SC State young alumnus, former SGA president appointed to SC CMA board

Juwan Ayers

SC State alumnus and former Student Government Association (SGA) president, Juwan Ayers, was recently appointed to the board of South Carolina’s Commission for Minority Affairs (CMA). Ayers was confirmed to serve as the commissioner representing the 6th Congressional District of South Carolina.

Ayers said the process began after he was approached by Tommie Windsor, director of Boards and Commissions for the state. With a variety of leadership experience and a willingness to always serve, Ayers was ready for the conversation.

“When he called me, he stated the governor was looking for minorities, women and millennials to join state boards and there were two boards at the time that he needed help filling. The two boards were the S.C. Commission for Minority Affairs and S.C. Human Affairs Commission. I told him that I would be interested in joining the Minority Affairs board and from there, I went through the process of getting on the board,” Ayers said.

After completing the necessary requirements and receiving favorable appointment by the South Carolina Senate Judiciary Committee, Ayers began his stint as the youngest new appointee to the board.

Prior to joining the CMA, Ayers considered serving on various other boards, including the State of South Carolina Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics, South Carolina Commission on Higher Education, State Human Affairs Commission, Children’s Trust Fund of South Carolina and the State Athletic Commission.

Ayers is pleased with his decision to serve on the Palmetto State’s CMA board and is looking forward to making a positive impact on the community.

“This opportunity means a lot to me and I am truly humbled to serve my community. This opportunity is important to me because in this role, I can help and serve my community, be the voice for it and give my generation hope that as a 23-year-old African American male in South Carolina, you can too serve on boards and make a difference in your state, but more importantly your community,” he said.

He hopes to build relationships and bridge the gap between the commission, the community and state legislators while bringing a major presence of the commission to the 6th Congressional District.

Ayers graduated from SC State University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting. While serving as the Student Government Association president, he cultivated relationships that have propelled him to succeed.

“I believe SC State has taught me the importance of community and sacrifice, but more importantly, the value of relationships. I do believe that being the SGA President has helped shaped me for this role. Being the SGA President, you fight for the students, you represent the students and you’re there for the students. If I had never been SGA President, I would’ve never had this opportunity, and it’s because of the relationships I built during my presidency. If it was not for me transferring to SC State from Limestone College, I would have never been SGA President and I would have never built the relationships that I have now,” Ayers said.

He currently works as an accelerated banker associate at Synovus Bank in Columbia, South Carolina.