JOHNS ISLAND, S.C. (WCBD) – The Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission on Wednesday announced the appointment of five new Commissioners, as well as the reappointment of four existing Commissioners.
Among the newly appointed are two from SC: Veronica Hemmingway of Charleston and Dawn Dawson-House of Columbia. They join existing SC members Victoria Smalls of St. Helena Island, Herb Frazier of Charleston, and Sherman Pyatt of Charleston.
The remaining members are from North Carolina, Georgia, and Florida — states with whom SC shares the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor.
Members are “selected by the US National Park Service in partnership with the State Historic Preservation Offices” for member-states, then “confirmed and appointed by the Secretary of the Interior.”
Destination Vacation: Diving into the history of the Gullah Geechee
The Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor “is a federal National Heritage Area” (NHA) which serves to “preserve, share, and interpret the history, traditional cultural practices, heritage sites, and natural resources associated with Gullah Geechee people” of the area.
Heather L. Hodges, Executive Director of the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor NHA, said that the new Commissioners “bring an incredible array of professional experiences to our work in addition to their records of community service,” which she says will be vital for the Commission’s strategic goals moving forward.
The full Commission is comprised of:
- Dr. Dionne Hoskins-Brown, Chair (Savannah, Georgia)
- Griffin Lotson, Vice-Chair (Darien, Georgia)
- James Fullwood, Secretary (Raleigh, North Carolina)
- Dr. Meredith Hardy, Treasurer (Tallahassee, Florida)
- Michelle Lanier (Raleigh, North Carolina)
- Sean Palmer (Wilmington, North Carolina)
- Victoria Smalls (St. Helena Island, South Carolina)
- Herb Frazier (Charleston, South Carolina)
- Dawn Dawson-House (Columbia, South Carolina)
- Veronica Hemmingway (Charleston, South Carolina)
- Sherman Pyatt (Charleston, South Carolina)
- Jasper Watts (Atlanta and Sapelo Island, Georgia)
- Floyd Phillips (St. Augustine, Florida)
- Dr. Eugene Emory (Atlanta, Georgia)
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