Candace Terry

Where power, people, and systems intersect

Candace Terry has spent more than 24 years at the intersection of power, people, and systems, leading teams through bureaucratic and political mud to find the gold on the other side.

A Navy Veteran and social work professional, she served on the inaugural leadership team of the South Carolina Department of Veterans Affairs, authoring the legislative and revenue development strategy that grew the state budget from $700,000 to tens of millions, administering a $10 million federal grant that scaled Veterans Treatment Courts statewide, and bringing federal government affairs experience to every table she works. Her career began as a linguist, and she speaks four languages with a fifth underway.

At the University of South Carolina, she directed university-wide initiatives serving military-affiliated communities, secured $20 million in federal funding for a state-of-the-art ROTC facility (negotiated directly with congressional leadership) and diversified funding streams across programs.

Today she advises organizations on growth, funding, and access, helping leaders find the pathways and partnerships that turn credible capability into funded, sustainable results. Her particular strength is connecting evidence with opportunity: using data to describe existing conditions, challenge assumptions, and establish a persuasive basis for action.

Away from the desk, she is an avid and passionate Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and competitor.