Julie Snowden is the new chair of the Horry County Higher Education Commission,

New officers for 2005-2006 have been named to the Horry County Higher Education Commission.

Julie Snowden will serve as chair, John Vaught is vice chair, Ruthie Kearns is secretary and Page Ambrose is treasurer.

Snowden, of Myrtle Beach, is director of Marketing and Community Relations at Conway Medical Center. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.

Vaught, of Conway, is head of the Electronics Engineering Technology Department at Horry-Georgetown Technical College. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees at the University of South Carolina in 1973 and 1994. He is also a member of the Horry-Georgetown Higher Education Commission.

Kearns, of Myrtle Beach, is a senior vice president at Coastal Federal Bank. She earned a bachelor's degree from Coastal Carolina College and a master's degree from the University of South Carolina.

Ambrose is assistant vice president for the Conway National Bank in Aynor. He serves on the Horry County United Way Board and is a member of the Aynor Lions Club. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of South Carolina in 1983.

Other members of the commission are: Joseph O. Burroughs Jr., James T. Carroll, Terry G. Chandler, Etrulia P. Dozier, Robert C. Elvington, Thomas E. Eshleman, Ronald R. Norton, Joseph K. Skipper, H. Delan Stevens, Peggy M. Vogel and William H. Alford, chairman emeritus. The Horry County Higher Education Commission was formed in 1959 by the South Carolina General Assembly to develop higher education opportunities for students of Horry County. Commission members are recommended by the Horry County Legislative Delegation and appointed by the Governor of South Carolina. The organization has played a significant role in the continuing development of Coastal Carolina University.