THE HONORABLE DAVID H. WILKINS
Speaker of the South Carolina House of Representatives

David H. Wilkins has served as Speaker of the South Carolina House of Representatives since December 1994. He was the first Republican-elected Speaker of any state legislative body in the South since Reconstruction.

Speaker Wilkins began his legislative career in 1980 – as the first Republican to ever win the House District 24 seat in Greenville County. He quickly rose through the ranks in the House of Representatives, serving six years as Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and two years as Speaker Pro Tem.

In his 21 years in the Legislature, David Wilkins has been on the cutting-edge of every major reform initiative. He wrote or co-sponsored the legislation on welfare reform, property tax relief, education accountability, LIFE scholarships, judicial reform, government restructuring, and truth-in-sentencing. He was also instrumental in crafting South Carolina’s historic ethics bill and played a key role in the fight to ban video gambling.

Speaker Wilkins has received numerous awards including being named the first recipient of both the David Eckstrom Leadership Award by the South Carolina Republican Party in 2001 and the Terry Haskins’ Memorial Award. He received the 2001 Distinguished Service Award from the South Carolina Association of Counties, the 2000 Palmetto Leadership Award by the South Carolina Policy Council and the 2000 Legislator of the Year by the South Carolina Realtors Association. He has been named Outstanding Legislator of the Year by a wide range of organizations from the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce to the School Boards Association as well as being named the National Republican Legislator of the Year.

Speaker Wilkins is currently immediate past president of the National Speakers’ Association and past chairman of the Southern Legislative Conference. In 2002, President Bush appointed Speaker Wilkins to the Board of Visitors to the United States Academy at West Point.

A native of Greenville, David Wilkins was educated in the public school system, graduating from Greenville High School. He’s a graduate of Clemson University and the University of South Carolina School of Law. After a stint in the Army, he returned to Greenville where he has practiced law for more than thirty years.

David and his wife Susan have two sons – James and Robert. James has a degree in math from Clemson University. Robert is a graduate of the law school at the University of South Carolina.

Q. Share with us your personal involvement in or connection w/ non-profit organizations.

A. My wife Susan and I have long been involved with various non-profit organizations. Perhaps the one nearest and dearest to our hearts is the Myers Center that works with handicapped children. In fact, Susan serves on the Myers’ Center Board of Directors. We also help with financial support to a number of charities and non-profits.

Q. What is your personal view of the nonprofit sector?

A. As Speaker of the House since 1994, I have made it House business to be pro-business. I firmly believe a high performance state government helps folks help themselves – and then gets out of the way – allowing the private sector to create jobs and grow the economy. In that same spirit, I also believe only the private sector – those connections on the local level – neighbor to neighbor, church to community, and public-private partnerships are what touches lives and changes hearts – something government can never achieve.

That’s why Susan and I are strong supporters of non-profit organizations. These groups truly know and meet each day the needs of their communities in which they’re based. The dedicated men and women who run non-profits and the countless volunteers who make them work have an emotional investment in the issues and the people they impact. This makes them stronger and more effective – far more than any centrally based government program could ever be.

Q. What are your major accomplishments as a SC legislator?

A. I have been privileged to be involved in many landmark initiatives in my 22 years in the Legislature. I have written or co-sponsored legislation on welfare reform, property tax relief, education accountability, LIFE scholarships, judicial reform, government restructuring, ethics reform and truth-in-sentencing. I am most proud of my role in helping to ban video gambling in South Carolina and remove the Confederate flag atop the State House with honor and dignity.

Q. What other biographical information would you like us to share with our constituents?

A. More than anything else, Susan and I are most proud to be the father of my two sons – James and Robert. As much as I like being called Speaker, it doesn’t hold a candle to being called “dad.”

SCANPO would like to thank Speaker Wilkins for taking a few moments to share a personal message with the nonprofit community.

If you want to know more about the South Carolina General Assembly, please visit the South Carolina General Assembly web site at www.scstatehouse.net

If you want to know more about state government in general, please visit the official state web site at www.myscgov.com