Gov. McMaster appoints former electric co-op CEO to higher education oversight job

The former head of an electric co-op will now be one of South Carolina’s top overseers of higher education.

S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Charles Dalton, the former CEO of Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative, to the Commission on Higher Education, the governor announced Friday.

“Charles Dalton is a remarkable leader who has an unmatched record of service and success in business, philanthropy, and in public service,” Gov. Henry McMaster said in a press release. “He is exactly the caliber of leader we need on the commission as they address the growing affordability crisis at our state’s public colleges and universities.”

Dalton replaces Kenneth Kirkland, a Greenville businessman who owns Premier Insurance Consultants LLC and held the statewide seat since 2016, according to the commission’s website. Kirkland left his seat on Dec. 6.

Dalton, a graduate of Clemson University, has served on multiple state and regional commissions including the Better Business Bureau of the Foothills, the Greenville Chamber of Commerce, the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, the Clemson University Foundation, and the South Carolina Department of Transportation Commission, according to the release.

Dalton will be the latest new member of the 11-member commission.

The commission’s former interim executive director and the commission’s chair both resigned after lawmakers learned the interim director received a $91,500 raise.

The board’s new chairman is former S.C. state Rep. Wes Hayes, who has signaled the commission will be departing from the adversarial approach taken by Hayes’ predecessor, Tim Hofferth.