FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DATE: 4/23/2025
Media Contact: K.C. Campbell, Public Information Officer
Phone Number: 843-539-1960
E-Mail: kenneth.campbell@colletoncounty.org
Colleton County Welcomes Brantley Strickland to lead Colleton County Economic Alliance
Colleton County has turned to a native son to head its economic development efforts.
Brantley Strickland, a lifelong Colletonian, has been named Executive Director of the Colleton County Economic Alliance (CCEA). He will begin his duties April 28.
“When we began the search for a new economic development director, Brantley's name quickly rose to the top of the list”. "His experience in a variety of communities, knowledge of the economic development process, a strong reputation statewide and familiarity with the community made him the ideal person to be our next county economic development director,” says Colleton County Council Chairman Scott Beiring.
Strickland has a decade of economic development experience and comes to the CCEA by way of Dorchester County Economic Development, where he served three years as project manager on an award-winning team. He began his economic development career at SouthernCarolina Alliance (SCA), holding the roles of project manager, senior project manager and director of economic development. While at SCA, Strickland served as the lead economic development professional for Hampton and Jasper counties and worked regionally with other SCA counties, including Colleton, Beaufort, Bamberg, Allendale and Barnwell.
“I am elated and overjoyed to come home,” Strickland said. “It has been a 10-year journey, but I believe every step of it has served as preparation for this role. Colleton County is well positioned to become a consistent winner in economic development, and I look forward to diving right in. I plan to work tirelessly with our county staff, county council, the CCEA board and our allies throughout the state to help my home county unlock its true potential.”
Prior to his career in economic development, Strickland was a journalist, serving most notably as sports editor and managing editor for the Press & Standard from 2007-14. His career included more than 40 state and national awards.
Strickland is a graduate of the University of South Carolina (2006) and has completed Leadership Colleton (2014), Leadership Salkehatchie (2017) and Leadership Dorchester (2024). He achieved SC Certified Economic Developer (SCCED) status in 2019 and is a 2016 graduate of the S.C. Economic Developers Association Institute. Since 2021, Strickland has served as a member of the SCEDA Board of Directors, where he has chaired the Emerging Leaders Committee. Strickland is a member of Williams United Methodist Church, serving on the church's Board of Trustees. For the past nine years, he has served as board member for the Colleton County High School Athletic Hall of Fame.
Strickland lives in Walterboro with his wife Amie and two children, J.D. and Anna Grace.