APPOINTMENTS LIVE! SPEAKER BIOS

Liz Seman, Greenville County Councilor

A native of Chicago, Illinois, Liz has lived in Greenville, South Carolina since 1999. Her nonprofit career has included leadership roles with the American Red Cross, Hands on Greenville and Meals on Wheels. She came to Furman University in 2013 as the Executive Director of Corporate Engagement, and currently serves as Chief of Staff and Liaison to the Board of Trustees.

Liz is the immediate past Chair of the Community Foundation of Greenville, and serves on the Executive Committee of both the Upstate South Carolina Alliance (Chair) and VisitGreenvilleSC. Liz is an active member of the Greenville Professional Women’s Forum and Greenville Women Giving and is a Sustaining Advisor with the Junior League of Greenville.

In addition to her role at Furman, Liz serves on Greenville County Council and has represented District 24 since 2008. Liz was elected Vice Chair of Council and she also chairs the Roads, Infrastructure and Public Works Committee and is Vice Chair of the Finance Committee.

Liz has served on the board of directors of the Peace Center, the South Carolina Technology and Aviation Center (Chair), the International Transportation and Innovation Center (Chair), Meals on Wheels America (Chair), the Greenville Chamber of Commerce, Greenville Forward, the Junior League of Greenville, Saint Joseph’s Catholic School, the Leadership Greenville Alumni Association, the Palmetto Bank Community Board, Greenville County Redevelopment Authority Board, Community Works Carolina and the Advisory Board of the American Red Cross. Liz is a graduate of Leadership Greenville Class XXVII and Diversity Leadership Academy Class IV. In 2023, Liz received the prestigious Athena Award from the Greenville Chamber of Commerce, the Women of Influence Award from Greenville Business Magazine and the Ruth Nicholson Award from the Community Foundation. She was named one Greenville Business Magazine’s 50 Most Influential people of 2018, was one of the YWCA Dream Achievers in 2006 and was named one of Greenville's Top 25 under 35 in 2003. She is also an Elder at Fourth Presbyterian Church.

An accomplished amateur competitive ballroom dancer, Liz received her B.S. in Business from Miami of Ohio. She is married to Steve and has one son, Walker (FU ’22), who lives in Atlanta, Georgia with his wife Allison (FU’22).

Brandy Amidon, Mayor, Travelers Rest

Brandy Amidon is the Co-President+CFO of Brains on Fire, a creative marketing agency with offices in Greenville and Los Angeles. Brandy tows the line between what a typical CPA does in the tax and money world, while also growing and nurturing her team within a small business atmosphere. She has nearly two decades of experience leading teams towards individual and collective growth goals while leveraging her expertise in the financial sector to create stability and confidence for collective success. As Co-President and CFO at Brains on Fire, Brandy manages human resources and finances at Brains on Fire, overseeing the agency’s financial reporting, risk assessment, budgeting and planning/implementation of company-wide goals. 

Beyond Brains on Fire, she serves as the elected Mayor of Travelers Rest, South Carolina.  Elected as the city’s first female and youngest Mayor, Brandy currently is serving in her second term as Mayor. Prior to that she was on city council for eight years. Currently, she serves on the board for the Appalachian Council of Governments, the Community Foundation of Greenville and the Municipal Association of South Carolina. Brandy just celebrated her 21st wedding anniversary and has a nine year old daughter, who’s all sparkles and Stanleys.

Dorothy Dowe, Greenville City Councilor

Councilmember, Dorothy Dowe, is serving in her second term as an At Large Representative on Greenville City Council. She serves as Vice Mayor Pro Tem, and is the City Council liaison to the Greenville Transit Authority and the Greenville Downtown Airport. She also serves as the Mayoral appointee to the Visit Greenville SC Board of Directors and the SCTAC Board of Directors. Councilmember Dowe holds a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from Duke University, a Master of Business Administration from the USC Darla Moore School of Business and a Professional Engineering licensure in the state of Alabama. Additionally, she holds a certificate from the Municipal Association of South Carolina Advanced Municipal Elected Officials Institute and the Riley Institute Diversity Leaders Initiative. Dorothy is committed to ensuring Greenville is a place where citizens are actively engaged in the decisions that affect them, improving access to affordable and workforce housing, transportation and managing growth to maximize Greenville’s potential while maintaining a strong commitment to community and quality of life.