Justin Powell is the Secretary of Transportation for the South Carolina Department of Transportation. As Secretary, he is responsible for leading the more than 4,000 employees of SCDOT and managing the day-to-day operations of the agency including its $6.5 billion construction program and maintenance of the nation’s fourth-largest state highway system.
Secretary Powell has played a key role in delivering major interstate infrastructure projects across South Carolina, including significant improvements along I-26, I-95 and I-85, enhancing connectivity and economic growth throughout South Carolina. During his tenure as Secretary of Transportation, Secretary Powell has led the response to numerous disasters and subsequent recovery efforts. He has fostered a culture of innovation, driving numerous initiatives aimed at making South Carolina a hub for infrastructure solutions that support the success of people and businesses throughout the Palmetto State.
Secretary Powell joined SCDOT in 2019 as Deputy Secretary for Finance and Administration with responsibility for SCDOT’s $2.7 billion budget and oversaw the growth of the construction program from $3 billion to $5 billion. He served as both Chief of Staff and Chief Operating Officer, serving as the senior advisor to the Secretary of Transportation. Before working for SCDOT, he worked in a variety of senior leadership roles for local government organizations.
Secretary Powell was raised in Charleston, South Carolina and is a graduate of James Island High School. He holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wofford College.

Cameron Parks is a Managing Director within the public finance origination group at Truist Securities. He leads the firm’s specialty infrastructure and government finance banking efforts. Cameron recently joined Truist following nearly 22 years as a part of Citi’s public finance department. At Citi, Cameron was Managing Director and head of the firm’s national water infrastructure finance group. During his time at Citi, Cameron’s responsibilities included various account coverage responsibilities across regions and product groups as well as areas of focus including, most recently, utility securitizations (rate reduction bonds) and tender refinancings. Cameron specializes in working with clients to address large, complex financing programs. His experience includes serving as senior manager on approximately $100 billion of financings on behalf of state and local governments. Cameron was a senior manager on The Bond Buyer’s 2018 National Deal of the Year awarded to the City and County of Denver’s $2.5 billion transaction on behalf of its Department of Aviation. Prior to joining Citi, Cameron was a Senior Managing Consultant at PFM where he worked primarily with utilities and airports. Cameron received a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from Middlebury College.

As South Carolina State Treasurer, Curtis Loftis serves as the state’s banker, managing and safeguarding more than $76 billion in public funds while helping maintain the state’s strong credit ratings. He oversees the state’s Unclaimed Property Program, Future Scholar 529 College Savings Plan and Palmetto ABLE Savings Program.
Since taking office, Loftis has returned more than $420 million in unclaimed funds to South Carolinians and helped grow the Future Scholar program to more than $8 billion in assets. Under his leadership, Palmetto ABLE has become one of the fastest-growing programs of its kind nationwide.
A strong advocate for transparency, accountability and financial literacy, Loftis serves in several key leadership roles in state government and has been recognized for his impact on fiscal management and public service. A Lexington County native, he is a graduate of the University of South Carolina, entrepreneur and founder of the Saluda Charitable Foundation.

Daniel Prentice serves as the Chief Financial Officer for the Charleston County School District, which is the second-largest public school system in South Carolina with over 6,500 employees and an annual budget of approximately $1 Billion. Mr. Prentice manages several departments throughout the District including Budget, Accounting, Capital Projects Accounting, Business Intelligence, Contracts & Procurement, Internal Consulting, Federal Programs, and Payroll. Additionally, he serves as the liaison to the Audit & Finance Committee and is a member of the Superintendent’s Cabinet. Prior to joining the School District in March 2024, Mr. Prentice held the role of Deputy County Administrator and Chief Financial Officer with Dorchester County for nearly eight years where he managed numerous finance and operational departments for the twelfth-largest and fifth fastest growing county in South Carolina. He has over ten years of public administration and finance experience. Mr. Prentice received a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting with a Minor in Crime, Law, and Society from the College of Charleston and a Master of Business Administration from Louisiana State University Shreveport. In September 2021, he was appointed by Governor Henry McMaster to serve as the liaison for South Carolina counties to the Tourism Expenditure Review Committee which oversees the annual expenditure of taxes from hotels received by cities and counties.

Treasurer Bradford B. Briner was sworn in on January 1, 2025. As Treasurer, Mr. Briner is responsible for managing about $250 billion in assets, overseeing the state’s pension and healthcare plans, helping to assure the financially sound issuance of debt for state and local governments and maintaining the state’s “AAA” bond rating.
Prior to running for office, the Treasurer was most recently the Co-Chief Investment Officer for Willett Advisors, where he worked from 2012-2023. Willett manages the philanthropic and personal investment assets for Mike Bloomberg. Before Willett, Mr. Briner held positions at Morgan Creek Capital, the UNC Management Company, ArcLight Capital and Goldman Sachs.
Mr. Briner graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a Morehead Scholar with a degree in economics with distinction. Mr. Briner also received an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees and as chairman of the investment committee for Phillips Exeter Academy and formerly served on the Board of Trustees for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Board of Directors of the Boston Omaha Corporation (NYSE: BOC) and the Debt Affordability Advisory Committee for the State of North Carolina. Mr. Briner and his wife reside in Chapel Hill with their four children.

With international competitiveness and growth in domestic passenger demand, how are the region’s airports faring? What are the effects of tariffs and rising construction costs on the sector?

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act has a variety of provisions that will affect the municipal industry. From Medicaid cuts to new or altered tax credits, how is the industry digesting all these changes? Where are there risks and opportunities in Washington now, particularly for the Southeast region?
What does the regulatory landscape look like in 2026 and beyond?

The Southeast is Ground Zero for managing the pullback of private insurers. How is the Southeast approaching resilience in the face of more frequent severe weather events? How are issuers meeting the growing needs for upgrades of existing infrastructure along with investments in new projects amid a higher-cost environment? What is this all doing to the overall credit picture for the market?