East Coast Greenway welcomes South Carolina & Georgia Manager Jim Hemphill

Based in Charleston, South Carolina, Jim Hemphill joined the East Coast Greenway Alliance this month as its South Carolina & Georgia Manager.

In this role, Hemphill carries region-wide responsibilities for all aspects of Greenway development, advocacy and state committee and volunteer engagement. He supports communities along the route in South Carolina and Georgia as they plan, build and maintain sections of the Greenway.

"I feel incredibly lucky to join the East Coast Greenway Alliance team and am excited to work with our community partners in Georgia and South Carolina to develop places to walk, roll and bike that are safe, accessible and open to everyone," Hemphill said.

Prior to joining the Alliance team, Hemphill served as the Senior Program Manager - Mobility Safety Strategy with the National Safety Council. In this role, he led the Road to Zero Coalition and its Community Traffic Safety Grant program, which aims to end roadway deaths in the United States by 2050. 

Hemphill also worked for three-plus years as a long-range planner in the City of Charleston’s Department of Planning, Preservation, Sustainability. In this role, he managed a portfolio of ongoing transportation and land use projects, managed the City of Charleston Planning Commission and drove community engagement and outreach.

Hemphill holds a master’s in public administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and earned bachelor’s degrees in history and community studies from Appalachian State University. He has served as an adjunct professor in transportation policy at the College of Charleston and has held planning and sustainability roles with Sustain Charlotte and Gotcha Mobility.

“Jim brings a broad range of experiences that will allow him to support greenway development in South Carolina and Georgia,” said National Greenway Director Allison Burson. “From his municipal planning work at the City of Charleston, national transportation and policy work at the National Safety council, teaching at the College of Charleston and volunteering with local nonprofits to support safe, accessible transportation and affordable housing in Charleston, Jim’s background will be an excellent asset to the East Coast Greenway Alliance team.”

Hemphill also volunteers with Alliance partner Charleston Moves and the Charleston Parks Conservancy. He enjoys eating ice cream, being outside, riding bikes, playing video games and anything related to cats.