Greenville, SC – Six women in the Midlands who were nominated by community members will be honored by the Girls Scouts of South Carolina–Mountains to Midlands. This year’s honorees are:
The Honorable DeAndrea Benjamin, U.S. Circuit Judge: The Honorable DeAndrea Gist Benjamin serves as a United States Circuit Judge for the Fourth Circuit, US Court of Appeals. Confirmed to the court in February 2023, Judge Benjamin is the second African-American woman and the first person of color from South Carolina to serve on the Fourth Circuit. Judge Benjamin was born in Columbia and graduated from Winthrop University in 1994 and from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1997.
Meredith Manning, Asst. Vice President and Senior Deputy General Counsel, BlueCross BlueShield (retired): Meredith Manning is a life-long Columbia resident. She retired in June 2024 as Assistant Vice President and Senior Deputy General Counsel at BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina after 26 years there. Meredith’s law career spanned 37 years, including starting as a law clerk for a circuit court judge, then into private practice with a local Columbia law firm, and then her in-house counsel role with BlueCross, focused primarily on health care-related litigation management, contracts, and advice.
Georgia Mjartan, President and CEO, Central Carolina Community Foundation: Georgia Mjartan is President and CEO of Central Carolina Community Foundation, which impacts the lives of individuals and families across nearly a quarter of the state. Georgia holds a Master of Science in Public Affairs and Political Communications from the University of Ulster (UK) and bachelor’s degrees in English and Political Science from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She is a Harvard Kennedy School of Government Senior Executive in State and Local Government and a Riley Fellow. Georgia served as Executive Director of South Carolina First Steps.
Robin Waites, Executive Director, Historic Columbia (retired): Robin Waites served as the Executive Director for Historic Columbia from 2004 through June 2024A product of Columbia’s Richland School District One, Robin attended Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont where she received a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in Art History and Russian. She received a Master of Arts in Art History from the University of South Carolina in 1996 and subsequently began work at the SC State Museum. She served in a variety of capacities including the chief curator of art, which was her position when she left the State Museum to work with Historic Columbia.
Teresa Wilson, Columbia City Manager: Teresa Wilson is the energetic City Manager at the forefront of transforming Columbia, SC, into the best-kept secret turned ultimate place to live, work, and play. As a municipal trailblazer, Wilson leads the executive team driving daily growth and development for the capital city. Focused on elevating the city’s operations, Wilson tirelessly addresses resident needs emphasizing public safety and economic development initiatives. She collaborates with the business community, catalyzing projects for future economic growth. Wilson’s commitment to enhancing Columbia’s quality of life is evident from leadership in police department transformation to merging code enforcement operations for cleaner, safer communities. Strategic hires, like the city’s first Chief Financial Officer, have resulted in the City earning awards for fiscal excellence consecutively for 10 years.
(Young Professional Honoree)
Micah Cook, Social Worker, Department of Social Services: Young Professional honoree Micah Payton Cook was born in Columbia, SC. Growing up, she feels fortunate to have been surrounded by loving family and friends who instilled in her the core values of hard work and perseverance. In particular, her mother was a beacon of strength who worked tirelessly and whose sacrifices taught invaluable lessons in determination and resilience. Micah earned the Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from the University of South Carolina Upstate, where she immersed herself in campus life. She actively participated in organizations such as Collegiate Curls and Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., which also engaged deeply with the community. At the University of South Carolina, Micah earned a master’s degree in social work. This pivotal period solidified her dedication to effecting positive change in the lives of others.
The Women of Distinction will be honored for their courage, confidence, character and impact in their communities on September 12, 2024, at 5:30 p.m. at the Cathy Novinger Girl Scout Leadership Center located at1107 Williams St., 29201)
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Girl Scouts bring their dreams to life and work together to build a better world. Through programs from coast to coast, Girl Scouts of all backgrounds and abilities can be unapologetically themselves as they discover their strengths and rise to meet new challenges—whether they want to climb to the top of a tree or the top of their class, lace up their boots for a hike or advocate for climate justice, or make their first best friends. Backed by trusted adult volunteers, mentors, and millions of alums, Girl Scouts lead the way as they find their voices and make changes that affect the issues most important to them. To join us, volunteer, reconnect, or donate, visit gssc-mm.org.