SCCHWA Board of Directors
Marek Calhoun Board Chair
Marek Calhoun resides of
Darlington, SC and has lived in Darlington County since 2001. Marek currently serves as the Director of Social and Community Services for CareSouth Carolina’s Community Health Services Division. CareSouth Carolina is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in the Pee Dee Region of South Carolina. Marek received his B.A. in Psychology and Criminology
from Coker University. He later received an M.A. degree in Community Mental Counseling from Webster University and a M.S. degree in Administration of Justice and Security from the University of Phoenix.
Marek is a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. where he holds the office of Keeper of Records and Seal for his Chapter Chi Iota in Florence, SC. Marek is a diehard football fan and enjoys cheering on the Las Vegas Raiders. Marek enjoys cooking and spending time with his family especially his wife Jada. When ask what drive and motivates him, Marek says “I want to make a difference in the lives of people, that’s what drives me every day; knowing that CareSouth Carolina, my team and I have touched and made a difference in the lives of those in the community we serve.”
Terri Jowers Vice Chair
I grew up in Williston, Barnwell
County, South Carolina,
in a family who believed in living their faith by living a life a of
service.
In a small, rural community, I grew up keenly aware of the needs of others, the inequities of race, gender and zip code. As a political activist, I learned that changing social determinants and improving the lives of challenged communities takes grassroots and grasstops work, boots on the ground, neighbor to neighborhood, AND working for laws and policies that promoted social justice. I have spent my career doing both.
In 2019, I served on the
Steering Committee for Aiken Center’s Alcohol and Other Drug Needs Assessment. When Aiken Center received funding to launch its Peer Support Program, I became the Recovery Support Coordinator. Aiken Center’s MASH Unit (Men Assisting Sobriety & Health) are South Carolina’s first Certified Peer Support Specialists who are also Certified Community Health Workers.
Currently, our Recovery Support Team works in an outpatient drug & alcohol treatment center, in a Recovery Community Organization, Aiken County Detention Center and Aiken Regional Medical Center. We focus on outreach, recovery support, connecting to treatment, health and social determinant needs, addressing stigma and harm reduction.
Reeshemah Mckelvey
Ms. McKelvey serves as a Community Health Worker Ambassador with the Community Health Worker Institute, advocating for sustainability, credentialing, policy change, and advocating for the CHW profession. She also serves as a volunteer preceptor for the University Of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health Community Health Worker Institute mentoring emerging Community Health Workers. Reeshemah collaborated with other CHW professionals in the development of the CHW Practice Tool Kit and high entry–level curriculum development.
Ms. McKelvey earned her Associate in Arts from Trident Technical College, Bachelor of Science degree in Social Science from Charleston Southern University, Master of Social Work from Walden University, and a Community Health Worker and Diabetes Prevention Virtual Lifestyle Coaching Certificate. Reeshemah is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.