For me, what most see as a challenge I simply see as another opportunity. People will present certain situations as a challenge to discourage you from trying...Always, TRY.
Mayor Julia A. Nelson
The honorable Julia Antoinette Nelson is the mayor of her native hometown Manning, South Carolina.
Mayor Nelson is a graduate of Manning High School, and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology from South Carolina State University, a Master of Public Administration degree with a concentration in Health Care Administration from Troy University along with doctorate studies in Human Services from Capella University. She has done further studies and gained leadership credentials as a graduate of Clemson University Leadership South Carolina, Furman University’s Riley Diversity Leadership Institute, South Carolina Municipal Association Elected Officials Institute, South Carolina Department of Commerce Economic Development Program and Retail Economic Development from Retail Strategies in Montgomery, Alabama.
In July 2011, Nelson was elected Mayor of Manning, the first African American female to ever serve in this position. She has served with accountability and transparency in community initiatives including public and private organizations. She is currently up for re-election for her 3rd full-term as mayor.
She has previously held positions of employment with Santee-Lynches Regional Council of Governments, Clarendon County Auditor’s Office, Clarendon County Alcohol and Drug Abuse Center, Manning Health Clinic and the South Carolina and Clarendon County Department of Social. She currently serves as the President the Manning Rotary Club, 1st Vice-Chair of Santee-Lynches Regional Council of Governments and President of the South Carolina Councils of Governments.
Mayor Nelson previously served as vice-chair of Summerton Planning and Zoning Commission, Salvation Army of Sumter and board member of Clarendon County School District Two Board of Trustees. She is past 1st vice-chair of Clarendon County Democratic Party, and was elected delegate for the 6th Congressional District for 2008, 2012 and 2016 Democratic National Committee.
In addition to her public service as Mayor of Manning, she also has served as executive director for Sumter County First Steps Partnership since 2003.
Mayor Nelson enjoys photography, cooking, reading, visiting historical sites and spending time with her 19-year-old son, Nelson. She is the daughter of the late Ervin Nelson, Jr. and the late Edna Mae Taylor Nelson.
Mayor Nelson’s personal belief is “For me, what most see as a challenge I simply see as another opportunity. People will present certain situations as a challenge to discourage you from trying…Always, TRY”.
Jeff Black
Jeff Black, principal of Black Sheep, has worked with executives, sports professionals and front-line leaders in twenty countries to prepare them for communication and business strategies. He provides keynotes, training, executive coaching and consulting on enhancing executive presence, talking to the media, presenting to employees, encouraging people to lead, building a strong team or creating customer engagement.
As a former television anchor, talk show host and reporter in Birmingham and Los Angeles, Jeff delivers a unique perspective to training leaders and company spokespeople. His extensive client list includes GE, Lockheed Martin, American Airlines, Capgemini, NBC Television, Sabre and Nielsen. From NBC to the Food Network, Jeff’s clients have appeared on all the major television networks and several cable channels, large daily newspapers and radio networks. While in Los Angeles, he worked on the international prime-time television drama, “Dynasty.”
When not traveling the world with his coaching and consulting business, Jeff is one of the on-air TV hosts for the live drawings of the South Carolina Education Lottery and hosted their TV game show, “Power Deal.”
He is proud to be the co-founder of the “I Promise” Initiative, designed to encourage law enforcement agencies around the nation to renew their commitment to treating all citizens they protect and serve with dignity, respect and fairness. The initiative was launched in Manning, SC with the Manning, SC Police Department – Jeff’s hometown for most of his life.
Jeff’s first book is available from Morgan-James Publishing in New York, Unleash Your BS: (Best Self): Put Your Executive Presence to the Test! He appeared on NBC-5 in Dallas to launch Unleash Your BS. In addition, he has been quoted in articles on CNBC.com and FoxBusiness.com. He currently resides with his family in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina.
