14th Annual Leadership Summit
Tuesday, May 17, 2011 | Noon | The Summit Club
Keynote Speaker: SC Secretary of Commerce Robert "Bobby" M. Hitt III

LCAA is pleased to announce the 14th Annual Leadership Summit featuring keynote speaker Secretary Bobby Hitt. The purpose of the annual summit is to provide leadership perspectives to the community's business and civic leaders on relevant and timely topics. The Summit will also include the Distinguished Alumni Non-Profit Grant award presentations, followed by the passing of the glove ceremony to the 2011-2012 LCAA Board of Directors. You won’t want to miss this exciting event with more than 200 LC graduates and local business leaders!

The Summit is complimentary for LCAA members and for the LC Class of 2010-2011 and $30 for guests or non-members. Information: Call Katherine Swartz at 733.1123 or kswartz@columbiachamber.com.

The 14th Annual LCAA Leadership Summit is presented by:

Robert M. Hitt III, Secretary of Commerce
Robert “Bobby” M. Hitt III was appointed by Governor Nikki Haley to serve as Secretary of Commerce in January 2011. Hitt, the previous manager of corporate affairs at the BMW Manufacturing Company in Spartanburg, brings a wealth of economic development experience to the Department of Commerce and has personally worked with the previous five commerce secretaries.

Hitt served as the director of planning and development for the Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough law firm in Columbia. In that role, Hitt was involved in bringing the BMW Manufacturing Company to the Upstate, one of the state’s largest success stories. He worked for 17 years at The State and The Columbia Record newspapers. He served as the managing editor of The Columbia Record from 1980 to 1987. In 1988, Hitt was named managing editor of its sister paper, The State, a position he held until 1991.

Hitt is the immediate past chairman of the S.C. Manufacturers’ Alliance, vice chairman of the Public Affairs Steering Committee for the Southeast Region of the National Association of Manufacturers and the immediate past president and tournament chairman of S.C. Charities Inc. (BMW Charity Pro-Am). Additionally, he has served on the executive committees of Advance SC and the Upstate Alliance and on the boards of the S.C. Centers of Economic Excellence, St. Francis Hospital System, Hollings Cancer Center at MUSC and the Spartanburg County Economic Futures Group.

Hitt is a native of Charleston and graduate of the University of South Carolina. USC recognized him as Distinguished Alumni of the Year in 2006. He and his wife Gwen have two sons, Lucas, 31, and Robert Paul, 19.