Pearce, now retired, was Head of Student Health for American International Group. He has more than 42 years of experience in the insurance industry having begun his career in 1970 with Pearce & Pearce, Inc., the business established by his parents in 1948. His experience encompasses every aspect of claims administration including premium administration, waiver administration and underwriting implementation.

Pearce served two terms as Mayor of Florence from 1983-1991. During his tenure, Florence experienced unprecedented economic growth with many new industries moving to Florence County. New construction permit dollar totals in the City of Florence almost tripled during his terms. After serving as Mayor, Pearce became Chairman of the Florence County Economic Development Partnership.

In 2002, Pearce was awarded The Order of the Palmetto by the Governor of South Carolina and was named the 2002 South Carolina Ambassador for Economic Development. He has also served on various local and statewide Board of Directors.

Pearce is married to the former Carolyn Gibbons Coker. They have four sons, three granddaughters and one grandson.

Elam is CEO and Managing Advisor of EFinancial Advisors in Columbia, SC He began his career in the wealth management and insurance industries in 1992 after spending five years as a successful commercial and retail banker with Bank of America (formerly Nations Bank). He holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from the University of South Carolina’s Darla Moore School of Business in Columbia, SC, and a Master of Business Administration from the LSU-Shreveport E.J. Ourso College of Business in Shreveport, LA. He earned a Master of Science Degree in Financial Services, as well as his Chartered Financial Consultant and Chartered Life Underwriter designations from the American College in Bryn Mawr, P.A. In addition, Elam is a graduate of the United States Air Force’s Air War College. Calvin is a retired and highly decorated United States Air Force Brigadier General with more than 33 years of military service to South Carolina and nation and holds the distinction of being the first African American Brigadier General in the history of the SC National Guard—Army or Air.

He is a Registered Principal and holds FINRA securities registrations 7, 63 and 24 with LPL Financial and is currently registered to provide investment services in SC, NY, NC, GA, TX, MD, MS, CA, and MA. He has been consistently recognized by LPL Financial as one of its top Financial Advisors since joining the organization in 2008.

Calvin truly believes community service is the "price you pay to live in a community" and leads by example. In addition to serving on PEBA’s Board, he currently serves on the boards of trustees of these organizations: Prisma Health System, the University of South Carolina Education Foundation and the Optus Bank Community Capital Board. Past board of trustee service includes Claflin University, SC Children’s Trust Fund, Columbia Chamber of Commerce, United Way of the Midlands, Central Carolina Community Foundation and Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Columbia.

Calvin has received numerous awards reflecting his dedication to community service to include his selection as the United Way of the Midlands 2025 Humanitarian of the Year. In 2019, he was recognized by the Columbia Urban League for Outstanding Community Leadership, and in 2013, he was recognized in the US Black Engineers and Information Technology magazine as one of the Top Blacks in the Military and was named Distinguished Hospital Board Trustee of the Year by the SC Hospital Association. In 2012, Elam was awarded the Whitney M. Young Leadership Award by the Indian Water Council of the Boy Scouts of America and in 2011, he and his wife were recognized for outstanding community service by the SC March of Dimes.

He is also author of the book, "Self Reliance – What Do You Mean You Didn't Know," which is available on Amazon.

Calvin is a member Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. and Brookland Baptist Church in West Columbia, SC, where he serves as Vice Chair of the Governing Council. He and his wife Mary have three grown children and one grandchild.

Blankenship was a teacher in Sumter County Schools for more than 25 years. She carried on a family tradition that was handed down from her grandfather who is a former Deputy Superintendent of Education for the state of South Carolina. Blankenship achieved National Board Certification and served on the Sumter County School District Consolidation Committee.

Blankenship is a native of Orangeburg, SC and received a Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education from Clemson University in 1994. She earned a Masters of Arts in English Education from South Carolina State University in 2001. Blankenship has been married for more than 25 years and has a son and a daughter.

Blumenthal is a Partner is the Charleston Office of Burr & Forman LLP. She practices corporate and banking law, with a concentration on commercial real estate finance, and served as the Vice Chair of the firm’s Lending practice group. She also routinely represents governmental entities and utility providers and is now a member of the firm’s Administrative, Government and Regulatory Practice Group.

Blumenthal is actively involved in professional and community organizations. She chaired the Corporate, Banking and Securities Law Section of the South Carolina Bar twice and currently serves as the Section Delegate to the South Carolina Bar House of Delegates (2026). She also chairs its Legal Opinion Ad Hoc Committee. Blumenthal served on the Board of Directors of the South Carolina Bar Foundation and as its President, served several terms on the Board of Directors of the Junior League of Charleston, Inc., and is a member of CREW Charleston (Commercial Real Estate Women).

Blumenthal’s honors and recognition include being listed in The Best Lawyers in America® for Commercial Finance Law, Corporate Law, Real Estate Law, and Banking and Finance Law; being named to Chambers USA, Corporate/M&A and Banking & Finance; named to Charleston Business Magazine "Legal Elite" for Corporate Law: Banking and Finance, Corporate Investigations and Banking and Finance; being named to South Carolina Lawyers Weekly, "Leadership in Law” (2020); receiving the 2024 Public Service Award for CREW Charleston; being named to South Carolina Lawyers Weekly, "2025 Influential Women of Law”; and receiving the South Carolina Bar Corporate, Banking & Securities Law Section Distinguished Lawyer Award (2025).

Heisler retired from Sonoco Products Company in 2014 as Staff Vice President of Compensation and Benefits. He was responsible for providing strategic leadership and oversight for all of Sonoco’s global employee benefit and compensation programs.

Heisler joined Sonoco in 1994 as Manager of Compensation and Benefits. In 1996, he was promoted to Director of Employee Benefits. He previously held positions in human resource and employee benefits management with Tredegar Industries and Ethyl Corporation in Richmond, VA, with Joy Manufacturing in Pittsburgh, PA, and at Penn State University, where he was the University’s designated retirement counselor for the State Employees Retirement System of Pennsylvania. Heisler has more than 40 years of experience in employee benefits management, retirement and insurance.

A native of western Pennsylvania, Heisler graduated from Penn State with a Bachelor of Arts degree. For several years, he served as a board member for the Hartsville YMCA and Metro Board of the YMCA of the Upper Pee Dee. He has been a featured presenter and panelist at seminars and conferences and previously served as Chair of the Paper Industry Benefits Group.

Heisler has three daughters and four grandchildren.

Lewis retired from the State Treasurer’s Office after serving 24 years as Senior Assistant State Treasurer, primarily with Internal Audit responsibilities. Audits included heavy emphasis on the investments of the South Carolina Retirement Systems. Other responsibilities while at the Treasurer’s Office included administration, banking, college savings programs and court fines. Prior to serving in the State Treasurer’s Office, she served seven years as Internal Auditor for the South Carolina Retirement Systems. Some of that time included audit responsibility for the Employee Insurance Program.

A native of Spartanburg SC, Lewis received a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Wake Forest University. She became a Certified Public Accountant while working with Price Waterhouse & Co. Lewis is involved in several professional organizations and has previous experience serving on various other Board of Directors.

Lewis is married, has three grown children and five grandchildren.

Matthews has been a member of law firm Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A., since 1988, during which time he served as managing director from 2001 until 2008. Before that, Matthews practiced corporate law with the Wall Street firm of Dewey Ballantine in its Washington office and served in the U.S. Department of Justice during President Reagan’s second term. At the Department of Justice, he advised Attorney General Edwin Meese III and the White House on the selection of nominees for federal judgeships and served as special counsel to Attorney General Meese on the Iran-Contra investigation. His practice currently focuses on information technology and data protection, commercial and appellate litigation, regulated utilities and corporate governance.

President Bush nominated Matthews to a judgeship on the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond. That nomination was one of 10 federal appellate court nominations that expired when the 110^th Congress adjourned without Senate action. Matthews is involved in various professional organizations and civic activities.

Mueller is the sheriff of Cherokee County, taking office on January 4, 2011. Mueller is a 1986 graduate of Westside High School in Anderson, SC. After graduation, Mueller attended Greenville Technical College and worked with the Anderson County Fire Commission, Center Rock and Centerville Fire Departments for several years before starting his law enforcement career with the South Carolina Highway Patrol in August 1990. After graduating from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy in November 1990, he was assigned as a rookie trooper to Cherokee County. Mueller rose through the ranks of the South Carolina Highway Patrol from Lance Corporal to Corporal in 1998, Corporal to Sergeant in 2003 and from Sergeant to First Sergeant in 2008 serving as the Post Commander for Cherokee and Union counties.

Mueller also serves on the Board for the Cherokee County Salvation Army and The Know 2 Crime and Safety Group of Cherokee County. Mueller has received numerous awards and recognition for his job performance over the past 35 years while serving the citizens of Cherokee County.

Mueller has served as a deacon and past deacon chairman of Kirby Baptist Church in Gaffney, SC. Mueller is married to the former Shannon Sprouse of Gaffney and they have one son.

Shissias is the sole member of the Shissias Law Firm, LLC, founded in 2012. His practice concentrates on administrative and environmental law. Previously he was an attorney with a regional law firm and an attorney with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. He graduated from the University of South Carolina School of Law, the University of Kent and Auburn University.

Sowards was a partner in the law firm of Nexsen Pruet (now known as Maynard Nexsen) for 40 years before becoming a sole practitioner in January 2022. He now serves effectively as outside General Counsel to Nephron Pharmaceuticals and Bill and Lou Kennedy, personally.

Sowards grew up in Texas. He received his undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Tennessee and his law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army in 1975 and served for four years on active duty before going to law school. Sowards spent 10 years as an active reservist. Sowards has also served on numerous boards and commissions. He is active in his community and served as a leader in a Boy Scout troop for nearly 12 years and as a youth sports coach for almost 14 years. Sowards was presented the Order of the Palmetto by Governor Henry McMaster in 2019.

Sowards has been married to his high school sweetheart, Elizabeth, for more than 53 years and has two grown sons and five grandchildren.

Walton was named Senior Vice President for Administration and Chief Operating Officer for the University of South Carolina on March 1, 2014. Prior to that, he served as Chief Financial Officer since March 1, 2011.

Walton first joined the University of South Carolina in 1997. With more than 30 years of experience in finance, accounting and auditing, Walton has spent the past 20 years in positions of increasing responsibilities across a wide spectrum at the University. His service in various financial positions includes Director of Contract and Grant Accounting; Chief Financial Officer of the University of South Carolina Research Foundation; Chief Financial Officer for Health Sciences South Carolina, Chief Research Administrator, and Associate Provost for Finance and Administration. Walton serves on the Board of Governors of My Carolina Alumni Association, and as co-chair of the Palmetto Health USC Medical Group Management Committee. Prior to joining the University, he served as Audit Supervisor in the State Auditor’s Office. Walton also served eight years as a weather forecaster in the United States Air Force.

Walton graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s in Accounting from Saint Leo College and is a Certified Public Accountant.