05/22/2026
SCHP Victim Services Manager graduates from Leadership Columbia program
For Crystal Salley, working weekends, days off, or after hours goes along with being the Victim Services Manager for the South Carolina Highway Patrol. But Salley took on the 10-month responsibility of the Leadership Columbia program because she knew it would help her better serve the Highway Patrol and the State of South Carolina.
The intensive program offered by the Columbia Chamber includes a required two-day retreat, nine monthly day-long sessions, a collaborative class project, and a variety of enrichment activities designed to educate participants on critical issues facing their community, while providing opportunities for deeper involvement around the Columbia area.
“You’re in a class with leaders from different walks of life and professions,” said Salley, who has served the Highway Patrol since 2016. “It gives you different perspectives. I was surprised by all the different trades and manufacturers we have statewide. I realized, ‘There’s so much more to this state outside my little world.’”
Nearly 400 people applied for Columbia’s program, and Salley was among 65 who were selected. Class days involved everything from meeting with legislators at the State House, to visiting manufacturing facilities and military bases around Columbia. Additionally, participants were required to take part in several Columbia Chamber events.
Each class must also complete a collaborative project in which they partner with a local nonprofit to enhance their presence and outreach to the community. Salley’s class partnered with Cola Town Bike Collective, which provides bicycles as affordable transportation to people who do not have another alternative.
As part of the collaboration, the Leadership Columbia class made improvements to Cola Town’s facilities, such as beautification of outside landscaping, improvements to the inside — including the addition of a bike wash and bike racks — and setting up bike repair stations around the city, which allow clients to service or repair the bicycles they received from Cola Town. They also enhanced the nonprofits messaging and presence in the community.
“It was perfect because we had people from different walks of life who brought different skillsets that could help,” Salley said, noting that a couple of class participants work for general contractor companies.
The most important thing Salley said she learned from this program: Ask questions.
“We don’t know what we don’t understand,” she said. “The most important thing we can do is ask questions. Columbia is a lot bigger than I realized. We have a lot of resources I had no idea about, which will help me in what I do because I’ve learned about a lot of nonprofits over the past 10 months. So now, I may not be able to help someone, but I can point them in the direction of someone who can.”
