SEWE Staff



click on a date below to see calendar of events

Jimmy Huggins

President and CEO

Born in Sumter, SC, Huggins moved to the Lowcountry at age 12. He received his formal education at the University of South Carolina and The Citadel. After a tour in Vietnam as a helicopter pilot, and successful construction and cable television businesses, his association with Southeastern Wildlife Exposition began in 1983, when he served as a volunteer art and staff coordinator. In 1987, his role changed drastically when he and a group of businessmen bought out the financially struggling event.

Serving as Executive Director from 1987 until 1998, Huggins became President and CEO of the organization in 1998. He currently lives in Summerville, SC with his wife, Beth.


Beth Huggins

VIP Coordinator

A native of the Charleston area, Beth graduated from Winthrop University and owned her own design company for 14 years.

Beth has two daughters, Davy and JessE, two stepdaughters, Lainey and Robyn, and one grandson, Eliott. She and Jimmy have two yellow Labs (Sioux and Chase) and two Cairn Terriers (Homer and Marge),and she is known to take in just about any other creature that Jimmy will let her bring home.


John Powell

Executive Director

A native of Greenville, NC, and a graduate of Davidson College, John joined the full-time SEWE Staff in April 2007.

John works with SEWE corporate partners, and is responsible for the exhibitors and layouts for venues including Marion Square, Gaillard Auditorium, Brittlebank Park, Embassy Suites and the Francis Marion.

He lives in downtown Charleston with his Border Collie, Bladen.




Ashley Slane

Marketing Director

Ashley served as SEWE’s Marketing Director from 1998-2000, then re-joined the team as a marketing consultant in 2003 after serving as the Advertising Director for Roper/St. Francis Healthcare in the interim.

After living in Wilmington, NC, and Summerville, SC, while growing up, Ashley received a B.A. degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from the University of South Carolina. She lives in Mt. Pleasant with her husband Jeff, son Evan, and their pets, Australian Shepherd mix (Chance) and cat (Foster).


Natalie Wooten

Artist Director

A native of Burgaw, NC, Natalie joined our staff in July 2009, and was promoted to her current position in August 2011.  She also handles directory ad sales, SEWE's Kids for Conservation program, and social media.

Upon graduating from North Carolina State University with a B.A. degree in Communication Disorders and a minor in Nonprofit Studies, she earned her Event Management Certification from George Washington University School of Business and worked for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in Raleigh, NC.