Reverend T. E. Simmons is the Pastor of Reedy Fork Baptist Church of Simpsonville, South Carolina. He is a native of Aiken County.

Reverend Simmons is a graduate of South Carolina State University of Orangeburg and a 1990 graduate of the Interdenominational Theological Center—Morehouse School of Religion of Atlanta, Georgia.

Reverend Simmons is affiliated with the Reedy River Baptist Association and its auxiliaries, the Baptist E & M Convention of South Carolina, and the National Baptist Convention USA, Inc. and its auxiliaries. Presently he serves as Member of the Prisma Health System Minority Advisory Committee, Board Chairman of the Reedy Fork Center for Community Development, and Prisma Health Board of Directors.

Kimberly Grady, Bookkeeper …

Kevin Wimberly has a Master of Arts in Human Resources Management from Webster University.

He is co-founder, and CEO of SC UpLift Community Outreach and has committed the past 10 years to their mission of providing affordable housing to individuals and families with inadequate resources and limited access to quality housing,

SC UpLift is a nonprofit, federally-exempt community development corporation in Columbia, South Carolina serving communities statewide.  Their goal is to help enhance the quality of life for individuals and families in distressed communities through collaborative partnerships.

Mr. Wimberly manages all aspects of various housing projects from the earliest point of preparation− to occupancy ensuring that the living environments are safe and that individuals can maintain their independence.

Kevin has obtained certifications as a Certified Housing Development Finance Professional through the National Development Council, and a Certified Aging in Place Specialist, through the National Association of Home Builders.

In addition to his housing experience, he holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and minor in African American Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Curtis L. Askew is the president and principal consultant of DataNgine Consulting LLC, a company specializing in data analysis, program evaluation, and strategic planning a company he founded in 2008 after departing a research assist professorship at Clemson University.

Mr. Askew is experienced in qualitative, quantitative, and geospatial methods and has integrated all three into a unique mixed method approach into work for such entities as the Jack and Jill of America Inc, the South Carolina Department of Commerce, and SC Works of Greenville. 

He has also pursued substantive policy work around broadband accessibility as an evaluator and research associate for the Joint Center for Economic and Political Studies and an reader for the Office of Minority Affairs, U.S, Department of Commerce, and the principal author of white paper that let to South Carolina’s H.4840, High School Equivalency Accessibility Act, legislation that was signed into law in 2014 that made South Carolina one of a dozen states to offer alternative to the GED.

Mr. Askew is a retired Airforce officer who lives in Greer, South Carolina with his wife Pamela and their two boys, Marshall 22 and Bennett, 11.

Andree Driskell-Grady/Development Associate Assists in overseeing Fundraising Activities

Background:

Andree Driskell received a Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering in the 1970s when the percentage of women engineers was less than 1%. She later got a Master’s in Business Administration and managed numerous departments while employed at Hewlett-Packard, a major technology corporation. 

After managing the company’s Proposal Organization which focused on the proposal development process including planning, scheduling, and managing proposals and other bidding opportunities, her vision became to support the community to a greater extent.

In 2005 she retired from Corporate America and began utilizing her skills and experience to positively support small minority businesses and nonprofit entities.  Over the years she has led the development, implementation and management of technical assistance and funding programs focused on advancing the economic sustainability of underserved minority communities.

Ava Smith is a leader and entrepreneur in the Upstate of South Carolina.

She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Human Resource Management from Limestone University and is a Lifetime Member of the Sigma Beta Delta Honor Society. She resides in Greenville with her children and her grandchildren.

Ava Smith has over 25 years of experience as a Human Resources Professional. Her experience includes employee relations, compliance, recruitment, retention, and training. She began her career in the non-profit sector, and shifted into manufacturing, the corporate arena, and staffing. She progressively moved upward in her positions, serving a range of roles from HR Assistant to serving as an HR Director.

In August 2002, Ava began her own firm, HR Specialties, which specialized in providing HR services, training, and recruiting. She later expanded this firm by adding additional experts and rebranded it into what is now widely known as Ava Smith & Associates. In 2010, she formed a permanent placement agency called Flat Fee Recruiting that has been recognized in business publications. Flat Fee Recruiting received the Minority Business of the Year Award in 2013 through the Greenville Chamber of Commerce.

She is also a noted Diversity Trainer. She has delivered hundreds of sessions throughout the Southeast since 2005. Clients have included corporations, manufactures, non-profits, service organizations, government officials, municipalities, universities, hospital systems, local chambers, and faith-based organizations.

Using her unique style and approach, she captures her audience and brings them through diversity topics with ease. Ava creates an environment that fosters candid dialogue in a safe atmosphere. High evaluations from employees and participants validate her effectiveness and she is often requested to return. She was the Recipient of the 2015 Excellence in Diversity Award, given by the Greenville SC Chapter of SHRM.

In addition to making an impact through diversity training, she has supported her community in the Upstate of South Carolina by serving as the following:

• Current, Board Member, The Simpsonville Area Chamber of Commerce

• Current, Board Member, The University Center of Greenville

• Board Member, Greenville Technical Charter High School

• Board Member, Junior Achievement, Greenville SC

• Diversity Director of the SC Society of Human Resource Management State Council

• Advisory Board Member, Greenville Chamber of Commerce

• Small Business Steering Committee Member, Greenville Chamber of Commerce

• Advisor, Greenville Chamber of Commerce CAPACITY Builders program

• Chair, Greenville Chamber of Commerce’s Greenville Women at Work (GW@W) initiative

• Advisory Board Member for Virginia College

• Advisory Board Member for ECPI School of Technology

• Board Member for the Greenville Society of Human Resource Management (GSHRM)

• Chair of the Diversity/Inclusion Committee for GSHRM

• President of the Board of Director’s for the YWCA of Greenville

• Board Member of Fostering Great Ideas

• Advisory Board Member for Clemson Small Business Development Center

• Steering Committee Member for MLK Dream Weekend

• Member of the Clemson CU-ICAR Diversity Committee

• Member of the Greenville Technical College Multicultural Advisory Board

All of these accomplishments and contributions resulted in her being honored as:

• Recipient, YWCA Dream Achiever, YWCA of Greenville

• Recipient, 2012 – Minority Business of the Year, Greater Greenville Chamber of Commerce,

• Recipient, 2013 – Woman Making History Award, Greenville Cultural Exchange

• Keynote Speaker – 2014 Commencement Service, ECPI University

• Recipient, 2015 – Excellence in Diversity Award, SHRM – Greenville Chapter

• “Success Story” film excerpt – 2015, BMW Diversity Matchmaker Event

• Spotlight, 2020 – Greenville Business Magazine – Black History Month