Board of Smith serves on the board of the Alston Wilkes Society. Directors, and the South Carolina State Chamber of Commerce. He A graduate of the University of South Carolina (USC) and USC has served on several additional boards including those of the Central School of Law, Smith has received both the Outstanding Young Alumni Carolina Community Foundation and the United States Chamber of Award and the Distinguished Service Award from his alma mater. He Commerce. has received numerous other awards, including the South Carolina Sellers received a B.A. in physics from Vanderbilt University and Bar’s 1999 Young Lawyer of the Year and the American Legion’s SC an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. He has also received Outstanding Member of the House of Representatives Award. honorary doctoral degrees from the University of South Carolina and Formerly an associate at Nelson Mullins Riley and Scarborough, the College of Charleston. Smith currently is sole shareholder of his four attorney firm, James E. Smith, Jr. P.A. Smith is also president and CEO of the Congaree Group of Columbia, which provides medical and pharmaceutical supplies and telehealth and telemedicine equipment and services to hospitals and medical facilities. Smith lives in Columbia with his wife, Kirkland, and their four children, James III, Thomas, Paul, and Shannon. Keynote Speaker About Secretary Riley

David H. Petraeus Richard W. Riley

eneral David H. Petraeus (US Army, retired) became ichard W. Riley, for whom the Riley Institute Gthe 20th director of the Central Intelligence Agency on Rat Furman is named, is the former U. S. Secretary September 6, 2011. He leads the Agency and also manages of Education (1993–2001) and former Governor of human intelligence, covert operations, counterintelligence, South Carolina (1979–1987). Secretary Riley currently liaison with foreign intelligence services, and open is a senior partner in the law firm of Nelson Mullins source collection programs on behalf of the Intelligence Riley & Scarborough and its affiliate, Education Counsel, Community and the United States Government. with offices in South and North Carolina, Atlanta, Petraeus retired from the United States Army in 2011, Boston, Chicago, Huntington (West ), Tallahassee, after a distinguished 37-year career. He last served as commander, NATO and Washington, D.C. He works on complex business, governance, International Security Assistance Force and commander, US Forces- financial, legal, education, government process and advocacy matters Afghanistan. His other four-star commands include assignments as the for local, state, national, and international clients. 10th commander, United States Central Command and as commanding With the full support of the firm, Riley remains an ambassador for general, Multi-National Force-Iraq during the surge. improving education in the United States and abroad. He chairs the Prior to those assignments, Petraeus commanded the US Army Board of Trustees at Furman and serves as Advisory Board chair Combined Arms Center and Fort Leavenworth, during which time he of the Richard W. Riley Institute of Government, Politics and oversaw development of the US Army/Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Public Leadership. Riley has been named distinguished professor Field Manual. Simultaneously, he commanded the Multi-National Security at the University of South Carolina, and the College of Education Transition Command-Iraq and the NATO Training Mission-Iraq, both at bears his name, as does the College of of which he established. He commanded the 101st Airborne Division Education and Leadership at Walden University. In addition, Riley (Air Assault), including while the 101st participated in the fight to serves in an advisory and collaborative capacity with several other Baghdad and subsequent stability operation during the first year entities across the nation and overseas that promote progressive of Operation Iraqi Freedom education improvement. Awards and decorations earned by Petraeus include four awards Riley earned his bachelor’s degree, cum laude, in political science of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, three awards of the from Furman in 1954 and received a J.D. from the University of South Distinguished Service Medal, the Bronze Star Medal for valor, and Carolina School of Law in 1959. the State Department Distinguished Service Award. He is the recipient of numerous education and other public service Petraeus holds a degree from the United States awards, as well as honorary degrees from universities and colleges in Military Academy, and he was the General George C. Marshall Award the United States and abroad. In 2009, Time magazine named Riley winner as the top graduate of the US Army Command and General one of the Top 10 Best Cabinet Members in our nation’s history. Early Staff College in1983 . He subsequently earned MPA and Ph.D. degrees in 2010, he was inducted into the South Carolina Hall of Fame. Later in international relations from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson that year, he received Leadership South Carolina’s inaugural Dick and School of Public and International Affairs. He has served as an assistant Tunky Riley Legacy of Leadership Award. professor of international relations at the US Military Academy and has Riley and his late wife, Ann “Tunky” Yarborough Riley, have four completed a fellowship at Georgetown University. children and 14 grandchildren. About Ambassador Wilkins About President Smolla

David H. Wilkins Rodney A. Smolla

avid H. Wilkins is a partner at Nelson Mullins Riley od Smolla, president of Furman University, is D& Scarborough and chairs the Public Policy Rnationally recognized as a scholar, teacher, advocate and International Law practice group, which focuses and writer. He is one of America’s foremost experts on primarily on representing businesses on both sides of the issues relating to freedom of speech, academic freedom United States-Canadian border and offers experience on and freedom of the press. A native of the Chicago area, a wide range of strategic bilateral issues. he is a 1975 graduate of Yale University, where he was From 2002–2009, Wilkins served as the United States a member of the football team. He graduated first in his Ambassador to Canada. During his tenure, Ambassador class from Duke University Law School in 1978. Wilkins helped to resolve some of the most high-profile Before coming to Furman, Smolla served as Dean and issues between Canada and the United States, including the decades-old Roy L. Steinheimer Professor of Law at Washington and Lee School softwood lumber dispute. He is known on both sides of the border as an of Law, as Dean and Allen Professor at the University of Richmond honest broker who worked for solutions on the toughest issues—energy, School of Law, and as Director of the Institute of Bill of Rights Law national security, the environment, trade, and travel—impacting millions at the College of William & Mary. of citizens in both countries. During his legal career, Smolla has presented arguments in state In 2010, Governor tapped Ambassador Wilkins to and federal courts throughout the country, including the U.S. Supreme chair her transition team as she formed her new administration. Court. He has also testified before committees of the U.S. Senate and Wilkins was elected to the South Carolina House of U.S. House of Representatives. Representatives in 1980 and served there for 25 years. He quickly rose As President of Furman he has emphasized a more holistic through the ranks in the House, serving six years as chair of the House approach to admissions, attention to the education of the “whole Judiciary Committee and two years as speaker pro tem before being student”, engagement with the community, and encouraging habits elected speaker, a position he held for 11 years. of open-minded and civilized public discourse. Wilkins served as state chairman of the Bush-Cheney ’04 Smolla is active in civic and community affairs, and frequently campaign and as co-chair of the campaign in 2000. He was appointed speaks to community groups, church groups, youth groups, schools by the president to the United States Military Academy Board of and college organizations. He serves on numerous civic, community, Visitors in 2002, where he served for three years. He currently is chair professional and corporate boards, including the Board of Directors of the Board of Trustees and also serves on of Media General, Inc., the Board and Executive Committee of the the boards of Porter Airlines Inc., and the Greenville Area Development American Arbitration Association, the First Amendment Advisory Corporation. Committee of the Media Institute, the Board of the Greenville (S.C.) A native of Greenville, Ambassador Wilkins received his A.B. Chamber of Commerce, and the Board of the Commerce Club of degree from Clemson University and his law degree from the University Greenville. In 2011 he was nominated by Governor Nikki Haley of South Carolina School of Law. He also served in the U.S. Army and and confirmed by the to serve on the South U.S. Army Reserves. Carolina Commission on Higher Education. Wilkins resides in Greenville with his wife Susan. They have two grown sons and two grandchildren. About the Wilkins Awards About the Wilkins Fellowships

David H. Wilkins Awards The Wilkins Fellowships in South Carolina Legislative Affairs

The Award for Excellence in Legislative Leadership is very other year, 12–15 Furman students have the opportunity to work presented to a member of the South Carolina House or Senate who Eside-by-side with legislators and interest groups in Columbia, gain- best exemplifies the highest principles of leadership, integrity, ing a sophisticated and nuanced understanding of the legislative process. compassion, vision, and courage. Recipients have demonstrated the In this immersion experience, Wilkins Fellows meet and work with South ability to collaborate with fellow legislators, regardless of party affiliation, Carolina elected officials, listen to presentations made by lobbyists, legisla- to effect positive change in South Carolina. Winners are chosen by a tive staff, and agency personnel, and attend receptions. The program is led bipartisan/nonpartisan panel of distinguished scholars, former legislators, by Glen Halva-Neubauer, a state politics specialist and professor of political and leaders from the public and private sectors. science at Furman University. Past Legislative Award Winners 2010 Wes Hayes, South Carolina Senator The Riley Institute 2009 Dan Cooper, South Carolina Representative 2008 Gilda Cobb-Hunter, South Carolina Representative he Riley Institute at Furman is a non-partisan organization 2007 , South Carolina Senator Taffiliated with the Department of Political Science at Furman 2006 Bobby Harrell, Speaker, South Carolina House of Representatives University. Named for former Governor of South Carolina and United 2005 John Drummond, South Carolina Senator and President Pro-Tem States Secretary of Education , the institute engages Emeritus students in politics, public policy and public leadership through collaborative research, study abroad opportunities and internships. The Award for Excellence in Civic Leadership is presented to Since its inauguration in 1999, the Riley Institute also has a community leader who demonstrates a long-standing and exemplary developed community leadership programs, symposia and conferences commitment to working to improve the lives of South Carolinians. The designed to promote discussion and analysis of public policy issues. recipient of this award is a civic leader whose selfless involvement in Through its promotion of engaged learning, leadership development community is marked by vision, skill, and integrity, and whose efforts and conferences featuring internationally recognized speakers, the to improve the quality of life in the state has required a remarkable Riley Institute has established itself as an innovator in policy and investment of personal time, energy, and responsibility. public leadership education. Winners are chosen by a confidential committee of community, non- profit, business, and governmental leaders representing all geographical areas of South Carolina.

Past Civic Award Winners 2010 Minor Mickel Shaw Wilkins Program Sponsors*

Gold Level Duke Energy

Silver Level BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP SCETV

Table Sponsors AT&T The Ballentine Group of Wells Fargo Advisors BMW Manufacturing Co. Childs & Halligan, P.A. Clemson University Elliott Davis Municipal Association of SC Piedmont Natural Gas SCBIZ South Carolina Cable Television Association Statehouse Report Verizon Foundation * As of date of publication.

Our great thanks to SCETV for their generous support, including promotion of this event and production of tonight’s video features and live feed. SCETV’s unstinting and ongoing support of this program is invaluable.

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