Frank Shumpert has represented the Town of Pelion on the Commission since November 2017. He has served as Mayor of Pelion since November 2017. Prior to serving as Mayor, Mr. Shumpert served on Pelion Town Council from 1989-1999. Additionally, he served on the Lexington District One School Board from 1999-2012.
Mr. Shumpert was born in Pelion and is a graduate of Newberry College. He is owner of Shumpert’s IGA Grocery Store which is the oldest family owned business in Lexington County. In 2011, Mr. Shumpert was named 2011 USA International IGA Retailer of the Year.
He was also President of the SC Petroleum Marketers Association in 2010. He and his wife Elizabeth have been married for over 35 years and are members of the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. Mr. and Mrs. Shumpert have 4 children and 1 grandchild.
Joseph Hardee has represented Gilbert-Summit Rural Water District on the Commission since September 2015. He has served on the Gilbert-Summit Rural Water District since 1999. Mr. Hardee was elected Chairman of the Gilbert- Summit Rural Water District in August 2015.
Mr. Hardee graduated from Lexington High School and attended the University of South Carolina. Currently, he is employed with Pascon in Lexington. He has been married to his wife Devona for nineteen years and they have five children. Additionally, Mr. and Mrs. Hardee are owners of Joey’s Sandwich Shop in Gilbert which opened in 1985.
Troy Bivens has represented the Town of Gaston on the Commission since March 2008. He has served as Mayor of Gaston since January 2009. Prior to serving as Mayor, Mr. Bivens served on Gaston Town Council since 2003.
Mr. Bivens was born in Prosperity, South Carolina. He graduated from Airport High School and attended Greenville Technical College majoring in engineering. After working for Michelin for 12 years as a system tech, he joined the staff of Prysmian Cable in Lexington. Additionally, Mr. Bivens is a member of First Baptist Church of Gaston and a member of Gaston Lodge 382.
Elected in 2020, Mayor Cindy Campbell is the second female to serve in the office of Mayor in the Town of South Congaree in over 60 years. Her tenure as mayor has been defined by her commitment to improving the quality of life for South Congaree’s citizens and visitors, promotion of smart economic development, and her trailblazing revitalization efforts to make South Congaree an even better place to live, work, learn, and raise a family.
After being elected, Mayor Campbell partnered with Palmetto Pride and initiated Keep America Beautiful-sponsored quarterly litter pickups throughout South Congaree. These efforts garnered South Congaree the Keep the Midlands Beautiful Award in 2021. An advocate for South Congaree and its neighboring communities, Mayor Campbell is actively involved in the Pine Ridge-South Congaree Senior Center and a member of the Friends of the South Congaree-Pine Ridge Library.
Mayor Campbell has a great balance between community and business, working hard to meet the needs of all to help South Congaree grow. Mayor Campbell serves on the Advisory Board for the Greater Cayce-West Columbia Chamber of Commerce and is the Vice Chair for the Greater Cayce-West Columbia Cares Foundation Board. Mayor Campbell is an avid supporter of the South Congaree Rodeo and Jesus Is His Name, two events that bring thousands to South Congaree every year.
Before entering municipal government, Mayor Campbell served in music ministry alongside her sisters. Together, they formed The Senterfeit Sisters and His Way Mine, traveling throughout the southeast region for a span of 25 years. Mayor Campbell is married to Ron and has two adult children, Garrett and Bailey (Josh), and two granddaughters, Presley and Cecilia.
Bobby Keisler has represented Lexington County Council on the Commission since February 2006. He has been a member of Lexington County Council serving District #5 since 2003.
Mr. Keisler is native of Gilbert, South Carolina and has been a resident of Red Bank since 1965. He has been a small business owner for over thirty years. He has served on numerous boards including the Red Bank United Methodist Church Trustees where he served as Vice-Chairman and Chairman of the Cemetery Committee. Additionally, Mr. Keisler served Lexington County as a reserve police officer and state constable for four years.
Hazel is a native of Georgia and has lived in Lexington, SC for many years. She is the Sales and Customer Relations Representative for Green Earth Services, Inc. which is owned by her husband, David. Hazel enjoys giving back to her community and volunteers with several community projects including buying and delivering Christmas surprises for senior citizens.
Hazel was instrumental in her first term of office in developing the Town’s Sign Ordinance. She was the lead person in the redevelopment of several parks in Town including the Palmetto Collegiate Institute, the Pat Jeffcoat Serenity Park and especially the Virginia Hylton Park. Hazel recently formed a committee to help design the renovation of the Virginia Hylton Park. She included local youth on the committee to insure the park would have new ideas and be all inclusive.
The Town of Lexington’s Annual Wine Walk started with an idea that Hazel and a group of young professionals took to the next level and formed the Lexington Beautification Foundation which hosts the Wine Walk every year. Proceeds from the event are used for beautification projects in the Town of Lexington such as the Lexington Square Park, the I-20/Sunset Blvd. Interchange, and the “front porch” welcome entrance and more. Hazel’s dedication to the Town’s appearance has strengthened the quality of life and economic development which will be enjoyed by citizens for generations to come.
Hazel is married to David Livingston, who also volunteers many hours to community projects. They live in the Woodcreek subdivision and serve in various HOA capacities. Hazel and David have 4 daughters, great son-in-laws, and they pack the pool with 10 grandchildren!
Tem Miles grew up in Lake City, South Carolina. He graduated from Lake City High School, class of 1996, and The Citadel, class of 2000 (Golf Company).
He started his career at Southeastern Freight Lines, where he worked until he started law school. He met his beautiful wife, Cassie, while in law school. Both Cassie and Tem were admitted to the South Carolina Bar Association in 2006.
Cassie and Tem have three smart, beautiful daughters: Emma; Cate; and Charlotte. They are members of The Basilica of St. Peter, Columbia, South Carolina.
Tem started his legal career as a Law Clerk to the Honorable Paul E. Short, Jr. at the South Carolina Court of Appeals. He then served as staff counsel in the South Carolina Senate’s Office of Senate Research. In 2010 he entered private practice with The McKay Firm of Columbia, South Carolina, practiced civil litigation, and became a partner. In 2020, he started The Miles Firm and continues to practice civil litigation there.
In 2013, Tem was elected as a write-in candidate to serve on the West Columbia City Council to represent District 4. In 2019, he was elected mayor of West Columbia.
Juston Ricard has represented the Town of Springdale on the Commission since February of 2022, when he was appointed by Town Council. He was elected as Mayor of the Town of Springdale in November 2021. Prior to serving as Mayor, Mr. Ricard served on Town Council for 20 years, several of which he was elected as Mayor Pro Tem.
Mr. Ricard is a lifelong resident of Springdale, and graduated from Airport High School. He has been married to his wife Tammy for 23 years, and they have two daughters, Josie and Jayne. Mr. Ricard’s career focus is heavy equipment operations, and he has been employed with Dominion (formerly SCE&G) for 20 years. Mr. Ricard and his family have been active members of Dunn’s Chapel in West Columbia for over 25 years.
Mayor David Bouknight, Jr. was elected Mayor in 2025. Prior to being elected Mayor, Mr. Bouknight served a council member for District 2 since November 2023.
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First elected in 2008, Elise Partin is a nonpartisan leader who holds the distinction of being the first female to serve in the office of Mayor in Cayce, South Carolina, a historic city across the Congaree River from the state capital of Columbia. She is the longest serving mayor in the Midlands Region.
A leader on numerous boards including the Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Center for Livable Communities, she has been recognized for her meaningful, measurable track record of success, her commonsense leadership that has created a cleaner, safer, healthier Cayce, and championing real solutions for the hardworking taxpaying families of Cayce, creating more economic freedom and peace of mind. Under her leadership, Cayce has been recognized as one of the top 10 most tax-friendly places to retire in South Carolina and as the number one city in S.C. for recent graduates and millennials.
Mayor Partin is on the advisory team for the Riley Mayors Design Fellows. She is a past president of the Municipal Association of South Carolina and serves on the board of the River Alliance. She is on the Advisory Board of DemocraShe, a nonpartisan nonprofit providing evidence-based resiliency skills, leadership & civic engagement to flood our future with diverse, compassionate & confident women leaders in every sector. Mayor Partin is on the bipartisan S.C. Advisory Committee for the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, a Speaker with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and was invited to join the 2025 Inaugural Class of the SC Hunt State Policy Fellows. She is Vice Chair of the Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee with the National League of Cities.
In 2015, to benefit her city, she was invited to participate in the prestigious and selective Mayors Institute for City Design (MICD), which is a collaboration of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the National Endowment for the Arts and the American Institute of Architects. In 2021, she was the first US Mayor accepted into the MICD alumni opportunity which provided further no cost benefits for her City.
A Leadership Columbia graduate, Mayor Elise Partin served as president of both the Leadership Columbia Board and the Leadership Columbia Alumni Association Board. She is a Furman University Riley Institute Diversity Leaders Initiative Fellow, a graduate of Leadership South Carolina and was the first female president of the Columbia Museum of Art Contemporaries, the museum’s membership organization for young professionals.
As her wide range of service demonstrates, Mayor Partin is not only keenly interested in the healthy governance of the City of Cayce but is fully committed to building the strong regional partnerships necessary to move the entire Midlands region forward. To that end, she partnered with her former neighboring Mayor from Columbia, S.C. and played a key leadership role in creating the Midlands Mayors Forum, focused on stronger collaborations, and establishing a unified voice for impact. She believes so deeply in the need for all of us to get involved in elected office that she gave a resounding call in her 2015 TEDx ColumbiaSC talk. She stepped back on the TEDx stage in 2026 to clarify, providing the evidenced base answer to what can benefit cities and towns around the world. She shares encouragement, insights and a roadmap for women wanting to improve their communities through her Substack: ElectedFe by Elise Partin.
Outside of her mayoral duties, Elise Partin is faculty with The Buckley School of Public Speaking. She is Adjunct Faculty at the University of South Carolina and an Executive Coach with Mackey Strategies, with a special focus on empowering women leaders. She holds a Master of Public Health and is a member of the Delta Omega, Mu Chapter, honorary public health society. She is married and has two children.
In recognition of her accomplishments and her many contributions, Mayor Partin was named as one of Columbia Business Monthly’s Outstanding Women of Influence in 2011, nominated as a recipient of the Palmetto Center for Women’s TWIN Award in 2012, and was Honored as a Woman of Distinction by Girl Scouts of South Carolina - Mountains to Midlands in 2013. In 2014 she was named as one of Southeast Small Business Magazine’s “Top Women of Influence.” She has been recognized in the Free Times’ “Fifty People Who Get Things Done in the Capital City” and Power 50 for many years, as well as one of Columbia Business Monthly’s “50 Most Influential”. In 2019, she was honored as the Public Servant of the Year by the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce. In 2020 she was named a Women of Influence by the Columbia Regional Business Report. Capital City/Lake Murray Country recognized her as a Tourism Advocate in 2021 and she was nominated to the International Women’s Forum, an invitation-only network of the most accomplished women in the world. In 2022, AIA Columbia conferred to her the Presidential Citation Award in recognition of enhancing local community design. Palmetto Pride recognized her as a 2023 SC Leader against Litter. In 2024, she was recognized as the Best Elected Official in Lexington County among all the SC Senators, Representatives, County Council, School Board and City elected officials. She received national recognition with the Women in Municipal Government Leadership Award in 2025 from the National League of Cities.
About Mayor Elise Partin
First elected in 2008, Elise Partin is Cayce, S.C.'s first female mayor. Mayor Partin has been recognized for her meaningful, measurable track record of success, her commonsense leadership that has created a cleaner, safer, healthier Cayce, and real solutions for the hardworking taxpaying families of Cayce, creating more economic freedom and peace of mind. Mayor Partin serves on several influential boards in South Carolina. She is faculty at the world-renowned Buckley School of Public Speaking, an Executive Coach with Mackey Strategies and works as an adjunct professor at her alma mater, the University of South Carolina. For more information on Mayor Partin, visit www.elisepartin.com.
About The City of Cayce, S.C.
The City of Cayce, S.C., is located on the banks of the Congaree River in the heart of the Midlands of South Carolina, just across from the state capital of Columbia. An area with a documented 12,000-year history, the city has several public events, venues, and parks; the beautiful Cayce Riverwalk Park offers more than 12 miles of scenic walkway in addition to the 46 acres of park area in the City. Cayce has a Council-Manager form of government; City Council meets on the first Tuesday of each month at City Hall.