Home Care In Hodges, SC

Dominion Energy, the Virginia utility seeking to buy Cayce-based SCANA, has hired former S.C. Gov. Jim Hodges to lobby state lawmakers as they prepare to debate legislation that could scuttle the proposed $14.6 billion buyout.

Hodges is among nine lobbyists Dominion has retained to represent its interests in legislative fights, records show. Since Dominion announced the blockbuster deal Wednesday, Hodges and three others have been added to a team of five S.C. lobbyists that Dominion previously employed.

Dominion spokesman Chet Wade said Hodges and the three additional lobbyists were needed to help explain the utility’s point of view to S.C. lawmakers.

Some legislators have expressed skepticism about the SCANA buyout proposal and are pushing bills that Dominion says could kill the deal.

“This has drawn a lot of interest in the Legislature,’’ Dominion’s Wade said. “He (Hodges) is a well-known and well-respected individual. He understands even better than we do the issues that are important to the state.’’

Hodges could not be reached for comment Friday. His entry as a lobbyist could carry weight in the Legislature, where he has many contacts.

Hodges served a single four-year term as governor that ended in 2003. Before that, he was a longtime state representative and Democratic House leader.

Wade said Dominion retained the former governor as a consultant long before he registered as a lobbyist this week. Dominion moved into South Carolina about three years ago, buying SCANA’s natural gas pipeline network.

Now, the company is trying to buy SCANA, reeling from a nuclear construction fiasco that has halved its stock price and raised a chorus of criticism from customers and legislators.

SCANA, the parent corporation of SCE&G, abandoned building two nuclear reactors in Fairfield County last July after the utility and its junior partner, the state-owned Santee Cooper utility, had spent $9 billion on the effort. The joint decision left more than 5,000 people out of work and SCE&G customers asking why they had been billed almost $2 billion for reactors that would not be built.

A key concern for Dominion is whether the Legislature will kill portions of a 2007 law, the Base Load Review Act, which made it easier for SCE&G to charge its customers for the nuclear project before it was finished. The law also allows the utility to keep charging for the plant, even though it won’t be built.

As part of the proposed SCANA deal, Dominion offered to pay rebates of about $1,000, on average, to SCE&G’s residential customers, while cutting monthly power bills by $7. But Dominion insists it must continue to charge some nuclear-related costs to SCE&G customers over the next 20 years.

Critics say the rebate and lower rates are not enough to offset the almost $2 billion that SCE&G customers already have paid for the abandoned project.

Dominion’s nine-person lobbying team joins an already established team of lobbyists that SCANA employs to influence legislators, according to State Ethics Commission records. Those records show SCANA has eight legislative lobbyists, including longtime lobbyist Charlie Rountree.

In addition to Hodges, the lobbyists who registered to help Dominion this week are: Benjamin Homeyer, a former director of legislation for the S.C. House budget committee; John DeWorken, a lobbyist who represents the influential state Manufacturers Alliance; and Sunnie Harmon, who also represents the Manufacturers Alliance, according to state Ethics Commission records and the Energy and Policy Institute, a watchdog organization that tracks energy issues.

They join Dominion’s team of S.C. lobbyists, including former state Rep. Billy Boan, who served in the Hodges administration.

Many of the lobbyists, including Hodges and Boan, work for the McGuireWoods firm, which has represented Dominion on legislative matters in Virginia. Hodges is chief executive of the firm.

Dominion has through the years been a major player in Virginia political battles, spending $10.6 million since 1996 on various campaigns and causes, according to a story last year in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. The company’s political clout in Virginia is “overwhelming’’ the newspaper reported.

A Fortune 500 company headquartered in Richmond, Dominion is one of the nation’s largest energy utilities, with holdings from Virginia to New England and the Rocky Mountains.

John Crangle, a government watchdog with the S.C. Progressive Network, was skeptical that Hodges would carry any particular weight in the Legislature, noting he has been out of office for 15 years.

But, Crangle added, it’s clear why Dominion is beefing up its lobbying team.

“You know what Dominion is trying to do,’’ Crangle said. “They are trying to keep provisions of the Base Load Review Act that allow them to impose charges on people for that moribund nuclear reactor project.’’

This story was originally published January 5, 2018, 7:09 PM.

Thomas E. Hodges has been named interim dean of the University of South Carolina College of Education; he begins on July 1. Hodges succeeds Jon Pedersen, who served as dean of the college since 2016 and recently accepted a deanship at Oklahoma State University’s College of Education and Human Sciences.

“The College of Education has outstanding faculty and staff with innovative academic programming, robust research and rich engagements with communities and education stakeholders,” says Hodges, who currently serves as the college’s executive associate dean for faculty and academic affairs. “I think it’s an exciting time to lead this college.”

As interim dean, Hodges will work with the College of Education’s faculty to develop a new mission and vision statement. He also hopes to support and promote faculty research efforts; continue to adapt the college’s curriculum and approaches to meet the changing needs of students; and work to support the educational needs of South Carolina communities.

“We will continue to enhance our support for research, particularly around extramural funding,” he says. “We have ongoing reviews of all of our curricular offerings to ensure that we provide timely and needed courses, programs and modalities that best meet the needs of content and students. And we will also move forward with innovative projects and partnerships that serve educators, children and communities throughout South Carolina.”

We are fortunate to have a committed educator and leader with a passion for excellence prepared to serve as interim dean.

William F. Tate, UofSC Provost

Hodges began at the UofSC College of Education in 2012 as an assistant professor of mathematics education, before becoming an associate professor in 2015 and a professor in 2020. His research focuses on mathematics, and teachers’ conceptions and identities as they transition from teacher education programs into their first years of teaching. In July 2017, Hodges became the associate dean for academic affairs at the college, and in July 2020, he was named executive associate dean for faculty and academic affairs while also maintaining his role as the director of the South Carolina Teacher Education Advancement Consortium. Prior to his appointment as executive associate dean, Hodges also served as the interim department chair of instruction and teacher education and the coordinator of elementary education programs.

“I thank Dean Pedersen for his leadership at the university and in the state of South Carolina,” says William F. Tate, the University of South Carolina’s provost and executive vice president of academic affairs. “Professor Hodges will continue the important efforts of the College of Education in the region and state. We are fortunate to have a committed educator and leader with a passion for excellence prepared to serve as interim dean.”

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Dr. Hugh Calvin McCord, Jr., MD, age 84, affectionately known as Mac, of Anderson, SC, passed away Tuesday, April 25, 2023, at his home. Born September 10, 1938, he was the son of the late Hugh Calvin McCord and Elizabeth Pettigrew McCord. He married Mary Amelia Shuler McCord in 1964 who passed away in 2017. They have two children, Thad S. McCord (Leanna) of Greer and Beth Ginn (Andy) of Anderson; grandchildren, Kelly, Douglas (Steph), and Angus (Sarah Claire) McCord, and Andrew (Bri) and Katherine Ginn. Also surviving are a brother, Jim McCord (Margaret) of Charleston; and sister, Jane Keisler (David) of Aiken. Mac grew up in Hodges, SC, and attended schools in Hodges and Greenwood. He finished Clemson University where he was a student Chaplain, was in Who’s Who, was president of the Presbyterian Student Association, the 4H Club and President of the Council of Club Presidents. He then attended the Medical College of South Carolina, now known as MUSC. He interned at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, TN. He served his country during the beginning of the Vietnam War and went back to Charleston for a residency in psychiatry. He followed that with a fellowship in child psychiatry at Children’s Psychiatric Institute in Butner, NC. He continued to work on the teaching staff of CPI for about 3 years after graduation. In 1974, the family moved to Anderson where Mac developed the children’s program at Anderson Oconee Pickens Mental Health Center. He was influential in getting a children’s unit built at the new Patrick B. Harris Hospital and stopped private practice to direct the new child and adolescent program. When that unit closed, he went back to work at AOP Mental Health Center. He retired from practice as Assistant Professor in the family practice residency program at AnMed. Mac had the opportunity to consult at the Anderson Youth Association, Thornwell Home for Children, Avalonia, SC School for the Deaf and Blind, Head Start, Carolina Springs School, John De La Howe, Family Counseling Center, Anderson Behavioral Health Center, and other local organizations. Mac was active in his church, Central Presbyterian, where he was a member of the Koinonia Sunday School Class, had been chairman of the Board of Deacons and was a ruling elder. He retired in 2001 from active practice after a liver transplant. He was most appreciative of the extra time afforded him to enjoy his close family and friends. After the transplant, he was able to do some consulting, but especially enjoyed gardening during the spring and summer on his farm in Anderson. He was also very active in the Anderson Area YMCA. A memorial service will be held Saturday, April 29, 2023, at 11:00 am at Central Presbyterian Church with Dr. Michael York and Rev. Noelle Read officiating. The family will receive friends immediately following the service. A private committal service will be held at Oaklawn Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Central Presbyterian Church Fund for Mental Health, 1404 N. Boulevard, Anderson, SC 29621. Condolences may be left for the family by visiting WWW.MCDOUGALDFUNERALHOME.COM.

Priorities include strengthening the college’s internal culture, increasing its statewide impact

Thomas Hodges has been selected as dean of the University of South Carolina College of Education, effective Oct. 15.

As dean, Hodges will continue the work he has undertaken during his last 15 months as interim dean of the college. Among his priorities are further strengthening the college’s internal culture, increasing outreach across the state and diversifying the state’s teachers to better reflect the demographic makeup of South Carolina.

“I am honored and excited to lead the College of Education in advancing scholarship, teaching and service in support of our state’s communities and schools,” Hodges says. “The college boasts outstanding faculty, staff and students making real, substantive differences in education-related fields. I am grateful for the opportunity to work with Provost Arnett and President Amiridis to further the academic and research mission of our university, with the goal of expanding the ways the College of Education can support education across the lifespan.”

Hodges has been with the university’s College of Education for more than 10 years. He began as an assistant professor in 2012, became an associate professor in 2015, and was named a full professor in 2020. His leadership role within the college has grown throughout that time — from interim department chair of instruction and teacher education, to associate dean for academic affairs, to executive associate dean for faculty and academic affairs, to, in July 2021, interim dean. He has also served as the director of the South Carolina Teacher Education Advancement Consortium through Higher Education Research and was recently appointed to the South Carolina Teacher Recruitment and Retention Task Force.

“Dr. Hodges has provided exceptional interim leadership to the College of Education, and he also brings the breadth of experience and vision needed to take the college forward to an even greater impact in and beyond our state,” President Michael Amiridis said.

“Education is such a critical component of elevating communities. It defines the kinds of access people have to certain careers and helps define the success of our state.”

- Thomas Hodges, Dean of the College of Education

Hodges is impressed by the college’s faculty and staff, and he hopes to continue strengthening the culture within the college by supporting all individuals within it.

“I said during the interview process that the college’s greatest asset is its people, and it always will be its people,” he says. “And in order for that to function well, we have to have a collective sense about where we are going, who we want to be, and who we intend to serve, and we have to understand our place and role within that. I think an important role of the dean is to help facilitate that direction in making people feel like the work that they do matters and that they have that sense of belonging.”

Hodges’ selection concludes a national search that saw the recruitment and consideration of many leaders across the field of education. In Hodges, the university found a leader with the support of the college and campus community, and with a demonstrated track record of growing the college’s footprint and reach across the state.

“In speaking with the College of Education’s administrative leadership team, seeing the overwhelming support for him across our university community, and recognizing his success as interim dean, it was apparent to me that Dr. Hodges was the perfect candidate to lead our college forward,” says Donna Arnett, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “I look forward to working with Dr. Hodges to grow the research and teaching profile of the college, and to further lead the state of South Carolina’s education system forward in the coming years.”

The College of Education is a leader across the state of South Carolina, maintaining meaningful partnerships with 87 percent of the state’s school districts. Its first-of-their-kind initiatives, such as the Carolina Teacher Induction Program, are preparing the next generation of the state’s teachers and attracting them to stay in-state following graduation. With this tremendous foundation, Hodges is focused on growing the college’s innovative programming and developing new programs to meet the needs of South Carolina.

“I look forward to advancing the college’s commitments to equity and diversity through signature programs like the Apple Core Initiative, Holmes Scholars, and the Carolina Collaborative for Alternative Preparation,” he says. “Education is such a critical component of elevating communities. It defines the kinds of access people have to certain careers and helps define the success of our state. We will continue to leverage these strengths, grow our impact and establish models for what a flagship College of Education can and should do.”

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As the valedictorian of the Class of 2010 at C.E. Murray High School, Kimberly Hodge was smart, but she had trouble figuring some things out.

Like where to work part time as a high school student. She wanted to work at S.C. Sen. Ronnie Sabb’s law firm in Kingstree, but she was told there were no part-time openings. She found work at Bi-Lo.

Like what to do when she later was hired part time at the law firm at the age of 16.

“I had no experience, no training. … He kind of just threw me into the legal aspect of everything,” Hodge said. “In college, when I had breaks, I would come back like Christmas break, spring break, come back and work as an intern.”

Like what to major in at USC-Aiken. She tried education but eventually studied psychology.

Like what to do after she graduated from college and discovered psychology didn’t open many doors to lucrative jobs.

“So I sat down with Mr. Sabb one day, and he said, ‘God didn't put you in my office for no reason. Try law school,’” Hodge said. “I guess the rest is history.”

On Thursday, with a Williamsburg Hometown Chamber ribbon cutting, Hodge celebrated opening an office at 139 N. Academy St. for her own firm in downtown Kingstree.

It’s down the street and around the corner from Sabb’s office, where Hodge worked for two years after graduating from law school at the University of South Carolina. She left Sabb’s firm two years ago to start her own practice and to practice as a public defender. Now she has a paralegal on her staff, and her receptionist is her mother. She has no interest in a law partner.

Hodge has figured it out. Where once she merely wanted a part-time job at a law firm, she has found a career as a lawyer. It just took some time.

She handles real estate cases, criminal defense, some probate issues and some personal injury cases. She has a clear favorite.

“I love real estate,” she said. “Closings, refinances, property transfers. … Someone is always happy. Happy to get a house. Happy to get some money.”

Her job – her life – isn’t like a dream come true, because she didn’t dream of this when she was young or even when she was in high school working part time with Sabb and his firm.

“It's almost unreal,” Hodge said. “It's just everything kind of just lined up with the stars.

“I owe it all to God. Without him, there would be no me, and we wouldn't even be sitting here today.”