Meghan Hickman
Executive Director
Meghan Hickman serves as EngenuitySC’s Executive Director, leading the organization’s efforts to make Columbia and the Midlands more economically competitive and prosperous.
Prior to joining EngenuitySC in 2012, Meghan spent nearly six years working for a United States Senator. During that time she sharpened her skills in campaign finance, event management and served two years as a press secretary on Capitol Hill. Following that, she entered the private sector with Stratacomm, a Fleishman-Hillard Company, and managed full-service, national public relations campaigns for clients ranging from federal government agencies to large coalitions and associations.
Meghan, a self-proclaimed news junkie, is a magna cum laude graduate of the University of South Carolina Honors College (a proud Gamecock!), and she enjoys visiting her five nephews and niece in Charleston every chance she gets.
Selia Straus
Senior Project Manager
Selia Straus came to EngenuitySC in 2016 with over 4 years of background working in IT doing account development, recently working at Modis, a technical recruiting firm and prior to that working at Softdocs, a software company specializing in document management solutions for K-12 and higher educational institutions.
Prior to moving to Columbia, she worked for an events-based marketing company that managed a nonprofit educational program with a focus on teaching children entrepreneurial skills/business. She served as Director of the program, called Lemonade Day, and the nonprofit itself. She was also part of the project management team working on a variety of projects, including the opening ceremonies for the Special Olympics, the NCAA Final Four Fan Zone, the San Antonio and Austin Rock and Roll Marathons, as well as the NABE (National Association for Bilingual Education) Conference held in Tampa, Florida. Selia graduated from the University of Colorado with a degree in Psychology.
Katie Fox
Senior Project Manager
Katie holds a B.S. in Education from the University of Missouri and an M.A. and M.B.A. from the University of Cincinnati. Prior to joining EngenuitySC, Katie served as a public school teacher, a theatre professional in Cincinnati, Chicago, and Seattle; as the Director of Arts Education and Artist Entrepreneurial Development for the S.C. Arts Commission, and, most recently, as the Executive Director of Harbison Theatre at Midlands Technical College. Her domains of professional specialty span strategic planning, curriculum development, next generation participant development, event production and grant administration. Katie serves on the boards of the S.C. Arts Alliance, The Power Company Collective, and Sexual Trauma Services of the Midlands.
Kristin Hamilton
Project Manager
Kristin Hamilton graduated from the University of Florida Summa Cum Laude with a B.S. in Advertising and also holds a Master of Advertising degree from UF. Prior to joining EngenuitySC in 2013, Kristin was part of the in-house marketing team at one of the largest commercial real estate firms in South Carolina, NAI Earle Furman, in Greenville, where her scope of work included public relations, advertising design and placement, event planning, market research, designing and executing marketing plans for properties and general branding and marketing for the firm. Before NAIEF, Kristin worked in account management at advertising agency Erwin Penland, also in Greenville, where she worked on accounts in the financial, healthcare and real estate industries. Between undergrad and graduate school, Kristin worked at public relations agency Edelman in Chicago.
Will Schenk
Project Manager
Will Schenk graduated cum laude in 2015 from Clemson University’s College of Business and Behavioral Science with a B.S. in Economics and College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Life Science with a B.S. in Environmental and Natural Resources, with a focus on Natural Resource and Economic Policy. He has a strong research background encompassing a wide variety of fields, including research in the efficiency of professional sports drafts, historical resource economics in the Chesapeake Bay, voting and demographic patterns in the South Carolina senatorial election, and aquaponic system development. The native of New Windsor, MD provides expertise in research and data analysis, strategic thinking, and opportunity identification.
Ryan Bermudez
Project Manager
Ryan Bermudez is a recent graduate from the University of South Carolina where he received a B.S. in Public Relations and a minor in Business Administration. During his time at USC, Ryan was member of the track and field team as a walk on but would eventually be named a captain his senior year. Ryan would go on to be named a Second Team All-American, SEC All-American, and an Academic All-American along with numerous honor roll awards during his time with USC. Ryan enjoys researching new things and believes that any problem can be solved if we know where to look.
Laura Ros
Project Manager
Laura is a graduate of the University of South Carolina’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication with a B.S. in Advertising and minor in Theatre Arts. Prior to joining EngenuitySC, Laura worked in the multimedia industry for six years, and enjoyed cultivating relationships and building campaigns for local businesses. Laura currently serves on the Age Friendly City Advisory council for AARP. Outside of work, Laura is an active member of the Junior League, and loves fostering dogs for Pawmetto Lifeline.