Elizabeth S. Mabry

Elizabeth graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of South Carolina with a BA degree. In 1983 she graduated from the University of South Carolina School of Law and immediately began practicing law with the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT). 

Elizabeth served as legal counsel for SCDOT for almost 14 years with the primary responsibility for handling condemnation cases, which varied from small “strip takes” for road widening projects in rural areas to multi-million dollar acquisitions for new construction and urban projects. During those 14 years she managed, negotiated, and resolved thousands of condemnation cases throughout the state.  She successfully tried hundreds of cases in county courtrooms all across South Carolina.

In 1996 Elizabeth was selected by the SCDOT Commission to serve as Executive Director of SCDOT, which position is now designated as Secretary of Transportation. During her tenure as Executive Director, Elizabeth was in charge of all processes of building Ravenel Bridge (Charleston, SC), from financing, to contract document drafting and overseeing construction progress. She served in that position for over ten years until her retirement.