Program Manager for NCGrowth-SmartUp, South Carolina

Kellye, a resident of Walterboro, SC, is the Program Manager for NCGrowth-SmartUp South Carolina, an economic development initiative out of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is responsible for launching and managing the program here in the Lowcountry of South Carolina.  She leverages human and data resources available through NC and SC institutions and works closely with regional partners to offer technical assistance that help accelerate high-growth companies in the Region.  The program is 100% funded by grants from private foundations and federal agencies including the USDA and Truist/Sun Trust. 

Kellye is a successful entrepreneur and business development consultant with 25 plus years of extensive experience helping support small and disadvantaged businesses across NC, SC and GA.  She has an MBA in Marketing from Clark Atlanta University, an MS in Education and Instructional Design and Technology from Georgia State University, and a BS in Industrial Management from Clemson University where she has served on the Board of Visitors and the Alumni National Board of Directors.  Currently, Kellye sits on the Colleton County Board of Disabilities, the Colleton Long Term Recovery Group (LTRG), and the Palmetto Goodwill Excel Center Board of Directors.  She is also a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and the Hiram E. Mann Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc.