Mandy is a Liberty Fellow, Class XII, and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. We spoke with her at the 2025 Resnick Aspen Action Forum to learn more about her leadership journey, the issue she is most committed to addressing, and the values that guide her in moments of uncertainty.

Answers have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Tell us about your leadership journey and any lessons you’ve learned along the way.

I was born and raised in a very small town, and both of my parents worked for the local textile mill. I was inspired early on to get involved in government, and I was lucky enough to be elected to represent the village that helped raise me. Serving four terms in the South Carolina House was a tremendous honor.

In my law practice, especially doing bankruptcies for people in my community, I could see where the government had the ability to meet the needs of our citizens, but was not actually rising to the occasion. That shaped my service in the House and helped me focus on legislation that would address real gaps in people’s lives.

One thing I wish more people understood about leadership is that it is not a title. I have always been very suspicious of people who call themselves leaders from the outset, because leadership really comes from inspiration. I genuinely believe that ideas are out there looking for a host. An idea may come to you, and if you are not ready to grab it by the tail and bring it in and make it happen, it will pass right through you and go find someone else.

That is why I think gatherings like the Action Forum are so powerful. If I am right and ideas are out there existing as non-embodied energy, then they are having a real party here, because there are so many receptive hosts who can pull those ideas in and make them happen in ways that will surprise the world.

What’s the problem you’re committed to solving, and what action have you taken to address it?

I grew up seeing the challenges in my own community, and throughout my work as an attorney and legislator, one issue kept coming up again and again. Child sexual abuse happens in every community. It does not matter whether you are wealthy or poor. And many young children don’t know that what is happening to them is not normal, because home is where they define normal.

We often teach children about stranger danger, but the real danger is very often in their own homes. When I was elected as a freshman representative, I passed a bill called Erin’s Law that teaches children how to recognize and report child sexual abuse at every grade level with age-appropriate instruction. That bill has helped get predators out of the lives of many children.

Teachers and guidance counselors were always mandatory reporters, but the disconnect was that nobody had told children that they could go to their teachers and say what was happening to them. That simple bridge has made a tremendous difference. It is probably the thing I am most proud of in my journey.

What values do you hold onto in times of uncertainty?

In times of uncertainty, the value I hold onto most is the understanding that everything is temporary. The good things and the bad things are temporary. Nothing is really under our control, as much as we want to believe it is. But we can shape things. We can shape the future and the trajectory of ourselves, our communities, our state and our nation.

It is comforting to know that the bad things are temporary, just like the good things have been temporary. And we will get through it. But that does not mean we should give up in the meantime. I think a lot of people see that things are not good and decide to step back, and sometimes we overuse the term self-care as an excuse to do nothing.

It is important to stay engaged because how we react in the bad times affects where we are going afterwards.

About the Aspen Global Leadership Network

The Aspen Global Leadership Network (AGLN) is a dynamic, worldwide community of nearly 4,000 entrepreneurial leaders from over 60 countries. Spanning business, government, and the nonprofit sector, these leaders share a commitment to enlightened leadership and the drive to tackle the most pressing challenges of our times. Through transformative Fellowship programs and  gatherings like the Resnick Aspen Action Forum, AGLN Fellows have the unique opportunity to connect, collaborate, and challenge each other to grow and commit to a lifelong journey of impact.

More from 2025 Resnick Aspen Action Forum

In July 2025, over 500 leaders across the Aspen Global Leadership Network (AGLN) community gathered for our largest Action Forum to date. Joined by nearly 100 young leaders, AGLN Fellows from more than 30 countries returned to the enduring questions first posed at at the founding of the Aspen Institute 75 years go: What does it mean to lead with purpose in times of profound uncertainty?

Explore more inspiring content on leadership and change-making from the 2025 Action Forum here.