Stephen Benjamin

Mr. Benjamin is an attorney with a track record of leadership in government and the public sector. He was elected Mayor of Columbia, South Carolina in April of 2010. He served three successful terms as Mayor concluding in December of 2021. Prior to his service as mayor, Mr. Benjamin: served in South Carolina Governor Jim Hodges’ Cabinet as the Chief Executive of a 950 employee state agency; served as special counsel at a national law firm; served on the Board of Directors, Audit & CRA Committees of a financial institution; served on the Board of Directors of a NYSE traded financial services company; and served on the Board of Trustees of a not for profit hospital. Mr. Benjamin has served as President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors (2018-2019), President of the African American Mayors Association, Vice Chairman of the Global Parliament of Mayors, Executive Chairman of Municipal Bonds for America, and as a Member of the Federal Communications Commission’s Intergovernmental Advisory Committee. Mr. Benjamin is a graduate of the University of South Carolina and the University of South Carolina School of Law. Mr. Benjamin is a Principal in The Benjamin Firm, LLC and Of Counsel at The Charleston Group, where he co-chairs the firm’s Public Finance & Affordable Housing Practices.