COLUMBIA, S.C. – Governor Henry McMaster today announced that Maj. Gen. (Ret.) William F. Grimsley will be South Carolina’s first Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs - a position created by H.3438, which created the South Carolina Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Governor McMaster signed that bill into law in May of last year.

"Major General Grimsley has demonstrated commitment, excellence, determination, and success, and I am honored that he has accepted this position for the great people of South Carolina," said Gov. Henry McMaster.  "No state has the military tradition that we do, and we want to be sure that our veterans receive the things that they have earned, and that all of the opportunities for work, business, and prosperity that are in our state are known to them and made available to them.

"I am incredibly honored and humbled by this nomination to be the first Secretary of Veterans’ Affairs for the State of South Carolina," said Maj. Gen. Grimsley. "I look forward to working together with the rest of the executive branch, and all of the veterans services entities and organizations throughout the state on behalf of our veterans."

A highly decorated combat veteran with more than three decades of service in the U.S. Army, Grimsley served on numerous deployments and in multiple leadership positions, among others as the Senior Commander at Fort Hood and Chief of Staff of United States Strategic Command. Some of his military awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart.

Since retiring from the military in 2013, Grimsley has operated Broomfield Creek LLC, a professional planning and development firm, and currently serves as the president and CEO of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Foundation.

The governor’s appointment is subject to Senate approval.

Grimsley received a bachelor's degree from Davidson College in 1980, master's degrees from the School of Advanced Military Studies in 1994 and the US Army War College in 2001, and a doctorate in education with a concentration in organizational leadership and design from Creighton University in 2017.