+ William Maxey

+ Caroline Hopkins Newton

Caroline Hopkins Newton is an Assistant Public Defender representing indigent adult and juvenile citizens charged with criminal offenses within Greenville and Pickens Counties. Prior to joining the PD’s office, she prosecuted matters in the Thirteenth Circuit General Sessions and Family Courts, including crimes of murder, drug trafficking, criminal sexual conduct, burglary, armed robbery, domestic violence, and white collar.

Caroline is a summa cum laude graduate of Presbyterian College, where she served as a member of the Honor Council, President of the Mathematics Association of America, and Director of Standards and Ethics for Alpha Delta Pi Sorority. She is a magna cum laude graduate of the Charleston School of Law, where she served as Symposium Editor of the Charleston Law Review, Chairperson of the Peer Mentoring Program, and student member of the James L. Pettigru Inn of Court. While in law school, Caroline earned CALI Awards in Advanced Legal Writing, Advanced Federal Income Taxation, Antitrust Law, Evidence, Legal Research & Writing II, Partnership Taxation, and Professional Responsibility. Caroline began her legal career as law clerk to the late Honorable G. Ross Anderson, Jr., United States District Judge, and is admitted to practice in South Carolina, the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

She and her husband, Andy, are proud parents to a vivacious little girl, Bridges, who is currently the eighth consecutive generation to live on Caroline’s family farm in the Upstate.

+ Katie Grove

Katie Grove has more than 10 years of experience defending clients in workers’ compensation matters, striving to help employers and carriers obtain cost-effective and efficient resolutions to their claims. She presents on hot topics related to workers’ compensation on a regular basis to both clients and industry associations.

Katie spends her time with her daughters Mary Mac and Maggie, and son Tommy, as well as hiking with her husband and their dog Andie. She is also an avid Broadway musical fan, and can often be found attending a show at the Peace Center.

+ The Honorable John W. Kittredge

John W. Kittredge was born in Greenville, South Carolina in 1956 and is the son of Elwyn Herbert, Jr. (deceased) and Marian Jeffries Kittredge. John married Lila Graham Hewell on June 20, 1981. John and Lila have three children, Lila Marian, Will and Zay. The Kittredges are members of First Presbyterian Church in Greenville. Justice Kittredge graduated from the University of South Carolina, summa cum laude, in 1979. He graduated from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1982. Academic honors include Phi Beta Kappa, Order of the Coif, and Wig and Robe.

Justice Kittredge began his legal career as a law clerk to The Honorable William W. Wilkins, Jr. He practiced law in the firm of Wilkins, Nelson and Kittredge. Justice Kittredge was actively involved in community and state service: Governor's Committee on Crime and Delinquency; Governor's Juvenile Justice Task Force; Greenville Technical College Foundation (Vice-President); City of Greenville Civil Service Commission (Chairman); Greenville County Crime Stoppers (President); Board of Directors of Child Evangelism Fellowship. In addition to his admission to the South Carolina Bar, Justice Kittredge is also admitted to practice before the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, United States Court of Military Appeals, United States District Court for the District of South Carolina, United States Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court.

Justice Kittredge was elected to the South Carolina family court bench in 1991. He was elected to the circuit court bench in 1996, and the Court of Appeals in 2003. Justice Kittredge was elected to the Supreme Court in 2008.

+ D. Nichole Davis

Nichole is a seasoned and innovative business professional with extensive legal and administrative knowledge spanning a variety of sectors. Recognized for motivating teams and building strong professional relationships, she has a verifiable history of contributing directly to organizational success throughout her career. As such, she has consistently exceeded budgetary and performance goals and she is adept at achieving maximum operational impact with minimum resource expenditure. Professional focal points include educational instruction, program leadership, strategic planning, policies and compliance, risk management, stakeholder communications, organizational relations, and a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Delivering superior administration on the above areas requires utilization of strong communication and negotiation skills, as well as effective team management, relationship management, and a focus on continuous improvement.

She currently serves as an adjunct professor with the University of South Carolina School of Law. In this role, she utilizes a variety of teaching methods to improve students’ legal acumen and aid them in developing core lawyering skills. In addition, she serves as the Risk Management Director for the South Carolina Bar, where she instructs Bar members in professional responsibility issues and function as the statewide Administrator for the South Carolina Supreme Court’s Lawyer Mentoring Program.

Colleagues describe her as a progressive, driven, down-to-earth, legal and managerial resource who can be relied on to consistently deliver solutions to complex legal and ethical issues.

+ Jane H. Merrill

Jane describes herself as: Mom. Lawyer. Complexity Explainer. Wife. Strategic Thinker. Mandolin Player. Problem Solution Seeker. Daughter. Book Reader. Aunt to Delightful Nieces and Nephews. Theatre Go-er and (sometimes) Performer. Little Sister. Hand Talker. Grateful American.

Her brother is only six months older than her. Through the miracle of adoption, they grew up much like twins. They were in the same grade in school and shared the same group of friends. Growing up they celebrated her brother’s “A” day, which marked the day her parents brought him home. She’s grateful for her brother, and is grateful her parents didn’t give up on their dream of having children.

Her own children teach her incredible lessons about life and bring her more joy and hope than she ever imagined. Her first child was born during the summer between her second and third years of law school. Her daughter’s strong and independent spirit motivated Jane to show her daughter that she could be anything she wanted to be. So she pressed on through her last year of law school, including a three-hour daily commute, so she could become a lawyer.

She attended the University of South Carolina School of Law. Describing law school as challenging is an understatement and she is proud of her accomplishments there. She served as the Student Works Editor of the prestigious South Carolina Law Review and was a member of the Mock Trial Team. As a second year law student, she authored a scholarly article that was selected for publication in the South Carolina Law Review. Since law school, she clerked for a Circuit Court Judge, prosecuted criminal cases as an assistant solicitor, litigated civil and family cases as a law firm associate, and represented those accused of a crime at pleas and trials.

Her second daughter was born on the same date as her brother’s “A” day. Her sweet Mama-loving spirit made Jane evaluate the balance between work and family. Another attorney once told her it’s impossible to be a mother and a lawyer at the same time. Jane disagrees. She opened Hawthorne Merrill Law to serve clients that appreciate and understand her desire for both career and family. She works inside and outside the courtroom, and helps a variety of clients along the way.

+ Jordan Roberts

Originally from Greenville, SC, Jordan attended Clemson University (2008) and the Charleston School of Law (2014). He began his career in finance in 2015 as General Counsel for Black Cypress Capital Management, an investment firm based in Charleston, SC and Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. During his time at the firm, Jordan enjoyed building relationships with clients and seeing them successfully retire. So, in 2019, he changed roles and became licensed as a financial advisor. He currently works for Parallel Financial, an independent financial firm with offices in Greenville, Spartanburg, and Seneca. His work focuses on establishing and managing retirement plans such as 401(k)s and SIMPLE IRAs for law firms, dental practices, and other small businesses.

+ Mayor knox white

Knox White has served as Mayor of Greenville, South Carolina since December 1995. As Mayor he has the goal of making the City of Greenville, South Carolina “the most beautiful, livable, and welcoming city in America.

His tenure as mayor has been defined by neighborhood revitalization, economic development, and transformational projects for downtown. Over the past two decades, Greenville has earned national acclaim for its livability and has become an award-winning destination. If you ask Mayor White what makes Greenville so unique, he’ll tell you that it’s due in large part to good planning and even greater partnerships.

Under the mayor’s leadership, the city maintains a “Triple A” (AAA) bond rating and enjoys a reputation for solving problems on an innovative and bipartisan basis.

In 2018, Mayor White was profiled in Time Magazine as one of “31 People Who Are Changing the South.” Key strategic projects implemented during his terms include removal of a four-lane highway bridge allowing for the subsequent creation of the iconic Falls Park, recruitment of new retail to downtown, Fluor Field - a downtown minor league baseball stadium, initiation of the Swamp Rabbit Trail - a bike and walking trail system throughout the city, development along the downtown Reedy River riverfront, and public art initiatives along Main Street.

The City of Greenville has also invested in its neighborhood initiatives that include traffic calming, the creation of neighborhood associations, investment in neighborhood parks and commercial corridors, as well as the creation of an Affordable Housing Fund.

The latest project is Unity Park where a partially abandoned and once segregated part of the city has been transformed into a beautiful 60-acre park to be enjoyed by all. Adjacent to the park will be 9 acres of workforce and affordable housing which will be one of the largest footprints of affordable housing in the city of Greenville.

A graduate of Wake Forest University and the University of South Carolina Law School, Knox White is a Partner with the law firm of Haynsworth, Sinkler & Boyd. Mayor White is an honorary member of the American Society of Landscape Architects. He is a frequent speaker on the importance of thoughtful and collaborative urban planning.

Mayor Knox White is native of Greenville where he and his wife Marsha continue to reside and are grateful to have their two adult children and their families in town as well.

+ Meliah Bowers Jefferson

Meliah Bowers Jefferson is a non-profit executive, accomplished attorney, and motivational speaker whose story has been featured in Women’s Day, Ebony, and USA Today. After suffering a heart attack at 33, she became a national spokesperson for the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign. Since then, she has been on a mission to teach others by example that we can ALL thrive in the face of adversity. She learned to use her experiences with tragedy as the very foundation on which she has built a life of purpose and is quickly establishing herself as an authority on resilience by using the power of her own story as a platform for empowering people to build the lives they want for themselves regardless of the cards they were dealt.

Meliah graduated from the University of South Carolina Darla Moore School of Business in 2002 and the School of Law in 2005. After graduation, she accepted a clerkship with South Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice, Jean H. Toal (retired). She then joined the Wyche, P.A. in Greenville, SC, focusing on complex civil litigation and intellectual property law. In 2010, she joined Judge J. Michelle Childs’ chambers as lead clerk after Judge Childs was confirmed to the federal bench. Meliah returned to Wyche in 2013, where she became a partner and served on the firm’s executive leadership team. Meliah is currently the executive director of the Jolley Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on supporting community initiatives that seek to address systemic poverty and discrimination. She also maintains an active (but reduced) practice with Wyche in the areas of appellate litigation and mediation.