THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS PRESENTING SPONSOR
SUPPORTING SPONSORS
EVENT SPONSORS
CONTRIBUTING SPONSORS
TODAY’S PROGRAM WELCOME
Bill Miles President & CEO Hilton Head Island & Bluffton Chamber of Commerce
PRESENTATION OF COLORS & PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Parris Island Marine Corps Band
NATIONAL ANTHEM Finley Watterson
INVOCATION
Brett Myers Lead Pastor, First Baptist Church
KEYNOTE SPEAKER Suzanne P. Clark President & CEO U.S. Chamber of Commerce
LOCAL LEADER ROUNDTABLE Alice Howard Beaufort County Council Chair Mayor Alan Perry Town of Hilton Head Island Mayor Larry Toomer Town of Bluffton Mayor Harry Williams Town of Hardeeville
SUZANNE P. CLARK KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Suzanne P. Clark is President and Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world’s largest business organization. Since becoming CEO in 2021, she has led the Chamber’s advocacy on key issues including tax policy, workforce development, artificial intelligence, energy, infrastructure, trade, and regulatory reform. Clark previously held several senior leadership roles at the U.S. Chamber and also led Potomac Research Group and the National Journal Group. She serves on the boards of AGCO Corporation, TransUnion, and The Economic Club of Washington, D.C., and holds both a bachelor’s degree and MBA from Georgetown University.
CHAIR ALICE HOWARD BEAUFORT COUNTY COUNCIL
Alice G. Howard and her husband moved to Beaufort County in 1991. She earned a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Georgia, a bachelor of science in community planning and development from Columbus College, and an associate arts degree from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. She has more than 30 years of experience as a community liaison working with environmental, natural resources, public administration, and regional planning issues. She retired from Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, where she served as the Natural Resources and Environmental Director, and later the Community Plans and Liaison Officer.
MAYOR ALAN PERRY TOWN OF HILTON HEAD ISLAND
Mayor Alan Perry moved to Hilton Head Island with his family in 1972 and graduated from Hilton Head Preparatory School, where his senior class voted him “Most Likely to Be Mayor.” He later graduated from the College of Charleston and returned to Hilton Head Island to begin his career. Mayor Perry is active in numerous local organizations and has served with the Town of Hilton Head Island Planning Commission, People for Parks, Hilton Head Island Recreation Association, United Way, Hilton Head Prep Alumni Board, the Hilton Head Island & Bluffton Chamber of Commerce Junior Leadership Class, and others.
MAYOR LARRY TOOMER TOWN OF BLUFFTON
Larry Toomer was first elected to Bluffton Town Council in 2012 and then Mayor in 2023. He is a fourth-generation commercial fisherman who owns the Bluffton Oyster Company (the last oyster shucking factory in South Carolina) and Toomer’s Seafood Restaurant. His great-grandfather came to Hilton Head in 1913 to oyster and shrimp. Mayor Toomer was born two years after the J. Byrnes Bridge, a drawbridge, was built and by 12 years old, Toomer was helping with his family business and pulling 100 crab pots a day. He graduated from McCracken High School in 1976. In 1986, he met his wife, Tina, on the beaches of Hilton Head Island and has grown his family, his career, and his life in Bluffton ever since.
MAYOR HARRY WILLIAMS TOWN OF HARDEEVILLE
Born in Philadelphia, Mayor Harry Williams earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from Rutgers University. He is a 42-year veteran of the footwear industry, including as vice president of sales for Oshkosh, Body Glove, U.S. Polo Association, and others. Mayor Williams has over 30 years of experience working in municipal government including serving as a city councilman in Mahwah, N.J. for five years and three years on the planning board there. He was elected to the Hardeeville City Council in 2015 and mayor in 2016. He’s also currently chair of the Southern Lowcountry Advisory Board and a member of the Jasper County Chamber of Commerce board of directors.
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