Columbia chamber names Dawn Staley ambassador of the year

South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley has been chosen as Ambassador of the Year by the Columbia Chamber.

Each year, the chamber honors a community member who “exemplifies outstanding business ethics and has influenced positive promotion and preservation of the greater Midlands,” the chamber said in a news release.

The event will be held Sept. 28 at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center.

“Dawn Staley is an influential role model – both on and off the court,” Carl Blackstone, the chamber chief executive, said in the release. “Her leadership and work ethic is admired across the state, the nation and by people of all ages.”

Staley, set to begin her 10th season as USC’s coach, led the Gamecocks to the 2017 NCAA national championship. Her career achievements include being a three-time Olympian from 1996 to 2004, one of the WNBA’s top 15 players of all-time in 2011, and a five-time WNBA All-Star.

As a coach, Staley has led the Gamecocks to four straight SEC regular-season championships and three straight SEC tournament titles. She has been named SEC Coach of the Year three times and was named the head coach of the U.S. Senior National team through the 2020 Olympic Games.

Off the court, Staley is co-founder of Innersole, which provides new sneakers to homeless children and children in need.

Past Ambassador of the Year winners include John W. Folsom, Colliers International; former-Gov. Nikki Haley; USC President Harris Pastides; Bill and Lou Kennedy of Nephron Pharmaceuticals; and Charles D. Beaman Jr., Palmetto Health’s chief executive.

Additional 2017 awards include the Young Professional of the Year, Elected Official of the Year, Military Advocate of the Year and Diplomat of the Year.

For more information about the Gala, contact Rebekah Babovic at (803) 733-1138 or visit ColumbiaChamber.com.