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Senate Committee Unanimously Advances Multiple Veterans Trust Fund Appointments
Summary
The committee gave favorable reports to six nominees for the Veterans Trust Fund board — Winston Boddy, Timothy Michael Conrad, Allen Dabney, Stephen Jones, Dr. Ada Stewart and Ralph Garris — after candidates described veterans advocacy work, nonprofit ties, and priorities for growing the trust fund.
The Family and Veterans Services Committee moved favorable reports for a slate of nominees to the South Carolina Board of Trustees for the Veterans Trust Fund, advancing each to the full Senate.
Winston Boddy, introduced as the American Legion’s representative in the trust fund appointment, described his role as a post and district commander and said he intends to represent the American Legion on the board. Timothy Michael Conrad, a retired Army officer now with Upstate Warrior Solutions, confirmed he would recuse himself if his nonprofit applied for funds. Allen Dabney, who serves as Greenville County’s veterans affairs officer, said Greenville’s veteran population is about 29,000. Stephen Jones, a long-serving public official from Isle of Palms, urged legislative efforts to grow the trust fund and characterized the fund’s assets as roughly $1 million, saying that limited assets constrain the number of grants the board can award.
Dr. Ada Stewart, a Columbia-based family physician and active Army Reserve medical officer who has served on the board since 2022, told senators the trust fund could support veterans’ health by bolstering the clinical workforce and alleviating medical-education debt. Ralph Garris of Great Falls recounted decades of public service and military-family experience and said he wanted to help local veterans.
Committee members repeatedly thanked nominees for their service, noted strong recommendation letters in several files (including from Fort Gordon for Boddy), and discussed the trust fund’s limited resource base. One nominee suggested the state should examine the revenue flow from specialty license plates that purport to support troops; the nominee said some proceeds flow out of state and that legislative changes would be needed to direct more revenue to the trust fund. Each nomination was moved, seconded and recommended favorably with no recorded opposition; proxies were noted as voting in favor.
The favorable reports forward the nominees to the full Senate for confirmation.
