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Old hand gets State Fair job
Woman who has worked event for years is named assistant manager
A familiar face has assumed a new job at the South Carolina State Fair.
Nancy Smith has been named assistant fair manager.
Smith, a Columbia native, has worked with the State Fair full time since 2000. For 15 years prior, she worked in the fair’s home and craft department, serving seven of those years as department superintendent.
“I really have a passion for the fair,” Smith said. “It a great family tradition within the state that brings smiles to the faces of so many people each year.”
Smith was named a certified fair executive by the International Association of Fairs and Expositions in 1996. She was one of 12 fair executives selected that year from the more than 3,200 organized fairs in the United States and Canada. She serves on the International Association of Fairs and Expositions State and Provincial Association Speakers Bureau and also is actively involved with the South Carolina Association of Fairs.
Most recently, she has been involved in sponsorship and marketing opportunities at the State Fair. Since 2003, the fair’s sponsorship program has grown from about $32,000 to more than $350,000.
“It is without a doubt a very deserving appointment,” State Fair manager Gary Goodman said of Smith’s new role. “She has shown the motivation and enthusiasm and passion for the industry, and her insight and ability to get along with other people and produce made her a natural for this position.”
Along with her new responsibilities, Smith will maintain her duties as the fair’s director of exhibits.
The State Fair has an annual average attendance of more than 500,000. This year’s fair will run Oct. 8-19.
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Mary Haggins has been named administrative assistant of the Central Carolina Community Foundation.
In her new role, Haggins will provide support to the president and CEO, as well as oversee the foundation’s office administration.
Haggins previously worked as an administrative professional for the South Carolina Education Association. Her background includes 25 years of office administration experience. A New York native, Haggins attended State University at Buffalo with a concentration in social sciences and legal studies.
Central Carolina Community Foundation is a nonprofit organization maintaining a $92 million philanthropic endowment through more than 350 funds.
For more information, call (803) 254-5601.