Behold the Power of Women!
This month, in honor of Mother's Day, Lake Murray Lifestyle magazine is honoring the game changers, rule breakers, and trailblazers To celebrate this special month, we are highlighting just a few of the incredible women who are shaking up South Carolina... and the world.
1. United States Congresswoman Nancy Mace
Nancy Mace is used to being a game-changer and a woman who stands on her own. As the newest representative of the people of South Carolina, she represented the 99th district from 2018 to 2020 in the South Carolina House of Representatives, covering Hanahan, northeast Mount Pleasant and Daniel Island. Mace is the first Republican woman to be elected to Congress from South Carolina.
Her office has already completed over 650 constituent cases for South Carolinians in the 1st Congressional District. Casework issues thus far have included IRS disputes, Medicare coverage, and veterans’ benefits. Mace’s office has also helped return over $1.2 million to constituents in her first two months in office.
"My most important duty is to help the people of the Lowcountry and I promised no one would work harder to meet the needs of our district," Mace said. "Since I was sworn in on January 3rd, we have resolved over 600 cases and counting. Many of these cases were from constituents who'd been failed by the system for months and desperate for help. Thanks to the tireless efforts of our caseworkers and staff, we are tackling many issues our constituents need addressed."
A single mom, Mace grew up in the Lowcountry, where she remains to raise her family. In her role as Congresswoman, she was named as one of the most fiscally conservative members of the General Assembly. She’s also one of the most pro-conservation lawmakers in the state with a 100 percent rating with Conservation Voters of South Carolina.
Nancy grew up in Goose Creek, S.C., graduated from Stratford High School, and graduated magna cum laude from The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, where she was the school’s first female to graduate from its Corps of Cadets in 1999. She later earned a master's degree in Mass Communication from The University of Georgia in 2004.
She is the author of "In The Company of Men: A Woman at The Citadel (Simon & Schuster, 2001)." Her business experience stems from corporate technology consulting to starting her own company and commercial real estate sales.
Mace received the 2019 Taxpayer Hero Award from the South Carolina Club for Growth; she is also the recipient of the Champion Award from Palmetto Goodwill in her efforts in education and in helping those most in need receive job training; she has a 100 percent rating with Conservation Voters of South Carolina.
She is the mom of two children aged 11 and 14.
“Serving the Lowcountry in Congress is the honor of my life. And having such a visible, positive impact, early on, like this is easily the best part of the job. I cannot express how proud everyone in the district should be of the team we have assembled and the incredible work they are doing for SC-01.”
2. Lisa Hostetler Brown of LawyerLisa
Lisa Hostetler Brown, Managing Attorney and Certified Elder Law Attorney with LawyerLisa, LLC has always believed she could be successful at whatever goal she pursued, thanks to a positive mindset and hard work.
She began practicing law in 2007 and founded LawyerLisa in 2014 to better serve clients with creative and comprehensive planning.
“I love assisting my clients with comprehensive solutions to their estate planning and real estate concerns. My team effectively addresses potential estate problems to avoid costly, time-consuming issues later on.”
As one of only five attorneys who have met the requirements and passed the test to be a Certified Elder Law Attorney, Lisa was named the LLS Woman of the Year in 2017, her firm was voted Best Law Firm for the last three years and she was named a Super Lawyers’ Rising Star for the last seven years in a row.
In addition to growing her successful practice, she also supports Habitat for Humanity, served as former Statewide Chair of the Cinderella Project, and is a long-time Rotarian with the Rotary Club of Five Points.
“Starting and growing LawyerLisa over the past seven years has been a tremendous accomplishment for me personally,” she said. “I have enjoyed seeing everyone grow, how we help our clients at some of the toughest times, how our team comes together to make things happen, and the difference we make in the lives of our clients and their families.”
Becoming a Certified Elder Law Attorney ranks as her greatest professional accomplishment to date. Meeting the stringent requirements to pass the exam was a challenge, one that was even more challenging than taking and passing the South Carolina and North Carolina bar exams.
“There is so much to stay on top of when it comes to elder law, special needs trusts, government benefits, and strategies to help our clients plan for their current and future care needs.”
Lisa also loves to give back to others, especially through mentoring.
“I have always loved to teach. It is so rewarding to see someone’s growth, knowing that I am pushing them to reach their potential,” she said.
Lisa is married to her best friend, Josh Brown, former Gamecock Football kicker. She has four sons: her three stepsons Tyler (12), Jacob (11), Jaxson (8), and Jensen (1). The family is expecting a little sister soon.
“My husband and I have been busy building a new home for our family, but we can’t wait to get back to international travel in the hopefully near future,” she said.
3. Carlotta Davis
Carlotta Marzol Davis, APRN, ANP-BC, started her nursing career at Lexington Medical Center in 1986 as a Nurse Tech and then continued as a Registered Nurse and a Nurse Practitioner from 1988 to 2000.
That background in healthcare led Davis to discover Isagenix, and today Davis is also a professional network marketer, nurse practitioner and diabetes educator.
After obtaining her nurse practitioner certification, she found a passion for Internal Medicine, diabetes, and disease state management. She is also passionate about disease prevention via nutrition, holistic care, and exercise.
“Most people would think that becoming an Isagenix Millionaire and Legacy Club Member would be my most significant personal accomplishment. Although it is something I am proud of, it is not the most significant for me. The most significant accomplishment is the day that I decided to leave the safety net of a well-paid job and go out on my own,” said Davis.
“As a Nurse Practitioner, it was never in my wheelhouse to even consider anything like Network Marketing as a profession. I started with my company for the products which I fell in love with. To me, it was the missing link to improving how I felt physically and having less fatigue and more mental clarity.”
It took less than two years for Davis to replace her nurse practitioner income and then another six months to have the guts to leave the safety net of a salary, benefits, retirement, etc.
“However, through personal growth and development, I saw that I could do these things myself and be a business owner,” she said. “Taking that leap of faith is my biggest personal accomplishment and the best decision I have ever made.”
Davis said her personal philosophy is to be crystal clear on your ‘WHY’ and then never stop, never quit. Success comes from falling down but always getting back up, she said. and the only way to fail at something is to quit.
“Important influences have been first of all God, as I know I can accomplish anything through him. Secondly, my parents, but specifically my father. He has always told me to surround myself with others that will build me up and inspire me,” she said. “Furthermore, it was my parents who taught me the importance of clean eating. They became vegan when I was in my 20’s and I saw the power of good nutrition first hand; it is what led me to change my lifestyle to more clean eating.”
Davis is married to her best friend Boyd, and they have three children, Carly, 25; Ana, 22 and Nicholas, 15. Davis also volunteered at Good Samaritan Clinic, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing no-cost medical care to under-served communities in South Carolina, and she often speaks at public events about improving health, diabetes prevention, holistic care, and more.
4. Stephanie Vokral, Managing Principal, The Financial Knot
Stephanie has lived in Columbia, SC for over 40 years. Having moved to Columbia at the age of four from Augusta, GA, she attended Chapin High school and graduated from Presbyterian College in 1992. She has worked as a Financial Advisor for the last 20+ years in the Columbia area. Stephanie began her career in 1998 with Robinson Humphrey, a predecessor firm of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. Though she assists all types of families going through a transition, she started Critical Transitions Wealth Advisors in 2014 as a practice specializing in working with Women in Transition; transitions like divorce, retirement, death of a spouse/loved one, or a job change. To focus her efforts surrounding divorce, Stephanie opened The Financial Knot to offer a wide range of divorce financial planning services to couples/families, individuals, and professionals. The Financial Knot seeks to foster peace by offering creative solutions to the financial side of divorce. Her goal is to empower clients with a realistic plan for their future. We are dedicated to providing a kinder, more family-centered divorce process for all involved, particularly our children.
Being a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ with extensive training in the areas of investments, risk management, estate planning, tax planning, education planning, and retirement planning. As a financial planner, she answers her clients’ financial questions. How do I put myself in the best position possible financially when I’m older? When should I take Social Security? Can I afford to be my parents’ caregiver or is there a better way? Is my spouse’s divorce proposal a fair settlement to me?
Stephanie is also an Accredited Investment Fiduciary or AIF® giving her additional experience in fiduciary standards to assist investment committee members of retirement plans, plan sponsors, and board members found themselves in a fiduciary role.
Stephanie has completed a specialized educational program in professional divorce analysis and is a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® practitioner. She is trained to provide financial information and assistance to people going through a divorce. She evaluates the tax implications of dividing property and the financial impact of various settlement options for dividing marital property. She can assist clients in completing their Financial Declaration or Affidavit, assist in mediation, and advise on property settlement issues to meet client objectives.
Stephanie is a member of the SC Financial Planning Association and Greater Irmo Chamber of Commerce. She is a past Vice President of the Columbia chapter of the SC Federation of Business & Professional Women’s Clubs and past board member of NAIFA-SC. Stephanie has been featured on the SC Business Review with Mike Switzer, a panelist and speaker for the various local organizations including the CLUTCH CoWork Council, Women’s Rights and Empowerment Network (WREN), Central Carolina Community Foundation, local churches, and Women in Philanthropy. She is married to Jason and the proud mother of Anna Caroline. She is an active member of Columbia Crossroads Church. Stephanie serves on the Executive Committee for Women in Philanthropy (WIP) and has chaired their Community Engagement Committee for several years. Her passion to see women engage in their financial lives for permanent economic stability fuels her enthusiasm for her work with WIP and other volunteer opportunities. Permanent economic stability lends itself to the idea of remaining financially stable through a critical event that would typically cause financial difficulty or harm. Her past volunteer work includes Young Life, Epworth Children’s Home, YMCA of Columbia, Transitions Homeless Center and mentoring female inmates exiting SCDC.
Stephanie enjoys family time at the beach, hiking, playing cards, tennis, and cooking.