From staff reports
The Foundation for Leadership Education (FLE) hosted the seventh annual Lowcountry Lifetime Achievement Awards on Saturday evening, Jan. 25, at the Carolina Ballroom on Dataw Island.
The awards honor and celebrate local citizens and their lifetime contributions to the Lowcountry as well as recognized FLE’s Lighthouse Scholarship recipient and Leadership Grant awardee.
Around 250 guests attended the black-tie affair. FLE Board President Charles Tumlin welcomed guests, and Brig. Gen. George “Barney” Forsythe served as the Master of Ceremonies.
Highlights included the announcement of this year’s Lighthouse Scholarship Recipient, Miss Ava Elizabeth Rios, a senior at Bluffton High School, and Leadership Grant Awardee, The “Leader In Me” Program at Robert Smalls Leadership Academy.
Friends and family in attendance gave a standing ovation as Rob Bridgers accepted the 2025 Servant Leader Award.
J. Edward “Ed” and Andrea S. Allen were named the first of three Lowcountry Lifetime Achievement Awardees for inspiring and engaging others, turning ideas into impactful actions and making a lasting difference in countless lives.
Retired General Lloyd W. “Fig” Newton was the second to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award for his impressive military career and his unwavering dedication to tackle challenges head-on while paving the way for future generations.
The late Senator James M. Waddell Jr. was the third and final Lowcountry Lifetime Achievement Awardee. He left a lasting legacy of dedication, loyalty and an uncanny ability to get things done. Senator Waddell’s son and grandson accepted the award on his behalf.
The awards ceremony was followed by a festive “Cocktails and Celebration” where guests danced to to the Stuck In Time band. The evening was made complete by guest pianist Geneva Baxley, catering by Dataw Island Club, and delicious desserts by Jordan Plair.
Visit lowcountryleaders.com for a complete list of the annual Lowcountry Lifetime Achievement Awards’s sponsors and a full catalog of photos from the event by Charlotte Berkeley Photography.
The Foundation for Leadership Education’s (FLE) primary objectives are to support leadership education, promote leadership awareness, develop and implement leadership curriculum for high school students in Beaufort County and to maintain the Lowcountry Lifetime Achievement Awards program.
