The Horry County Higher Education Commission has announced the appointment of four new members. J. Benjie Andrew, Sheldon D. Dawsey, K. Allen Deaton and Ruell L. Hicks Jr. will each serve four-year terms as commission members.

Andrew, of Aynor, a realtor and developer, is employed at Marco Properties L.L.C. He is also the owner of Western Horry Land and Timber. He was with the S.C., Highway Patrol for six years and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division for seven years. He served as corporate secretary for the Horry County Solid Waste Authority Board of Directors for three years. He attended Coastal Carolina University and graduated from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy and S.C. Highway Patrol School.

Dawsey, also of Aynor, is retired from the United States Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency. He earned a bachelor's degree in animal husbandry at Clemson University. He is a member of Aynor United Methodist Church where he is a church trustee and assistant Sunday school teacher. He is a member and vice president of the Aynor Lions Club.

Deaton, of Surfside Beach, is a self-employed fitness professional. He is chairman of the Downtown Redevelopment Advisory Board, a member of the Pavilion Area Task Force and chairman of the Stormwater Committee in Surfside Beach. He is also on the YMCA board of directors and was a former S.C. state chairman for the U.S. Gymnastics Federation.

Hicks, of Myrtle Beach, is a manager and stockbroker with A.G. Edwards & Sons, Inc. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees at the University of South Carolina. He is actively involved at First United Methodist Church of Myrtle Beach and with the Boy Scouts of America. He is on the board of directors of Chicora Rotary Club and on the Legacy Advisory Council at Coastal.

Three other HCHEC board members - H. Delan Stevens, John M. Vaught III and Peggy M. Vogel - were reappointed to serve four-year terms through May 20, 2009.

The HCHEC 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, which determines the use of the tax millage allocated to Coastal, has played a significant role in the development of the university.