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Young Alumna or Alumnus Award

Celebrating our alumni leaders

This award recognizes an alumna or alumnus whose life has expressed the finest of College of Charleston traditions through service to his or her community or profession. The recipient's class year must be within the past ten years.

2020 Young Alumnus Award

George Patrick McLeer Jr. ’10    

George Patrick “GP” McLeer Jr. graduated from the College of Charleston with a degree in arts management in 2010. Returning to the Upstate, he created and led the Office of Cultural Affairs for the City of Mauldin, SC, where he leveraged the community’s cultural and artistic assets to promote economic development and improve the quality of life for its citizens. Mr. McLeer developed the Mauldin Cultural Center, the Mauldin Public Art Trail, the Railroad Concert Series, and managed all city-wide marketing.

In November 2019, he was elected Mayor of Fountain Inn, SC, at the age of 31, making him the youngest mayor in the city’s history. Having previously served as chair of the Fountain Inn Chamber of Commerce, Mayor McLeer brings a fresh perspective to the city’s government and fosters a sense of community. He also serves as the executive director of the South Carolina Arts Alliance, the only state-wide arts advocacy organization. His goal is to ensure all South Carolinians have access to quality arts experiences and arts education.

Mr. McLeer serves on the Board of Palmetto State Arts Education, the College of Charleston School of the Arts Council, and the Arts in Basic Curriculum Project. He is Vice Chair of the State Arts Action Network, a national coalition of statewide arts advocacy organizations. Mr. McLeer received the 2016 School of the Arts Young Alumni Award, the Julie Jett Arts Management Citizenship Award, and was named to the School of the Arts Hall of Fame. He is the first recipient of the Alumni Heart Award from his high school alma mater, St. Joseph’s Catholic School, in Greenville, SC. Mr. McLeer and his wife, Taylor, welcomed their daughter, Albee James, in October.

Young Alumna or Alumnus Award Past Recipients

* Deceased