Twilley named public information director for S.C. Department of Natural Resources

Former Capitol Hill environmental analyst and founder of multi-national coastal cleanup initiative to direct the department’s media

COLUMBIA, SC, UNITED STATES, May 21, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Coastal resilience, sustainability, and communications expert Cheyenne Twilley has been named the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) new director of Public Information, effective May 19, 2025.

According to a statement released by SCDNR: “Twilley brings to SCDNR a dynamic blend of communications expertise and natural resource management experience. With a strong background in policy analysis, stakeholder engagement, and environmental planning, she specializes in translating complex information into accessible messages and fostering collaboration among diverse partners.”

A graduate of Coastal Carolina University (BA in Interdisciplinary Coastal Policy) and the College of Charleston (where she earned both a Master of Science degree in Environmental and Sustainability Studies and a Master of Public Administration degree, summa cum laude), Twilley most recently served as a coastal resilience planner where she facilitated public engagement initiatives and coordinated efforts across agencies, local governments, and community organizations.

“It is quite the honor for me personally to serve SCDNR as director of public information,” said Twilley during a phone conversation, Wed., May 21. “I think my experience as a Coastal Resilience Planner with Elko Coastal Consulting equipped me well for this new role. At Elko Coastal, I was able to successfully coordinate all manner of high-stakes projects with knowledge holders, decision-makers, and a diverse range of stakeholders, including local communities. This vital work reinforced, to me, the critical importance of relationship-building and transparent communication in achieving successful outcomes.”

Twilley added: “Relationships and transparency are everything, even in – perhaps best to say, especially in – media.”

On the national and international fronts, Twilley founded and directed a multi-national, multi-year cleanup initiative through Global Eco Adventures (founded by the SCDNR Director Tom Mullikin) and coinciding with the UN-founded World Ocean Day. Twilley helped generate media and led simultaneous World Ocean Day cleanups in Myrtle Beach and Folly Beach, S.C.; Maui, Hawaii; and San Cristobal in the Galápagos Islands.

Twilley also served as legal assistant to – and director of myriad projects for – Dr. Tom Mullikin, an attorney and global expedition leader, who was unanimously elected and sworn-in by Gov. Henry McMaster as the new SCDNR director in February 2025.

“Cheyenne Twilley has performed magnificently in a variety of key leadership and executive level media and public information responsibilities from her work with Global Eco Adventures to the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA), and the S.C. Floodwater Commission,” said Mullikin, who McMaster appointed to chair the Floodwater Commission in 2018. “We are thrilled and fortunate to now have her as part of SCDNR’s leadership team.

Prior to accepting her public information directorship with SCDNR, Twilley was a national co-chair with the ASBPA’s government affairs committee. Between undergrad and graduate school, she served as an intern to both S.C. Senator Stephen Goldfinch and U.S. Congressman Ralph Norman.

Already on the job with SCDNR, Twilley is currently relocating from her home in Charleston to Columbia with her husband, Stephen, their eight-month-old son, Leven, and three dogs. Outside of work, Cheyenne enjoys running, surfing, “all things coastal,” she says, and spending time with family.

– For more information about SCDNR, visit – https://www.dnr.sc.gov/.

W. Thomas Smith Jr.
S.C. Department of Natural Resources
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