A senate RESOLUTION

 

TO CONGRATULATE the honorable Christy A. Hall, P.E. UPON THE OCCASION OF HER RETIREMENT as Secretary of Transportation for the South carolina Department of Transportation, TO COMMEND HER FOR HER thirty YEARS OF DEDICATED SERVICE to the department, AND TO WISH HER MUCH HAPPINESS AND FULFILLMENT IN THE YEARS AHEAD.

 

Whereas, the members of the South Carolina Senate are pleased to recognize The Honorable Christy A. Hall upon the occasion of her retirement as Secretary of Transportation on March 31, 2024; and

 

Whereas, a native of the Nations Community of Abbeville County, Secretary Hall was born the first child to Murray S. "Steve" and Joyce Hall. She graduated from Calhoun Falls High School and went on to acquire her Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from Clemson University in 1994, at a time when few women were entering the engineering profession. During her senior year at Clemson, she was offered a job with the South Carolina Department of Transportation; and

 

Whereas, Secretary Hall began her career with the SCDOT in Road Design. She went on to hold numerous positions, including Program Manager, District Construction Engineer in District 3, and District Engineering Administrator in District 2; and

 

Whereas, she was called back to SCDOT headquarters in 2011 as the Deputy Secretary of Finance and Procurement. Despite having no financial background, she successfully assembled and led a team to overhaul the department's business practices, eliminating inefficiencies and establishing strong financial management to bring the department out of its financial crisis; and

 

Whereas, in 2015, Secretary Hall became the first woman to serve as the Department's Deputy Secretary for Engineering. During periods of instability with department leadership in 2014 and 2015, she twice served as Acting Secretary of Transportation. During this period, she led the department through the State's devastating thousand-year flood; and

 

Whereas, Secretary Hall was appointed as Secretary of Transportation by Governor Nikki Haley and confirmed by the South Carolina Senate by a vote of 38-0 on January 28, 2016; and

 

Whereas, Secretary Hall will be remembered as one of South Carolina's greatest transportation secretaries. The department has flourished under her leadership and expertise, and the State has benefitted from exponential and equitable growth; and

 

Whereas, throughout Secretary Hall's tenure, she has responded to natural disasters including the floods of 2015, Hurricane Matthew, and Hurricane Florence. She has also worked to restore SCDOT's finances and financial reputation, developed and led the agency's ten-year plan, and spearheaded transformative infrastructure projects such as the widening and improvement of critical portions of interstates; and

 

Whereas, Secretary Hall systematically built relationships based upon mutual understanding, trust, and respect with governors, members of the General Assembly, local and federal officials, national and international business leaders, the South Carolina Department of Transportation Commission, and the approximately four thousand five hundred deeply-valued employees of the SCDOT. These relationships helped facilitate many vital undertakings, including funding increases for infrastructure in the State that facilitated the growth of the State's road and bridge construction program from one billion dollars annually to nearly six billion dollars annually, as well as the passage of the 2017 South Carolina Infrastructure and Economic Development Reform Act; and

 

Whereas, Secretary Hall has received numerous honors and awards throughout her career, including an Emmy nomination for her work with SCETV, as well as The Order of the Palmetto, the State's highest civilian honor; and

 

Whereas, the members of the South Carolina Senate greatly appreciate the passion and dedication that Secretary Hall has shown in serving the people and the State of South Carolina.  Now, therefore,

 

Be it resolved by the Senate:

 

That the members of the South Carolina Senate, by this resolution, congratulate The Honorable Christy A. Hall, P.E. upon the occasion of her retirement as Secretary of Transportation for the South Carolina Department of Transportation, commend her for her thirty years of dedicated service to the department, and wish her much happiness and fulfillment in the years ahead.

 

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to The Honorable Christy A. Hall, P.E.

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