3 Mar 2023

Amanda Heath takes “playing with dirt” to new heights

Sand sifts through her fingers as a small clump of dirt attracts her attention. Standing in the marsh with a tall, hefty pair of boots and a ball cap to shade the sun, she studies it, looks in her sample book and decides, this is a hydric soil. Meet Amanda Heath, a regulator with the Charleston District, who has taken “playing in the dirt” to new heights.

3 Mar 2023

Army Training Center, Fort Jackson commanding general leads cadence for protecting the nation

It’s early morning. As the sun slowly rises over the horizon, a cacophony of sounds ring in the distance. As the echoes meander closer, distant figures make their way over a hill. Now more pronounced, melody blends into a crescendo. It’s a platoon of Army Soldiers running, lined up like precision, bellowing out in unison, a military cadence. The cadence is so strong, you can feel it building camaraderie and boosting morale, transforming these Soldiers into a cohesive unit. Just another morning in the life of Fort Jackson.

3 Mar 2023

New Barricade to Provide Vital Security at Savannah River Site

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston District is constructing a new entrance barricade at the Savannah River Site near Aiken, South Carolina.

3 Mar 2023

Tonya Willis: Charleston District’s Small Business Programs ‘Door to the Corps’

For small businesses looking to work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston District, the easiest way is to listen to the excitement and passion coming from the voice of Tonya Willis, the office of small business programs chief.

2 Mar 2023

Charleston District engineer helps pick up the pieces left behind From Hurricane Ian

With roaring winds, relentless rain, and surging waves, Hurricane Ian made landfall near Cayo Costa and Fort Myers, Florida shortly after 3 p.m. on Sept. 28, 2022. For the next 24 hours, Ian would carve a path through the sunshine state, gradually weakening to a tropical storm before reaching the Atlantic Ocean.

2 Mar 2023

New South Atlantic division commander excited to be back in USACE

A district commander doesn’t often become the division commander in the same region. In the summer of 2022, Brig. Gen. Daniel H. Hibner, made this scenario a reality by becoming the new South Atlantic Division commander.

2 Mar 2023

A Milestone Celebration: Charleston Harbor Becomes Deepest Port on the East Coast

Charleston Harbor is now the deepest port on the East Coast at 52 feet, a milestone definitely worth celebrating.

2 Mar 2023

Retired Army Brigadier General Gordon-Bray highlights “Love of Liberty” documentary and the story of Black Patriots during Charleston District’s Black History Month presentation

One decision. One action. Equaled change. One never knows how decisive one decision you make; one action you take, can make a transformational impact on the world. When four young African American men walked into a diner in Greensboro, North Carolina February 1, 1960, it was a lunch order heard around the world. Setting this moment up, however, were years of inspirational changes being made by Black patriots who fought for a new country throughout the many battles in American history. According to Army retired Brigadier General Arnold Gordon-Bray, these men were fighting for love of liberty.

7 Feb 2023

Charleston District to host half-day, in-person small business partnering forum and industry day

If you are a small business and interested getting in the door to work with the federal government, you will not want to miss this upcoming event. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston District will be hosting a half day, in-person event called the 2023 SAC Stakeholder Partnering Forum / Industry Day on March 1, from 1:30 – 4:30PM EST at the Citadel Alumni Center in Charleston.

21 Sep 2022

Rooted in generations of family, Lynette Youson carries on a treasured tradition

We all have family traditions we want to pass on to the next generation because it keeps our family’s past alive. These traditions become storytellers and allow us to share our culture and beliefs. They help our children gain knowledge of their heritage; letting them live it, preserve it and enrich it. When you think back to your childhood, what memories do you cherish? For Lynette Youson, that is easy. Youson remembers being five years old and sitting for hours with her great-grandmother, learning the art of basket weaving.

21 Sep 2022

Lorianne Riggin: a lifelong steward of natural resources in SC

Now at the helm of the state’s program responsible for stewarding natural resources, Lorianne Riggin has been an advocate of natural resources and the great outdoors since sending a handwritten note to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources in eighth grade.

21 Sep 2022

Successful emergency management? Kim Stenson points to planning and partnerships.

Kim Stenson leads the state division and has dedicated his entire career to enabling readiness. As SCEMD director, he and the division team have managed more than $2 billion in response operations, including unprecedented rainfall during October 2015; Hurricanes Matthew, Irma, Florence, and Dorian; and, most recently, the state’s expansion of medical care facilities at the onset of the covid-19 pandemic.

21 Sep 2022

As the SC Ports Authorities new CEO, Barbara Melvin has two goals: take care of her people, and keep the containers moving

Driven. Strategic. Others use these words to describe Barbara Melvin. The word she uses to describe herself: Tenacious. These words fit perfectly with Melvin’s new position as the CEO of South Carolina Ports Authority and the path she took to become the only female CEO of one of the nation’s top ten container ports.

21 Sep 2022

A life of public service, Jason Ward proudly serves those of Dorchester County

Jason Ward, who sits at the helm of the Dorchester County government as county administrator, has helped shape the area’s significant growth since assuming the role at an uncommonly young age: 31 years old. In his twenty-year tenure, Ward has helped nearly double the county’s population, consolidate public services and provide clean water to rural communities.

21 Sep 2022

Returning to his hometown, Harry Lightsey plans for the future of SC

Harry Lightsey has returned to his hometown of Columbia, S.C., with a wealth of knowledge and experience, which he hopes will benefit South Carolinians. Lightsey, a little over a year into his role as Secretary of Commerce for South Carolina, has worked at several fortune 500 companies, including General Motors and AT&T, and witnessed transformational changes in those industries over the last 40 years. Now in his new role, Lightsey plans to use that experience to bring the same transformational change to industries in our state.

21 Sep 2022

Dale Morris: Defining resiliency across the nation, and now in Charleston

What is coastal resiliency, and how do cities swiftly and effectively cultivate it? That is the leading question for Dale Morris, chief resilience officer for the City of Charleston, who has devoted nearly two decades to studying and shepherding groundbreaking flood risk management techniques for cities like New Orleans, Galveston, Houston, Norfolk, and other flood-prone communities across the globe.

21 Sep 2022

Pride, professionalism and fun: Amy Blizzard plans the future of Fort Jackson

Amy Blizzard brings a vast array of experience, education and a lifelong career in planning as the community planner at the Fort Jackson Army Garrison outside Columbia. At an Army base that trains over 50 percent of incoming recruits and over 60 percent of incoming female recruits, Blizzard could not be prouder of what she does.

21 Sep 2022

Ensuring the best for our nation’s veterans, David Omura leads the Columbia VA with advanced technology and care

Dr. David Omura leads the Columbia Veterans Affairs Healthcare System and the Williams Jennings Bryan Dorn Veterans Affairs Medical Center into the future, one patient at a time.

22 Jun 2022

Charleston District preserves 150-year history in time capsule, to be opened in 2047

Charleston District leaders gathered outside the Cooper River Rediversion Project June 16 to bury historic items that collectively capture the District’s current impact and 150-year legacy in a time capsule.

22 Apr 2022

Adding to the Galápagos of South Carolina: return of shorebirds to Crab Bank worthy of celebration

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held for the restoration of the Crab Bank Seabird Sanctuary, a project that started eleven years ago as simply an idea, is now a reality and a safe, predator free sanctuary for many sea and shorebirds.