Events

Duncan Townsend will introduce our speaker for our Historic Battles program.

Richard W. Hatcher, III is a native of Richmond, Virginia, and a 1973 graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University with a BA in History. His lifelong love of the subject began during the Civil War Centennial and grew when he later worked as a seasonal employee at Richmond National Battlefield Park. Rick began working permanently with the National Park Service in 1976, and he retired as Historian from Fort Sumter Fort Moultrie National Historical Park in 2015. Rick is the author or coauthor of numerous articles and books including the award-winning Wilson’s Creek, The Second Major Battle of the Civil War and the Men Who Fought It (2001) and The First Shot (2011). He is a regular on the Civil War speaking circuit.

Spencer Pryor, a native Charlestonian, joined the CRAA team in July 2019.  In his role as Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, Pryor serves as the CRAA’s spokesperson and oversees the airport’s Public Safety, Public Affairs, Human Resources, Inflight Kitchen, Advertising, and Ground Transportation departments. He also develops and oversees enterprise-wide community relations initiatives.

Pryor has come full circle with the Aviation Authority. In his early career, he worked for the airport as the Ground Transportation Manager, where he planned, supervised, controlled, and managed the 24-hour operation. He rejoined the CRAA after working for the City of North Charleston as Director of Public Safety Communications, where he led crisis communications, media relations, community relations, and employee relations for the organization. Prior to joining the City of North Charleston, Spencer worked as a news anchor and reporter for WCBD TV 2, where he received several awards for his work in aiding consumers through the station’s “Action Line” franchise.

Pryor holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Limestone College and an associate degree in Marketing from Trident Technical College.

Chief Mark Arnold began his career in law enforcement with the Mount Pleasant Police Department as a patrol officer in 1995. He was promoted to detective in 1997 and to corporal in 2001. From 2003 through 2013, over the course of his tenure as sergeant, Chief Arnold acquired a large breadth of knowledge as supervisor of the Criminal Investigations Bureau and Patrol Bureau. He held the position of Career Development Supervisor where he developed and conducted training programs consistent with national, state, and departmental standards. More recently, Chief Arnold served as the accreditation manager for the Police Department, which is nationally accredited through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. Chief Arnold was promoted to Lieutenant in 2013 and supervised the Office of Professional Standards. A year later, he was promoted to the rank of Captain and managed the Field Operations Bureau and the Support Services Bureau. He was promoted to Deputy Chief in July 2020 and Chief of Police in May of 2021. Chief Arnold holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the Citadel and a Master of Science in Criminal Justice from Charleston Southern University. His specialized education and training include graduation from Department of Homeland Security Leadership Academy and the Southern Police Institute Administrative Officers Course through the University of Louisville.

Charmaine Fuller Cooper became State Director for AARP South Carolina in 2022. Prior to joining the South Carolina office, she worked at AARP for 9 years as Campaigns Field Manager for the South region and Advocacy Director for the North Carolina state office. Fuller Cooper is a seasoned leader in campaign strategy and management, government relations and advocacy mobilization. Fuller Cooper holds a Bachelors in Political Science from NC Central University and a Masters in Public Administration from NC State University.