Six northern state leaders have complied with the requirements for this Liberty Fellows as part of the state Freedom Scholarship program.

The Class of 2023 consisted of 19 individuals from across the country who completed individual research projects and five seminars in the United States and abroad. The graduates were:

Upstate Liberty Fellows

• Teresa Goodman of Community Initiatives Inc.
• Shontavia Johnson Clemson University
• James Jordan of Jordon Construction Co.
• Smyth McKissick IV from Alice Co.
• Brooke Mueller of Walmart Inc.
• Rochelle Williams of the Mary Black Foundation

Liberty Fellows out of state

• Amy Barch Turn90
• Republic of South Carolina Gary Brewer (R-Charleston)
• Chase Glenn alliance for full acceptance
• John Gordon of Leroy Springs & Co. Inc.
• Michael Lalich of the Lowcountry Labor Co.
• Dominik Mjartan Optus Bank
• Tiffany Roberts CenterWell Senior Primary Care
• Aparna Polavarapu University of South Carolina Law School and the South Carolina Restorative Justice Initiative
• Tommy Preston Jr. Boeing Co.
• Seema Shrivastava-Patel of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control
• Sarah Simmons CITY GRIT Hospitality Group
• Megan Stifel Institute for Security and Technology
• Laura Ullrich of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

All participants were selected from a pool of over 400 nominees and interviewed twice.

“South Carolina must have highly effective leadership to navigate the increasing interdependence of businesses, technologies, communities and nations, and we must work together to foster sustainable growth,” said Ann Marie Stieritz, president and CEO of Liberty Fellowship. “These 19 individuals bring unique perspectives, skills and leadership to our country. We are thrilled to officially welcome them as Liberty Fellows to our networks here in South Carolina and around the world.”

Every Liberty Fellow is also a member Aspen Global Leadership Networka global community of more than 3,000 highly integrated business leaders from business, government and the nonprofit sector in more than 50 countries.