MIKE FORRESTER. INTEGRITY. DEDICATION.
Mike Forrester is running for the State House because he knows its time to move past our problems and concentrate on the commonsense solutions it takes to move our state forward. He’s ready to use his life experiences and skills to find those solutions for South Carolina’s families.
DEDICATED FAMILY MAN.
Mike is proud to have lived his entire life, with the exception of his military service, in South Carolina’s Upstate. Mike has been married to his high school sweetheart Connie for 38 years. They have 2 children and 3 grandchildren. Mike and Connie attend First Baptist Church in Spartanburg.
DEDICATED TO OUR NATION.
After finishing high school in Blue Ridge, Mike joined the Army Reserves. He worked his way up the ranks the old fashioned way, through hard work! He began with the 846th Transportation Company as a truck driver and dispatcher. He learned to protect his troops and his environment by taking specialized training for nuclear, biological and chemical defense.
His experience and record elevated him to the ranks of Staff Sergeant within 5 years. By his eighteenth year, he was promoted to the rank of Staff Sergeant Major. Later, he was hand-picked by a one-star General who knew his talents to serve as the highest ranking non-commissioned officer in a Chemical Brigade that served a 5-state region.
Prior to his retirement, he had attained the rarified rank of Command Sergeant Major, the highest rank that a non-commissioned officer can achieve.
DEDICATED TO SOUTH CAROLINA, EDUCATION, AND JOB CREATION.
Mike is known as a dedicated public servant because of his hard work to improve education and create jobs in South Carolina.
During his service to our nation, Mike followed a parallel career with Piedmont Natural Gas where he worked his way up to Vice President of South Carolina Operations. There he learned the importance of the link between education and economic development, which led him to leadership positions in the Spartanburg Chamber of Commerce, the Spartanburg County Economic Development Corporation, and the Upstate South Carolina Alliance. He has also represented our region and state on international economic trade missions and helped recruit dozens of employers to our area.
His dedication to education earned him an appointment to the State Board of Education where he became Chairman. Mike has worked with every superintendent in our county and has worked tirelessly to improve our public education system for every South Carolina child.
Continuing his commitment to education and job creation, Mike is currently the Director of Economic Development for Spartanburg Community College.