Rep. Chandra Dillard was elected to represent House District 23 in 2008. Previously, she was a member of Greenville City Council for nine years. She served on the first female majority City Council for the City of Greenville. Ms. Dillard was also the first woman elected from her District to serve on City Council. After a distinguished service record on City Council, Chandra ran for and was elected to the South Carolina Statehouse.
In the House, Ms. Dillard serves on the Ways and Means Committee. She previously served on the Legislative Oversight Committee, the Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee and the Agriculture Committee. While on the Agriculture Committee, she was Chair of the Environmental Affairs Subcommittee, the first-ever woman in this role. She is a dedicated public servant committed to improving public education, protecting our environment, providing infrastructure to our neighborhoods and making housing affordable. Her work in the community also includes historic preservation and the empowerment of families and children. When she is not in Columbia, she is the Director of Community Relations at Furman University. Chandra’s work in our community and state is widely known as evidenced by the many honors and awards she has received.
Rep. Dillard is a former president of the Conference of Black Municipal Elected Officials (2006–08) and former President of the South Carolina General Assembly Women's Caucus (2015–16). A strong advocate for early childhood education, Rep. Dillard has been recognized by the South Carolina Institute for Child Success. In addition, she has been honored by the South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities as Legislative Champion of the Year, has been a Green Tie honoree by the South Carolina Conservation Voters, and has received the Leadership Greenville Distinguished Alumni Award from the Greenville Chamber of Commerce.
She is a graduate of Winthrop University, Walden University (MPA), Leadership Greenville, Leadership South Carolina and the Riley Institute’s Diversity Leadership Initiative.