COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina's new Commerce Secretary Harry Lightsey says his dual-track background in the automotive and telecommunications industries will help inform his tenure leading the agency tasked with growing and maintaining South Carolina’s business development engine.
Lightsey also told The Associated Press in an interview that he's committed to transparency about the millions of tax dollars his agency spends to persuade corporations to do business in the state.
Lightsey took over this summer following the retirement of Bobby Hitt, who led the Commerce Department for a decade.
Lightsey announced Thursday that agency veteran Ashely Teasdel will serve as his deputy. Teasdale most recently served as director of the Business Services division at Commerce.
In her six years at the department, she has lead teams responsible for small business development, existing industry support, supplier outreach, emergency management and recycling market development. Teasdale also managed the agency's COVID-19 response efforts, assisting more than 9,000 businesses seeking guidance to navigate impacts from the pandemic.
Teasdale's background is in the banking industry, focusing on small business advisory support and development within South Carolina.
