Stephen Bedard
Instructor
Stephen Bedard is currently doing part time consulting in addition to his teaching in the MPA program. He was recently selected as an at-large Adjunct member of the College’s Faculty Senate where he will begin serving in the fall of 2022.
Stephen served as the President and CEO of the Charleston Gaillard Management Corporation from April 2015 through June 2021, where he was responsible for operating and maintaining the Gaillard Center. His efforts there were laser focused in 4 key areas: developing a customer centric espirit de corps in the Center's workforce, developing a sustainable long-term financial model for the center, refining the quality and mix of live performances, and improving the quality of the experience of those using the ballroom spaces. As CEO, he guided the Center to an amazing financial turnaround (15.4 times increase) in his first 4 years. Stephen was awarded the Order of the Silver Crescent Award by the Governor of South Carolina for a career of exceptional service in the Charleston region upon his retirement from the Gaillard Center.
Before his work with the Gaillard Center, Stephen worked for nearly 19 years as the Chief Financial Officer of the City of Charleston. During this time, he was responsible for the development and execution of an annual $190 million operating budget. He also spearheaded the 5-year Capital Improvement Plan that spent $75-$100 million per year on capital additions and improvements within the city. In 2014, Stephen was awarded the Medical University of SC's Presidential Medallion, the highest honor the president of MUSC can bestow, for his multifaceted efforts that accrued great benefit to the Medical University.
Earlier in his career, Stephen experience included serving as chief of staff of Charleston County government, Budget and Business Manager for Maritime Systems at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in Ballston, Virginia and completed a highly successful twenty-year career as a Supply Corps Office in the U.S. Navy.
He is a proud graduate of both the United States Naval Academy holding a B.S. degree in Operations Research and the University of Georgia holding an MBA degree with honors. Stephen also graduated from the Executive Education programs at the Darden Graduate School of Business at the University of Virginia and the John F. Kennedy School of Public Administration at Harvard University.
Stephen can be reached at BedardS@CofC.edu.