Santee-Lynches Regional Council of Governments - Executive

Linda Jackson

Ashley Walker — Wed, 10 Feb 2021 15:26:00 +0000

Linda Jackson, a native of Gable, SC currently serves as the Chief of Administration for the Santee-Lynches Regional Council of Governments.

As the leader of the Administration department, Jackson functions as the Executive Assistant to the Executive Director, Liaison to the Board of Directors, the Office Manager, and Purchasing Agent.

Before pursuing the position, Jackson's first occupation was becoming a Certified Nurse Assistant at The Mcleod Regional Medical Center in Florence, SC. Later, she found her passion for banking where her career launched and served proudly for 22 years in Bank Management and as a Personal Banker for the states of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

Reflecting on her life, Jackson felt that her greatest accomplishment was being a mother who wanted to expose her children to different avenues of life so they could choose their own career paths. She likes to think she is still uncovering and achieving at her career that was heavily influenced by her First Manager in banking Mrs. Joan Spears and continuing to be that helping hand within her community and region.

As an Administration Chief, Linda is most passionate about growth and building her Department and the Santee-Lynches COG to its fullest potential. While continuing to be a servant for Christ and others, Linda serves whole-heartedly by this statement:

“As long as you are doing the right thing, no matter how it is received, you will always win.”

Jackson serves on the Manning Lions Club, Summerton Rotary, and the Clarendon County Board of Directors. She earned her B.A. degree in Organizational Management from Morris College.

Linda is a dedicated mother of two daughters Tia and Brya. She enjoys spending time with her family and serving others in her community.

Chief, Office Administration

ljackson@slcog.org

Executive

February, 2021

803.774.1384

Janae Stowe

Kylie Diegmiller — Fri, 31 Jul 2020 18:12:00 +0000

Janae Stowe is the Chief of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Area Agency on Aging (AAA) Director for Santee-Lynches Regional Council of Governments (COG).

As the leader of the Health and Human Services department, Stowe is responsible for a $2.09 million budget and planning, developing and implementing a regional service delivery programs which address the needs of the older population. She ensures these programs are implemented in accordance with the guidelines of the South Carolina Department on Aging, Long Term Care, the Older Americans Act and various legislation as brought forward from Congress and the State Legislature. In order to develop a cohesive plan, she interacts with local agencies and stakeholders to establish partnerships and other solutions to meet the needs of our older population and maximize the grant funding. Stowe is also responsible for the direct administration and programmatic supervision of nine department staff, in addition to the direct supervision of all student interns several colleges and universities. Additionally, she is responsible for recruiting and procuring services necessary to implement plans consistent with state and local guidelines, drafting necessary services agreements, requests for proposals and other similar documents. Further, Stowe is responsible for the oversight of contract agreements with the various agencies in which the COG contracts to provide services in the region. Stowe also oversees the Regional Aging and Disability Advisory Committee, as well as works directly with the Health and Human Services Committee to the Santee-Lynches COG Board.

Stowe began her journey at the Santee-Lynches COG as an intern and transitioned to a volunteer. She entered employment with Santee-Lynches COG 2012. She went on to serve in coordinator positions for multiple programs within the Health and Humans Services Department to include the Information Referral and Assistance Coordinator. She completed her initial State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) certification in 2012 and received her Information Referral Specialist for Aging Certification in 2014. She was re-certified as an Information Referral Specialist for Aging/Disability in 2016.

Additionally, Stowe serves on the Human Service Advisory Committee for Central Carolina Technical College and is a member of the South Carolina Local Government Leadership Institute. She was recently voted as:

SC Association of Area Agencies on Aging (SC4A) President
Appointed by Governor to Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Resource Coordination Center advisory council.

She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Healthcare Administration.

Stowe grew up in Boise, ID and moved to Sumter in 2009. She is married to Michael and they have a beautiful blended family of three: Dru, Nicholas, and Logan. Stowe loves spending time with her family, especially for camping trips and sporting events.

Chief, Health & Human Services

jstowe@slcog.org

Executive

803.774.1376

Dennis Cyphers

Kylie Diegmiller — Fri, 31 Jul 2020 18:00:00 +0000

Dennis Cyphers is the Executive Director and Government Services Chief for the Santee-Lynches Regional Council of Governments (SLRCOG).

Cyphers facilitates the strategic vision and oversees all assistance provided to a four-county region, consisting of Clarendon, Kershaw, Lee, and Sumter Counties in South Carolina and all 12 cities/towns. Based in Sumter, Cyphers has a staff consisting of 27 subject matter experts who serve a population of approximately 223,000 people and is responsible for the stewardship of a $8.1 million budget. Originally formed as a planning district, the Santee-Lynches COG serves the region by working for and with local governments to bring public and private sector leaders together to solve emerging and
persistent problems. By collaborating, communicating, and working together, Santee-Lynches COG seeks to find and create efficiencies across the region, set priorities, proactively identify challenges, and develop creative solutions that are mutually beneficial and advance the prosperity of the region. The COG is also a key organization utilized to administer federal and state grants across the region aimed at improving the quality of the workforce, regional planning to facilitating community and economic development and facilitating our seniors aging in place with dignity. The Santee-Lynches COG is also a designated Economic Development District under the U.S. Economic Development Administration.

In his dual role as Government Services Chief, Dennis provides direction and oversight in the design and implementation processes for regional and local planning, economic development, community enhancement, and private sector partnering projects across the four counties of the Santee-Lynches region (Clarendon, Kershaw, Lee, and Sumter Counties and municipalities). He has directed the
efforts leading to the completion of a wide array of critical projects including the development of a new 5-year Hazard Mitigation Plan, 5-year Home Consortium Plan, Comprehensive Plans, and written
ordinances.

Dennis has diverse management and operational experience in both the private and public sectors which include successfully launching private startups and administering grants in both the federal and state arenas. His private sector experience includes progressive management positions ranging from Regional Administrator to CEO. He has developed extensive marketing strategies and overseen the successful roll-out of numerous technical platforms and advanced training programs. He has negotiated contracts for numerous corporate and privately owned facilities ensuring long-term financial health. Additionally, Mr. Cyphers has completed large-scale programs that cross lines of private equity with local, state, and federal government contracts.

Dennis is a native of Wilmington, NC where he actively volunteered for both the Azalea Festival and River Fest events. He is a graduate of Campbell University.

Executive Director & Chief, Government Services

dcyphers@slcog.org

Executive

803.774.1984

Rachel Katorkas

Kylie Diegmiller — Fri, 31 Jul 2020 17:24:00 +0000

Rachel Katorkas is the Finance Department Chief at Santee-Lynches Regional Council of Governments (SLRCOG).

As head of the finance department of SLRCOG, Mrs. Katorkas is responsible for a budget of over $7.4 million spanning three major program areas: aging, workforce and planning/economic and community development. These program areas are funded by more than 50 different contracts and grant awards. She is responsible for assuring that all of the accounting and financial reporting functions of the agency are performed accurately and in a timely manner as well as complying with the respective federal and state guidelines associated with many of the funding sources. She is also responsible for coordinating all annual financial audits of SLRCOG and Santee-Lynches Regional Development Corporation (SLRDC) and for financial monitoring of service providers for the aging program. She supervises three staff members who assist her in these functions by performing a variety of accounting and reporting functions, including payroll processing for the agency and accounting functions for SLRDC.

Mrs. Katorkas has worked for SLRCOG since 2015, starting out in the position of Finance Manager under Kathy Powell, who retired after more than 32 years leading the finance department at SLRCOG.

Prior to working at Santee-Lynches Regional Council of Governments, Mrs. Katorkas worked in the Purchasing Department of Sumter County and as the Office Manager of a taxi company in Pennsylvania, where she wore many hats which included bookkeeping, payroll, contract review, and financial planning.
Mrs. Katorkas grew up in Sumter after her father was stationed at Shaw AFB, and she considers Sumter her home. She obtained a Bachelor’s degree from Liberty University in Virginia, where she met her husband, John Katorkas, IV. Mr. Katorkas is originally from Northeast Pennsylvania. Together they have a son and a daughter, and are members of Westside Baptist Church. Mrs. Katorkas enjoys building Lego sets with her children, researching her family’s ancestry, and preparing for Christmas.

Chief, Finance Department

rkatorkas@slcog.org

Executive

803.774.1997

Areatha Clark

Kylie Diegmiller — Fri, 31 Jul 2020 16:59:00 +0000

Areatha Clark is the Deputy Executive Director and Chief of Workforce Development at Santee-Lynches Regional Council of Governments (SLRCOG).

As the leader for the Workforce Development Department, Clark is currently responsible for providing staff support services as the fiscal and administrative agent for over $2.2 million in federal funding for Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) programs that serve Adults, Dislocated Workers, and Youth. Clark fulfills the responsibilities of Workforce Development Chief by organizing the department and its resources in support of County Chief Elected Officials (CEOs), the Workforce Development Board, and any Contractors providing services to the above agencies and organizations. She also directly oversees bi-annual monitoring/auditing reviews of all contractual agreements implemented to provide WIOA services to ensure compliance with all federal rules and regulations. Clark supervises staff who are directly responsible for oversight and implementation of contractual agreements and program operations for WIOA. On behalf of the Santee-Lynches COG and Workforce Development Board, she is also directly responsible for overseeing SC Works Operations in the four-county region.

She has served at the Santee-Lynches COG since May 1993 and has served in various capacities prior to assuming the role of Workforce Development Director in 2013.
Additionally, Clark became the Local Equal Opportunity (EO) Officer for the Santee-Lynches Local Workforce Development Area in 2017. This position also serves as local liaison to the State WIOA EO Office and ensures equal opportunity and non-discrimination practices/policies are implemented for all customers served through SC Works and Youth programs operated under WIOA.

Furthermore, Clark became the Deputy Executive Director for the Santee-Lynches COG in November of 2019. In this role, Clark helps to facilitate the strategic vision and implementation of all assistance provided to the four-county region, consisting of Clarendon, Kershaw, Lee and Sumter Counties in South Carolina and all of the associated municipalities. She also helps to provide oversight of all staff.

Prior to coming to Santee-Lynches Regional COG, Clark worked in the Graduate Studies Department of the University of South Carolina – Sumter for 1 year after graduating from college.

Clark is a lifetime resident of Sumter. She has one daughter and is a lifelong member of Westminster Presbyterian Church, where she is an Elder and advisor with the Children/Youth Ministry. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administration (Finance Focus) from the University of South Carolina – Aiken, an Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) (Management Focus) from Troy University, a Master of Science Degree in Management (International Business) from Troy University, and is Global Career Development Facilitator (GCDF) certified.

Deputy Executive Director & Chief, Workforce Development

aclark@slcog.org

Executive

803.774.1405