Our Team
Staff
Rebecca Jacobson, MPH
Executive Director
Rebecca joined Smokefree SC as Executive Director in October 2018 bringing over 20 years of nonprofit operations and program management experience to her role. Rebecca received her Master of Public Health in Health Promotion & Education from the University of South Carolina Arnold School and is passionate about sharing cessation resources and disseminating teen vaping prevention education throughout the state.
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Terra Bell
Community Engagement Coordinator
Terra joined our team in April 2022 following five years as the Program Coordinator for the Citizen Scholars Institute in Spartanburg, SC. Terra received a Bachelor's degree in English from Wofford College and a Master's degree in Youth Development Leadership from Clemson. Having several close family members who suffered from smoking-related illnesses, Terra is especially passionate about the importance of promoting cessation options and local tobacco-free policies in communities throughout the state.
Barbara Derrick
Finance & Operations Director
Barbara began serving as our Finance & Operations Director in May 2019 after retiring from 36 years in SC state government. Barbara is a graduate of the University of South Carolina with a BS in Business Administration in Accounting. Barbara leads our Point-of-Sale project, and having teenage daughters who are surrounded by vaping daily, she is particularly passionate about the issue and glad to be able to help affect change.
Nancy Cheney
SC CAN Quit Coordinator
After a distinguished career with the American Cancer Society, including being a founding member of the SC Tobacco-Free Collaborative (now Smokefree SC) and the South Carolina Cancer Alliance, Nancy continues to work part-time on cancer prevention initiatives. As the SC CAN Quit Coordinator, she has engaged cancer centers around the state to participate in promoting smoking cessation to cancer patients to help improve treatment outcomes.
Megan Austin
Communications Coordinator
Megan is a recent graduate of the University of South Carolina with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Health and is now a Masters student at UofSC Arnold School of Public Health. She is working towards her Master of Public Health in Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior while concurrently obtaining a graduate certificate in Health Communications. Megan is very excited to be a part of the Smokefree SC team to get practical experience in health promotion and work towards a healthier South Carolina!
Board of Directors
Jim Thrasher, PhD, President
Univ. of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health
Columbia
Beth Johnson, Secretary
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
Hartsville
Sharon Biggers, MPH, CHES (non-voting)
SC Department of Health and Environmental Control
Columbia
Taquina "TQ" Davis, MA
Prisma Health Midlands
Columbia
Irene Pericot-Valverde, PhD
Clemson University
Greenville
Reston Hartsell, MS-MPH, Vice-President
Epidemiology Doctoral Student
Columbia
David Watkins II, CPA,Treasurer
Self-employed
Columbia
Kathleen Cartmell, PhD, MPH
Clemson University
Seneca
Deborah Dunbar
The Balm in Gilead
Dalzell