Octavia Williams-Blake

Octavia is a 1991 graduate of South Florence High School and received her Bachelor of Arts degree, Cum Laude in Public Affairs & History from Columbia College and her Juris Doctorate from the University of South Carolina School of Law. She is currently Chief Human Resources Officer at McLeod Health in Florence, SC, and previously worked there as Vice President, Workplace Health & Safety. Prior to joining McLeod in 2002, Octavia worked in Human Resource Management for Sony Electronics in Park Ridge, NJ, and for Pepsi Bottling Group in Atlanta, GA. Octavia served 12 years on the Florence City Council. She was the first African American elected at large and the first female elected since 1953. She is a Liberty Fellow and a graduate of Furman University's Diversity Institute. She is a former President of the South Carolina Municipal Association. Octavia and her husband, local attorney Charlie Blake, have two daughters and are host parents for international students.