Meghan Barp leads United Way of Greenville County with a focus on creating lasting change through partnership and community-driven solutions. Since taking the helm, she has spearheaded initiatives addressing critical needs across the region, from launching the Community Relief Fund following Hurricane Helene to advancing Greenville Together: A Home for All, a cross-sector effort to reduce unsheltered homelessness.

Under Barp’s leadership, the organization has expanded its impact through programs like Hands On Greenville Day, mobilizing over 2,000 volunteers, and Ride United, a partnership with Lyft providing transportation access to essential services. She serves on the Greenville Chamber of Commerce board, Greenville Technical College Area Commission, and as president-elect of International Women’s Forum Carolinas.

Barp holds degrees from University of Nebraska, Kearney and Oregon State University. She has been recognized as one of South Carolina’s Most Influential Leaders and received the Buck Mickel Leadership distinction for visionary leadership. “Success is measured by impact and integrity,” she says.

Terril Bates began her affordable housing career in 1989 as a Section 8 Administrator at the Beaufort Housing Authority. Throughout her career, Bates worked across the United States, earning roles as Deputy Executive Director, Director and CEO in Greensboro, North Carolina, Detroit, Michigan, Spartanburg, South Carolina and Daytona Beach, Florida.

Bates has been involved in Public Housing Authority and Rental Assistance Demonstration programs, administering multiple initiatives including VASH, Emergency Housing Vouchers, Housing Choice Vouchers and homeownership programs.

In January 2024, Bates, a graduate of Global Evangelical Christian College, joined the Greenville Housing Authority, which serves 3,200 households. She and her staff authored the Move to Work program in 2024, a Congressionally approved HUD program driving economic empowerment among nearly 2,000 participants. The program has garnered support from the Hollingsworth Foundation, United Way, Chamber of Commerce, USC Upstate and Goodwill.

“The other is myself in disguise,” Bates said, quoting Deepak Chopra. “This keeps me mindful of seeing the value of individuals.”

Allie Boykin serves as Interim CEO of SC Thrive, a nonprofit organization with 50 employees. Her entrepreneurial spirit emerged early when she created a babysitting service, learning to source and manage client families while developing skills she carries today.

Boykin earned a Bachelor of Business Administration cum laude from Presbyterian College in May 2009, with concentrations in Accounting and Management. She completed a Master of Accountancy at the Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina in May 2010.

Her community service includes serving as Treasurer and Secretary of Lugoff Elementary School PTO from August 2020 to May 2024 and as a Midlands Advisory Board Member for Multiplying Good from August 2023 to August 2024. She currently serves as Treasurer of the Community Medical Clinic of Kershaw County.

“The best advice I have ever received is to always do your best,” Boykin said. “If you have done your best, you’ve done all you can do.”

Michael Brown leads Sustaining Way and its flagship demonstration site, Annie’s House, in historic Nicholtown in the Upstate. A Spartanburg native, Brown earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Alabama A&M University, a Master of Public Administration from The Ohio State University and a Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law.

He served 12 years as District One Representative for Spartanburg County Council, becoming the first African-American vice chair while chairing the Public Safety and Judiciary Committee and serving on the Economic Development Committee, where he worked to establish 20,000 jobs and deliver more than $8 billion in development.

Brown serves as president of the Spartanburg NAACP and sits on the South Carolina Bar Board of Governors. A Liberty Fellowship alumnus and Aspen Global Leadership Fellow, he serves on the boards of the South Carolina Food Policy Council and Carolina Farm Stewardship Association.

As a certified apiarist trained in Sustainable Agriculture and Permaculture, Brown combats food deserts statewide as a recognized environmental justice advocate.

Caquisha (C.T.) Burton leads executive operations at Coastal Community Foundation, a $500 million organization supporting communities across South Carolina. She bridges connections across five departments and three supporting organizations, ensuring the president and CEO can effectively carry out the foundation’s mission.

Burton earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the College of Charleston in 2011, where she was recognized as Student of the Year for the School of Business.

In her current role, Burton identified critical gaps in board committee operations and developed a training initiative for committee administrators. The initiative improved meeting efficiency and built cross-functional support across the organization.

Burton serves on the board of Tri-County Cradle to Career Collaborative and teaches Bible study to middle school girls at her church. Following Hurricane Helene, she organized relief efforts in her hometown of Edgefield, connecting local schools with foundation resources that resulted in grants for affected families.

Dyrell Clark leads Reading Partners South Carolina, a literacy nonprofit serving students across the state. Clark holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Benedict College and dual graduate degrees from Webster University: a Master of Business Administration in Healthcare Administration and a Master of Science in Professional Mental Health Counseling.

Under Clark’s leadership, Reading Partners South Carolina operates 11 reading centers with 423 community tutors serving 477 students during the 2024-25 school year, with 86% of students meeting or exceeding their literacy growth goals.

Clark brings a unique perspective to the work, having been diagnosed with dyslexia as a child. This personal experience shaped a professional mission focused on ensuring every child receives necessary literacy support.

Clark serves as a board member of Lowcountry Connections Academy and was named to Benedict College’s inaugural 40 under 40 class in 2025 and selected as a 2024 Riley Institute Fellow.

“Lead with purpose, not position, when you focus on impact, influence will follow,” Clark said.

Angel Diaz, a retired U.S. Navy veteran and PGA professional, has led Project Golf Myrtle Beach since 2021, expanding golf access for underserved youth, veterans and beginners. After enlisting in the Navy six days after high school and serving for 22 years, Diaz earned a Bachelor of Science in Business from the University of Phoenix in 2012 before dedicating himself to transformative golf programs.

As director of the nonprofit, Diaz oversees three staff, 40 volunteer veteran ambassadors and 17 PGA professional instructors who have served 550 disabled veterans, 100 underserved youth and 500 golf newcomers through free instruction and therapeutic programs like PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere). In 2024, he spearheaded a unanimous South Carolina House resolution designating May 9 as “PGA HOPE Day.”

Diaz received the 2025 Carolinas PGA Patriot Award for his work empowering military veterans through adaptive golf. He also serves on the board of the LPGA Amateur Golf Association’s Myrtle Beach Chapter. “Live with intent,” Diaz said, emphasizing the importance of aligning choices with passion.

Kerry Driggers celebrated her 10th year as president and CEO of the Greater Irmo Chamber of Commerce in July 2025, making her the longest-serving president in the organization’s 31-year history. Under her leadership, the chamber’s partnership has doubled to nearly 500 members in and around the Irmo area.

Driggers has a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of West Georgia. Her civic involvement includes serving as chair of Leadership Lexington County in 2025, vice chair of the Irmo Future Growth Corp. in 2025, and past presidencies of the Optimist Club of St. Andrews-Irmo and the Rotary Club of Columbia. She earned recognition as Rotarian of the Year in 2013 and Optimist of the Year in 2021.

Driggers defines her success as “leaving my community stronger than I found it — helping businesses grow, creating opportunities for others, and fostering connections that make people feel seen and supported.”

As the wife of a fire chief and mother of an airman, she is passionate about supporting first responders and military families.

Delisa English leads The Blood Connection, a nonprofit blood center serving the Southeast with 871 employees. English holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Auburn University and a Master of Business Administration from The University of Tennessee. She completed additional executive education at The George Washington University and Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Originally planning to become an educator like her father, English changed her major to business during her junior year after realizing teaching wasn’t her passion. Her career path led to the blood industry. “The work we do at The Blood Connection is demanding — it’s relentless, it’s 24/7 and it never stops — but saving lives is immensely meaningful,” English said.

Since September 2024, she has overseen significant expansion, including new community blood centers in Evans, Georgia and Greenville, North Carolina, with a Danville, Virginia location in development. The organization opened the Augusta Blood Distribution and Operations Center.

English serves as board chair of Blood Centers of America and as secretary of the Association of Blood and Biotherapies. Her honors include the Riley Institute Diversity Fellowship and recognition as SC Women in Business in 2022.

Sara Fawcett leads United Way of the Midlands as president and CEO, guiding the 50-employee organization as it celebrates its 100th anniversary while addressing challenges of sustainable funding and engaging donors in innovative ways.

A College of William and Mary graduate with a bachelor’s degree in economics, Fawcett forged a partnership with Mungo Homes and Homeless No More to address affordable housing in the Midlands.

“You would be a lot less worried about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do,” she says.

Her first job at age 16 selling clothing at a mall taught her the importance of engaging customers beyond standing behind the cash register.

Fawcett serves on multiple boards including South Carolina Technical College System Foundation, Central Carolina Community Foundation, and United Way Association of South Carolina as chief professional officer chair. She holds vestry membership at Cathedral Church of the Apostles.

She received Allen University’s Richard Allen Award in 2023 and Columbia Urban League’s Ethel M. Bolden Award in 2024.