Curtis Loftis

Curtis M. Loftis, Jr. (born September 8, 1958) is the founder and benefactor of Saluda Charitable Foundation, a private foundation based in Columbia, South Carolina.
Biography
Curtis is a lifelong resident of South Carolina. He attended Brookland-Cayce High School in Cayce, South Carolina and graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1981 where he served as president of the student senate and president of Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity.
Loftis was a business owner and further engaged as a real estate investor and developer. He ceased day-to-day association with his business in 2001 and is involved with the Saluda Charitable Foundation in a full-time capacity. He has been active in local and national politics.
On February 28, 2007, Loftis was appointed Director of the South Carolina Lt. Governor’s Office on Aging by Lieutenant Governor André Bauer. In June, 2008, Loftis left the position after meeting and exceeding his 12-16 month goals for the position.
In September, 2008, Loftis began work as Chairman of the South Carolina Enterprise Information System Oversight Committee (SCEIS) and Director of Transparency for the South Carolina Comptroller General's Office.
In October, 2008, Loftis received the Lt. Governor’s Palmetto Patriot award.
He is a member of First Baptist Church of West Columbia, SC.
Saluda Charitable Foundation
The Saluda Charitable Foundation is a faith-based Christian humanitarian group that operates international missions for the housing and medical care of the elderly. Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina, Saluda Charitable serves on four continents with a wide range of missions from medical treatment and food distribution to community services and housing for indigent locals.
In Ukraine, Saluda Charitable began a partnership with a small missionary group which has grown into a stand-alone Ukrainian organization, the Saluda-Ternopil Charitable Foundation. Saluda-Ternopil administers the largest food pantry in Ternopil as well as a humanitarian mercy center and one of Ukraine's first foster care projects in partnership with Ukraine government.
The New Hope Village, a direct product of the Saluda Charitable Foundation and Saluda-Ternopil Charitable Foundation alliance, is a Christian humanitarian mercy center. It consists of an elder hostel, a distribution point for humanitarian aid and services, and an emergency shelter for poor families and other challenged peoples. The New Hope Village recently became home to one of Ukraine's first "foster family" projects. This project is a partnership between the Ukrainian government and Saluda-Ternopil that seeks to alter the traditional system of large and unfriendly government orphanages in favor of more traditional family structures. Re-construction recently completed on several buildings allows New Hope Village to become even more involved as a center for village life, from "movie night", a free computer lab and business center, to a new sport field. The goal is to become a model for Christian-based groups to integrate themselves in a manner that promotes Christian and wholesome lifestyles.
In the Fall of 2008, operation of New Hope Village was returned as scheduled to the regional government. The government is now able to utilize this newly renovated complex for the people of Ukraine.
In Bolivia, Saluda Charitable works with Rik and Sabine Celie's organization, Doctors on Mission. Through Doctors on Mission, Saluda Charitable has funded programs including the construction of a new church, medical clinics, humanitarian aid shipping and a vitamin distribution program.
South Carolina Comptroller General's Office
The state's top accountant and chief fiscal watchdog, the Comptroller General supervises state spending, keeps the state's books and maintains accounting controls over state agencies.
This Office was created in 1890 as the "Paymaster" to supervise the expenditure of state funds. All payrolls for state employees, vouchers for bills owed by the state and interdepartmental payments between state agencies are submitted to the Comptroller General. These payments are examined to ensure they are proper and that funds are available to cover the expenses. Upon approval, a warrant is issued authorizing the State Treasurer to make the payment.
The office also reports annually on the financial operations and conditions of state government; assures that money due to state and local governments is collected through fair and effective tax administration and offers fiscal and accounting advice to state agencies and local governments. The Comptroller General also sits on the five-member Budget & Control Board, the state agency that plays a central role in the management of state government.
The SC Enterprise Information System (SCEIS) will ultimately streamline and standardize the business processes of virtually all state agencies onto a single system, based on SAP software. An E-Government action plan was developed as part of the strategic IT planning process, to include an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. The functional scope of the SCEIS initiative involves the replacement of many of the core business systems found throughout South Carolina's state government.
Applications to be replaced by SCEIS include financials, procurement (materials management), budgeting, human resources/payroll, and customer service functions. The SCEIS project was mandated by the SC Legislature (Act 151 of 2005).
Lt. Governor's Office on Aging
The Lieutenant Governor's Office on Aging (LGOA) is South Carolina's "State Unit on Aging" and administers federal funds received through the Older Americans Act. The South Carolina General Assembly and Governor Mark Sanford transferred responsibility for South Carolina's Older Americans Act programs to Lt. Governor André Bauer on July 1, 2004, moving the Bureau of Senior Services out of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Bauer's position at the LGOA is largely ceremonial, though he does exercise executive authority over major decisions. He appoints the Director of the Office on Aging and approves the budget and other major decisions. He is the prime advocate and spokesman for the Seniors of South Carolina. The office administers approximately $39 million in funds, and directs the Aging Network of South Carolina, which is present in each of the 46 counties. The LGOA is located in the Wilbur Smith Building on Gervais Street in Downtown Columbia, SC.
The LGOA works with a network of regional and local organizations to develop and manage programs and services to improve the quality of life of South Carolina's older citizens, and to help them remain independent in their homes and communities. The LGOA, through its administration of the Older Americans Act programs, aids 34,000 older adults who have the greatest social, economic, and health needs, and rural and low-income minority elders. Additionally, the LGOA works with many other state agencies, as well as with the private sector, to coordinate the needs and interests of older adults and to develop new resources.
The LGOA is the statewide leader for advocating, planning and developing resources in partnership with individuals and communities to meet the present and future needs of over 717,000 older South Carolinians and their caregivers; to develop and coordinate a comprehensive continuum of care system; and to promote education, research and training in the field of gerontology.
The vision of the Lieutenant Governor's Office on Aging is a state where seniors enjoy an enhanced quality of life, contribute to their communities, have economic security and receive those supports necessary to age with choice and dignity.
The mission of the Lieutenant Governor's Office on Aging is to enhance the quality of life for seniors through advocating, planning and developing resources in partnership with state and local governments, non-profits and the private sector, individuals and advocates to meet the present and future aspirations of the growing senior population.
The Lieutenant Governor's Office on Aging is responsible for oversight of home and community-based services funded through federal and state sources that are not specifically under the jurisdiction of another state agency. These include primarily programs funded through the federal Older Americans Act and various state-funded programs.
In February 2007, South Carolina Lieutenant Governor André Bauer named Loftis as the Director of the Lt. Governor's Office on Aging (LGOA). With several specific reform-oriented goals in mind, Loftis made a 12-16 month commitment to the position.
In June 2008, Loftis stepped away from the helm of the Office on Aging after meeting and exceeding all of his goals. Reforms included cutting the office's administrative budget by 20% and directing that money to programs and senior citizens. One new project resulted in one of the nation's first Senior Center for seniors with developmental disabilities. A major policy reform enhanced the office's transparency and accountability, greatly increasing the power of the LGOA to service the needs of South Carolina's senior citizens.
As Director of the LGOA, Curtis served on the SC Advisory Council on Aging, the State Public Health Preparedness Advisory Council, the Coalition for Successful Aging, the Adult Protection Coordinating Council, the Development Disabilities Council and the Medicaid Transportation Advisory Committee.
Service Committees and Organizations
*SC Advisory Council on Aging
*State Public Health Preparedness Advisory Council
*Coalition for Successful Aging
*Adult Protection Coordinating Council
*Development Disabilities Council
*Medicaid Transportation Advisory Committee
Affiliated Charities
*Doctors on Mission (Active Member)
*Saluda-Ternopil Charitable Foundation (Board of Directors)
*Helps International Ministries
*MedEquip Missions

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