Wilson Taps Westbrook, Lowell To Lead South Carolina Transition
The governor-elect named a seven-member team at his first job in Greenville, setting a deadline of Inauguration Day for readiness.
By Samuel Hayes ·
Governor-elect Alan Wilson named his transition team on Thursday, selecting two attorneys to co-chair the effort that will prepare him for office as South Carolina's 118th governor.
Wilson made the announcement at Reeley's Body Shop in Greenville, the location where he worked his first job washing cars. He stated that the experience taught him about responsibility and influenced his desire to improve state government operations. The new co-chairs are Thad Westbrook, a Lexington attorney, and Randy Lowell, a Daniel Island attorney.
The full roster includes Wilson's wife, Jennifer Wilson, a content writer at the University of South Carolina. It also includes Lt. Governor-elect Mike Reichenbach of Florence and Charisse Reichenbach of Florence. Business leaders Mikee Johnson of Columbia and Jim Brown of Florence serve on the team. Johnson is the board chair and co-president of US Brick, while Brown is the CEO of BCN Management. Bob Castellani of Greenville, a U.S. Air Force veteran who founded North American Rescue, also joins the group.
Westbrook, a partner at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, serves as a former chairman of the University of South Carolina Board of Trustees and the Lexington Medical Center Board of Directors. Lowell is a partner at Burr Forman with a practice focused on administrative, government, and regulatory matters. Westbrook stated the team will work through Inauguration Day to ensure the administration is ready to govern immediately after the oath of office.
Wilson said he selected the members because he trusts them and values their expertise. He described the group as a new generation of conservative leadership aimed at putting South Carolina families first. "I chose my transition team because they're people I trust and have expertise our state needs to bring about real reform," Wilson said.
Leaders from both chambers of the state legislature responded to the announcement. House Speaker Murrell Smith and Senate President Thomas Alexander both said they look forward to working with Wilson and his team. Wilson's office said it will provide additional details about the transition process in the coming days.
