Benjamin Duncan has been named as South Carolina’s first chief resilience officer, Gov. Henry McMaster announced Tuesday. The position requires confirmation by the state Senate.
As the state’s CRO, Duncan will be director of South Carolina's Disaster Recovery Office and head the state Office of Resilience, which was created by the Legislature in 2020.
The office develops and implements a statewide plan coordinating resilience and disaster recovery efforts with federal, state, local and non-governmental entities. The CRO also oversees grant programs that focus on rebuilding or repairing homes damaged by weather events, such as hurricanes, and it manages federal monies that can assist in disaster recovery.
The legislature also established the South Carolina Disaster Relief and Resilience Reserve Fund which will be used for disaster relief assistance, hazard mitigation and infrastructure improvements.
“Duncan's exemplary leadership and wealth of experience at the Disaster Recovery Office will be critical in his new role as South Carolina's first chief resilience officer,” McMaster said. "Look no further than his management of existing programs that have resulted in thousands of South Carolinians finding safe and reliable housing after experiencing devastating losses at the hands of natural disasters.”
Duncan, 60, has worked at the state's Disaster Recovery Office since it was created in 2015.
“Through proper coordination, cooperation and collaboration, the South Carolina Office of Resilience can ensure that the state is maximizing the effectiveness of all available resources to best protect the lives and property of our citizens," Duncan said. "South Carolinians are a resilient people. Through disaster after disaster, we have seen our state bend but not break.”
Duncan is a graduate of Benedict College and holds a Masters of Public Administration from the University of South Carolina. He is a resident of Richland County and married with two children.
