S.C. Representative Adam Taylor of Laurens has been named vice president for University Advancement at Lander University, effective July 1.

Rep. Adam Taylor

    Taylor will also serve as executive director of The Lander Foundation. He is a 1987 Lander business graduate.

    In announcing the appointment, Lander President Dr. Daniel Ball said, “Adam Taylor has the energy and the background necessary to advance the university and its programs. As an alumnus of Lander, a legislator and a businessman, he has established contacts that will be important to the future of this university and its students. We are delighted to welcome a leader of his caliber to our administrative team.”

    Taylor has been a member of the South Carolina legislature since 1998 representing Greenville and Laurens counties. He has served as majority whip and assistant majority leader and is also a member of the Ways and Means Committee. He is currently a public affairs specialist with State Farm Insurance Co.

    In  2007, Taylor received Lander’s Distinguished Alumni Award. While a student at Lander, he was the first president of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, a four-year intramural assistant and the recipient of an ROTC scholarship. His wife, Monica Leapard Taylor, is a 1993 Lander graduate. They have three children.

    Eleanor Shiflet Teal, who is retiring after 22 years in the Advancement Office, including 11 years as vice president for University Advancement and executive director of The Lander Foundation, said, “I am pleased that Adam has been selected for this position. I have worked with him on a number of Lander initiatives. He is committed to the university and its goals and will take our Advancement program to another level.”

    Taylor described his return to his alma mater as “an incredible opportunity.”

    “I am excited about this new venture and look forward to working hard for Lander University,” he said. “As a legislator, I know the importance that higher education plays in the lives of South Carolinians. As a graduate of Lander, I know that Lander has been educating South Carolina’s business and community leaders since 1872. I am eager to be part of the education process at Lander and in South Carolina.”