Cougars Help to Conclude Charlie’s ’50 Most Progressive’ List

Charleston’s own Charlie Magazine has concluded its release of 2015’s “50 Most Progressive” people in Charleston, with several Cougars making the list. Charlie describes this list of movers and shakers as “forward-thinking” and “making a positive impact on the future of Charleston.”

College of Charleston alumni, students, faculty and staff previously featured in the 2015 list include anthropology and African-American studies professor Ade Ofunniyan, leader, musician and transgender student Ansley Pope, executive director of the Charleston Dorchester Mental Health Center Deborah Blalock ’81, Hearts & Plugs music label founder Dan McCurry ’07, Distil Union manufacturing firm cofounders Lindsay Windham ’00 and former student Nate Justiss, and writer and bookstore manager Sara Peck ’09.

To wrap up the list, Charlie included four more College connections who are working to change Charleston for the better.

Former student Cator Sparks serves as editor-in-chief for The Manual, an online blog that bills itself as “the essential guide for men” as well as president of Charleston’s Cannonborough/Elliotborough Neighborhood Association. In his spare time, Sparks jets to New York and organizes fundraisers for causes that are close to his heart.

Director of the College’s Halsey Institute for Contemporary Art Mark Sloan has made waves during his more-than-20-years’ tenure in the position, bringing artists of varying style and media to the Institute for impeccably curated exhibitions. He capitalizes on Charleston as “a crossroads forcultural exchange.”

Tim McManus ’97 is the owner of Hed Hi Media, a video production company with a client roster ranging from Amazon’s Create Space to Whole Foods to Charleston Wine + Food Festival with many in between. McManus credits his success to his view of networking: “It’s more about friendships than business relationships,” he said in his Charlie interview.

Michael Wooddy ’99 is at the forefront of one of Downtown Charleston’s last frontiers: the “NoMo,” or north Morrison, area of the upper peninsula. Wooddy, a Charleston native, helped to develop the area he and his partners titled Half Mile North. Charleston residents may know it as the home to popular brewery and restaurant Edmund’s Oast as well as local businesses Blue Acorn and SIB. He noted in his Charlie interview, “I’m hopeful this will be the catalyst for the area.”