Homegrown Leadership Summit

The Homegrown Leadership Summit will be the culminating event for the Homegrown leadership institute where we will Graduate the cohort, Give out local leadership awards, Here from local leaders and have an evening of motivation, networking, and unity. 

Read about the incredible speakers for this event below!

Todd Glover, Executive Director, SC Municipal Association

Dr Valarie Cave, Superintendent , Allendale County Schools

Liz Ponder, VP of Retail & Chief Strategy Officer , SRP Federal Credit Union

John B. Gethers , Region Director, South Carolina SBDC

Todd Glover

Todd joined the Association as the executive director in 2019. Prior to joining the Association, Todd served as city administrator in North Augusta for six years. Previously, he served as the assistant county administrator in Aiken County and the management services director in Columbia County, Georgia. He began his career with the Lower Savannah Council of Governments. Todd received a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Carolina Aiken and a master’s degree in public administration from Augusta State University. 

Dr Valarie Cave

Dr. Vallerie Coath Cave, an educator with 33 years of experience, currently serves as the Superintendent of Allendale County Schools. She has demonstrated leadership in managing academic programs, principals, teacher leaders, and teachers, with a focus on organizational management, school improvement, fiscal accountability, literacy development, and data analysis. Dr. Cave earned her BS from Baptist College at Charleston, a Master’s in Early Childhood Education from the University of South Carolina, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Curriculum Studies from Walden University. She has held various roles, including assistant principal, curriculum specialist, program supervisor, curriculum director, principal, and executive director. Her leadership training includes the Executive Leadership Institute at Harvard University and the AASA National Aspiring Superintendents Academy. Additionally, Dr. Cave has served as Director of Consulting Services and Vice President of Business Development for Edu Tone Corporation and Information Transport Solution, focusing on technology, data analysis, and strategic planning, with extensive work across multiple states.

Liz Ponder

Liz Ponder is a Senior Executive at SRP Federal Credit Union, a $1.7 billion organization in North Augusta, South Carolina, with over twenty branches and nearly 400 employees. She began her career as a teller at First City Bank in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, and has held leadership positions at Wells Fargo and Regions Bank. Liz’s credit union career started as Vice President of Redstone Federal Credit Union in Huntsville, Alabama. She holds a B.A. from Alabama State University and a Certified Credit Union Executive designation. Embracing the credit union movement, Liz values the “People Helping People” philosophy and applies the eight cooperative principles to drive positive, innovative change in the credit union space.

John B. Gethers

John B. Gethers has over 17 years of hands-on experience in alternative funding, small business acquisitions, and financial management. Recently, John served as managing partner and CEO of Diamond Standard Capital, a nationwide lending company specializing in unsecured business loans, business credit, and accounts receivable finance. He has owned three private finance companies, provided funding to hundreds of small businesses, and raised over $50 million in capital. John earned his B.S. in Business Management from Claflin University and is a Certified Project Management Professional (PMP) specializing in organizational process design. He recently joined the University of SC Region of the SBDC as the COVID-19 Consultant, assisting clients across the region in resolving their PPP, COVID EIDL, Shuttered Venue Grant, and Restaurant Revitalization Fund concerns. John is the creator of Business for Breakfast, a new social media platform that provides new entrepreneurs with information about sales, marketing, finance, and business management. His mission is to connect business owners to the resources they need for success.