CSU President makes 50 Most Influential list

Charleston Business Magazine named President Dr. Dondi E. Costin to its 2021 50 Most Influential list.

A retired U.S. Air Force major general, Costin served as the 18th Air Force Chief of Chaplains, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., prior to accepting the presidency at CSU.

Costin shared his Four Cs of traits of a good leader with Charleston Business Magazine.

1. Character must always be first. Every leader knows that the hardest person to lead is himself, so unless the leader is a person of character, she will never be as effective as she could be. In our context, our character goal is to be like Christ. 
2. Competence is a close second, because unless a leader has demonstrated that he cares enough about his job to master the technical and other details required to be good at it, he will never have the credibility required to lead the team that is watching his every move. 
3. Chemistry speaks to the many soft skills that a leader must embody as she deals with the problems and pressures that come her way. A leader with good chemistry is one who is not a jerk, who thinks of others first, who listens more than he speaks, and never makes the mistake of thinking she is the smartest person in the room. 
4. Commitment. The leader must be passionately committed to both the people she serves and the mission of the organization she leads. Some leaders naturally lean toward caring for people, while others are more comfortable focused on tasks and the mission. The most effective leaders, however, are committed to both equally as they remember this truth: If you take care of your team, your team will take care of the mission.

The 2021 50 Most Influential and the Hall of Fame listed several others with CSU ties.

• Dot Scott ’84, president of the Charleston branch of the NAACP, was inducted into the 2021 Hall of Fame class.

• Frank Bullard, CSU Board of Trustees member and chair of the Limitless campaign, is Charleston market president for First Reliance Bank.

• Bernett Mazyck ’81 is the president and CEO of the South Carolina Association for Community Economic Development.