South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster establishes the S.C. Conservation Commission
Ex officio members named, including the SCDNR director, along with 25 additional appointees representing various state
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Ex officio members named, including the SCDNR director, along with 25 additional appointees representing various state and local agencies
COLUMBIA, SC, UNITED STATES, October 28, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster announced the establishment of the S.C. Conservation Commission Oct. 27, the Commission – created by Executive Order 2026-24 and effective Oct. 22.
Among the Commission’s ex officio members are Dr. Tom Mullikin, director of the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), as well as S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Director Duane Parrish, S.C.’s Chief Resilience Officer Ben Duncan, and S.C. Forestry Commission head (State Forester) Scott Phillips.
According to the announcement released by the Governor’s office: “[The Conservation Commission] will advise the governor and executive branch on conservation and preservation strategies, promote coordination among state and local agencies, and assist local governments in developing conservation goals. The commission will also work to increase public awareness of South Carolina’s history and culture, identify potential funding sources, and encourage partnerships among public, private, academic, and nonprofit organizations.”
Gov. McMaster described the Commission as “uniquely talented, adding: ”[It is] “organized to bring broad insight and valuable guidance to matters of growth, conservation, and preservation.”
The Commission is a key piece of McMaster’s continuing conservation legacy.
“The establishment of this Conservation Commission speaks to the conservation-mindedness of our Governor,” said Mullikin, who prior to assuming the directorship of SCDNR in early 2025 served as founding chair of the S.C. Floodwater Commission. The Floodwater Commission having also been established by McMaster in 2018. “Gov. McMaster is always demonstrating committed leadership toward things like the forthcoming aims of this Commission with a forward-thinking approach toward conserving and protecting our state’s precious natural resources.”
Mullikin’s son, Thomas Mullikin Jr., president of Global Eco Adventures, Inc., like his father a Camden native, is one of the Conservation Commission’s 25 appointees.
The other 24 appointees from around the Palmetto State including three from out-of-state are –
1. Dana Beach, founder and director emeritus, S.C. Coastal Conservation League, Charleston.
2. Matthew Cabe, president and CEO, Michelin North America, Inc., Greenville.
3. Chief Cheryl Cail, Waccamaw Indian People, Myrtle Beach.
4. Fred Carter, president, Francis Marion University. Florence.
5. Wes Carter, president, Atlantic Packaging, Summerville.
6. Tripp Chavis, Milliken Advisors, Columbia.
7. Howard Coker, President and CEO, Sonoco, Hartsville.
8. Halsey Cook Jr., Milliken & Company, Spartanburg.
9. The Honorable Chris Crolley, mayor of the Town of Awendaw, S.C.
10. Jason Crowley, Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, Charleston.
11. Dr. Walter Edgar, Department of History, the University of South Carolina, Columbia.
12. Dr. Eric Emerson, agency director, state historic preservation officer, and state archivist, S.C. Department of Archives and History, Columbia.
13. Blake Goodman, CEO, Four Stones Real Estate, Atlanta, Georgia.
14. Chief Brian Harris, Catawba Nation, Rock Hill.
15. Alex Hinson, President and CEO, Resource Management Service, LLC, Birmingham, Alabama.
16. Charles G. Lane, Managing Member, Holcombe, Fair & Lane, Charleston.
17. Mike McShane, Nemours Wildlife Foundation, Johns Island.
18. Ben Navarro, founder, trustee, and chairperson, Beemok Family Foundation, Charleston.
19. Queen Quet, chieftess and head-of-state, Gullah-Geechee Nation, St. Helena Island.
20. Henry Swink, co-owner and co-president, McCall Farms, Inc., Effingham.
21. Alex Taylor, Cox Enterprises, Inc., Atlanta, Georgia.
22. Maria Whitehead, senior vice president of Land, SE Open Space Institute, Charleston.
23. Rick Wise, executive director/CEO, S.C. Battleground Trust, Camden.
24. Jonathan Zucker, The InterTech Group, Inc., North Charleston.
– Please see Executive Order 2026-24 https://tinyurl.com/3dahtznb
– For additional information please visit https://governor.sc.gov/
W. Thomas Smith Jr.
S.C. Department of Natural Resources
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