COLUMBIA, SC - Columbia native and former Chair of the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), Seema Shrivastava-Patel, received the state’s highest honor, the Order of the Palmetto, today in recognition of her years of leadership and service both to the state and the people of South Carolina. A native of Columbia, Shrivastava-Patel is the first woman of color to serve as the DHEC Board Chair.
“This is an incredible honor,” Shrivastava-Patel said. “But this honor isn’t just for me. It’s for my parents who moved here from India with nothing more than $100 in their pocket. It’s for all the women who came before me and paved the way so I could stand here today. It’s for my husband and children without whom I couldn’t do any of this and it’s for everyone who sees how amazing this state truly is and how much we could accomplish together.”
Appointed in 2017, Shrivastava-Patel served on the DHEC Board as Vice-Chair from 2021 to 2023 and as Chair from 2023 to 2024. During that time she not only played a major role in developing policy and overseeing operations of the agency, but also helped lead DHEC and the state through the COVID-19 pandemic as well as DHEC’s transition to the SC Department of Environmental Services and Department of Public Health
"Seema Shrivastava’s commitment to public service and her leadership in our business community has truly impacted our state," said Governor Henry McMaster. "From serving as the Chair of the DHEC Board, where she committed herself to improving health and environmental outcomes, to her dedicated charitable pursuits, she has consistently strived to improve South Carolina. These efforts and more have made her an ideal recipient of our state's highest civilian honor - the Order of the Palmetto."
In addition to serving DHEC, Shrivastava-Patel has built a more than 20-year career in the convenience industry which includes her current role as CEO for Carolina Convenience Corporation (CCC) overseeing multi-unit operations and all aspects of the business including sub companies that totals over 600 employees.
A true leader, she has dedicated herself to countless charitable activities raising money for everything from research into breast cancer and muscular dystrophy to supporting organizations like Harvest Hope Food Bank, Palmetto Children’s Hospital and the Wounded Warrior Project.
Most notably, as an Aspen Institute Liberty Fellow, Shrivastava-Patel created the SC Mobile Maternity Care Unit project which will provide badly needed pre and postnatal care to women in rural areas across South Carolina where maternity care is too often unavailable. Recently the project made history when it received $1.2 million in state funding making it the first state funded project of its kind in America.
Shrivastava-Patel lives in Lexington with her husband and two children and is a proven trailblazer serving as the first woman of color to lead the South Carolina Association of Convenience Stores and the South Carolina Petroleum Marketers Association in addition to DHEC.
